Ulla-Kaisa Koivisto Hursti

Choice of organic foods is related to perceived consequences for human health and to environmentally friendly behaviour

We designed a questionnaire concerned with attitudes and behaviour towards organic foods, environmentally friendly behaviour (EFB), and perceived consequences of organic food choice in terms of human health, the environment and animal welfare. It was mailed in 1998 to a random nation-wide sample of 2000 Swedish citizens, ages 18-65 years, and 1154 (58%) responded. Self-reported purchase of organic foods was most strongly related to perceived benefit for human health. Performance of EFBs such as refraining from car driving was also a good predictor of purchase frequency. The results indicate that egoistic motives are better predictors of the purchase of organic foods than are altruistic motives.

Attitudes towards organic foods among Swedish consumers

The present study reports demographic differences with respect to Swedish consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods (milk, meat, potatoes, bread), purchase frequency, purchase criteria, perceived availability, and beliefs about organic foods. A random nation‐wide sample of 2,000 respondents, aged 18‐65 years, were mailed a questionnaire and 1,154 (58 per cent) responded. The majority of consumers, and particularly women and young respondents (18‐25 years) reported positive attitudes, but purchase frequency was low. A total of 13 per cent stated that they regularly bought organic milk. Corresponding figures for organic meat, potatoes, and bread were 13, 16, and 8 per cent respectively. The most important purchase criterion was good taste, and the least important was “organically produced”. Approximately half of the respondents were satisfied with the availability of the organic foods. The organic foods were perceived to be more expensive and healthier than conventionally produced alternatives. A major obstacle to the purchase of organic foods was reported to be premium prices. The results suggest that the consumption will not increase as long as important purchase criteria and perceived beliefs about organic foods do not match.

Consumer attitudes towards genetically modified foods.

The present study reports attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) foods among Swedish consumers. A random nation-wide sample of 2,000 addressees, aged 18-65 years, were mailed a questionnaire and 786 (39%) responded. Most of these consumers were rather negative about GM foods. However, males, younger respondents and those with higher level of education were more positive than were females, older respondents and those with lower level of education. A majority of the consumers had moral and ethical doubts about eating GM foods and did not perceive attributes like better taste or lower price beneficial enough to persuade them to purchase GM foods. However, tangible benefits, like being better for the environment or healthier, seemed to increase willingness to purchase GM foods.

Validation and cross-national comparison of the food neophobia scale (FNS) using confirmatory factor analysis

The food neophobia scale [FNS; Appetite 19 (1992) 105] has been used to assess willingness to try new foods in studies conducted around the world. Although it is tempting to compare FNS scores across these studies, appropriate psychometric analyses are required to validate the scale and allow cross-cultural comparisons. These analyses were pursued in the current study using confirmatory factor analysis in conjunction with a data analysis strategy described by Steenkamp and Baumgartner [J. Consumer Res. 25 (1998) 78] and random, representative samples drawn from the United States, Sweden and Finland. A unidimensional scale was constructed using eight of the original 10 items from the FNS, and this model provided an excellent fit to the data from the US and Swedish samples. An acceptable fit was achieved for six items when data from the US, Sweden and Finland were used. Based on these analyses, we recommend that two items from the original FNS be dropped (items 5 and 9). Elimination of additional items may be premature given the potential contributions of difference in sampling and testing methodology associated with data collection from the three samples. Future efforts to develop a FNS for cross-national comparisons should target the development of a scale with 14-16 items so that dropping several items from a model (due to translation or other problems) allows retention of a sufficient number of items to insure a robust test. However, even with only six items, our results supported the conclusion that people from Sweden are generally more willing to try novel foods as compared to people from the US and Finland. Future studies should focus on the source of this enhanced willingness to try novel foods among the Swedes and the potential use of this information in the development of programs aimed at facilitating dietary change.

Attitudes towards genetically modified and organic foods

Finnish students (N=3261) filled out a questionnaire on attitudes towards genetically modified and organic food, plus the rational-experiential inventory, the magical thinking about food and health scale, Schwartzs value survey and the behavioural inhibition scale. In addition, they reported their eating of meat. Structural equation modelling of these measures had greater explanatory power for attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) foods than for attitudes towards organic foods (OF). GM attitudes were best predicted by natural science education and magical food and health beliefs, which mediated the influence of thinking styles. Positive attitudes towards organic food, on the other hand, were more directly related to such individual differences as thinking styles and set of values. The results of the study indicate that OF attitudes are rooted in more fundamental personal attributes than GM attitudes, which are embedded in a more complex but also in a more modifiable network of characteristics.

Use of functional foods among Swedish consumers is related to health-consciousness and perceived effect.

The aim of the present study was to survey attitudes to and use of functional foods and to investigate which demographic variables and attitudes to diet and health predict consumption of functional foods among Swedish consumers. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 2000 randomly selected Swedish citizens aged between 17 and 75 years. A total of 972 (48%) responded, 53% were female and 44% male. Mean age was 45 years. The results revealed that 84% of respondents were familiar with the concept of functional foods; 83% had consumed/purchased at least one of the seven functional food products presented in the questionnaire. Of those who had consumed a functional food, 25% had perceived effect of it. Positive correlations were seen between consumers perceiving a personal reward from eating functional foods, having an interest in natural products and an interest in general health. Consumption/purchase of functional foods was related to beliefs in the effects of the products, having consumed nutraceuticals or dietary supplements, having a diet-related problem personally or in the family, and a high level of education. The characteristic Swedish functional food consumer has a high level of education, is health-conscious and interested in healthy foods and believes in the health effect of functional foods. Thus, factors other than demographics better explain consumption of FF. However, the study population may represent a more health-conscious segment of the Swedish population in general. Additional studies are therefore required to elucidate the attitudes and use of FF in different consumer groups.

Altered food intake and taste perception in children with cancer after start of chemotherapy: perspectives of children, parents and nurses

Goals of workThe purpose of this study was to better understand various variables related to food intake and eating problems in children with cancer during their chemotherapy.Patients and methodsTwenty-two consecutively admitted children, diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, participated in this study. Twenty-one of them, their parents and attending nurses participated in semi-structured interviews. Ten of the children underwent a taste acuity test, and recognition thresholds for the four basic tastes were determined.Main resultsThe shared view of both children and parents was that altered taste was the predominant cause of the eating problems. In contrast, the nurses perceived that nausea was the most important cause of the children’s eating problems. In addition, psychological aspects such as learned food aversions and negative attitudes towards hospital food were regarded as important by children, parents and nurses. The taste test showed that the patients had higher thresholds for bitter taste and made more taste recognition errors compared to controls.ConclusionsChanges seem to exist both in the primary gustatory sense as well as in food perception in paediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Single solutions, such as efforts to serve “tasty food”, do not suffice alone. A more effective solution may be to combine different strategies and combinations of oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition should be considered to prevent malnutrition.

Swedish consumers’ opinions about gene technology

A total of 316 consumers participated in an interview study on their opinions on genetic modification (GM). Most participants were negative to use of GM in general. About 20 percent of the respondents were willing to accept GM foods for marketing in Sweden and were also willing to buy such products. Almost all respondents stated that GM products should be labelled. The respondents were most positive to applications “GM of bacteria for medical purposes (e.g. insulin producing bacteria)” and “Genetic approaches to fighting hereditary diseases”. Males were generally more positive to GM, so were the younger respondents. No significant differences in consumer attitudes were found with respect to level of education or place of residence. The results indicate that Swedish consumers in general are negative towards GM. However, the motives underlying the consumers’ opinions are far from clear. Consumer concerns are very complex and difficult to study. Therefore, individual and group interview strategies could prove to be valuable in attempts to further understand consumer attitudes to this new technology.

Relations of taste and earlier experience with the likelihood of future consumption of specific foods in Swedish families with children age 7–17

The aim was to investigate the predictive power of earlier experience and the perceived taste of specific foods for the likelihood of future tasting of these foods. Parental reasons for being unlikely to serve specific foods and family members’ reasons for being unlikely to taste specific foods were also investigated. A group of randomly selected families (nation‐wide, n = 1593) with children age 7–17 years were invited and 722 participated. The results are based on a demographic questionnaire, a Food Frequency Questionnaire and a questionnaire with bipolar attribute scales for food ratings. It was more likely that foods that had been served/tasted at least once would be served/ tasted again, as compared to those that had never been served/tasted. The better the food was reported to taste, the higher the likelihood of future tasting. This was true for all categories of family members. The most frequent reason for the food gatekeeper not serving and for the family members not tasting a specific food was “d...

Riksmaten Adolescents 2016–17: A national dietary survey in Sweden – design, methods, and participation

Background Nationally representative information on food consumption data is essential to evaluate dietary habits, inform policy-making and nutritional guidelines, as well as forming a basis for risk assessment and identification of risk groups. Objective To describe the methods used in the Swedish national dietary survey of adolescents, Riksmaten Adolescents 2016–2017. Design Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 (mean ages 12, 15, and 18 years) were recruited in this school-based cross-sectional survey. A new, validated, web-based method was used to assess dietary intake. Information on physical activity, health, and socioeconomic background was collected through web questionnaires. Physical activity was also evaluated by accelerometers. Weight and height were measured in all participants, while blood and urine samples were collected in a subsample of 40% of the participants. Results A total of 3,477 (68%) respondents participated and 3,099 (60%) had complete dietary information. In the subsample, 1,305 (55%) respondents participated and 1,105 (46%) had complete dietary information. The participants were overall representative for the population with regard to socioeconomic background and school organization (public or independent). All types of municipalities were represented in the survey and overall, the geographic distribution corresponded to the underlying population. Some differences by school grade were observed. Sample weights were calculated for the total sample and the subsample. Conclusion The Riksmaten Adolescents 2016–2017 provides valuable national data on diet, physical activity, and markers of exposure in age groups where data have been lacking. The data will provide a valuable basis for risk assessment, public health policy, and in-depth analyses.