Knowledge of Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines is Not Associated with Physical Function in Dutch Older Adults Attending a Healthy Ageing Public Engagement Event

PURPOSE: Evidence-based guidelines on nutrition and physical activity are used to increase knowledge in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. However, actual knowledge of guidelines is limited and whether it is associated with health outcomes is unclear. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This inception cohort study aimed to investigate the association of knowledge of nutrition and physical activity guidelines with objective measures of physical function and physical activity in community-dwelling older adults attending a public engagement event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Knowledge of nutrition and physical activity according to Dutch guidelines was assessed using customized questionnaires. Gait speed and handgrip strength were proxies of physical function and the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity in minutes/week. Linear regression analysis, stratified by gender and adjusted for age, was used to study the association between continuous and categorical knowledge scores with outcomes. RESULTS: In 106 older adults (mean age=70.1 SD=6.6, years) who were highly educated, well-functioning, and generally healthy, there were distinct knowledge gaps in nutrition and physical activity which did not correlate with one another (R2=0.013, p=0.245). Knowledge of nutrition or physical activity guidelines was not associated with physical function or physical activity. However, before age-adjustment nutrition knowledge was positively associated with HGS in males (B= 0.64 (95% CI: 0.05, 1.22)) and having knowledge above the median was associated with faster gait speed in females (B=0.10 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.19)). CONCLUSION: Our findings may represent a ceiling effect of the impact knowledge has on physical function and activity in the this high performing and educated population and that there may be other determinants of behavior leading to health status such as attitude and perception to consider in future studies

Knowledge of Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines is Not Associated with Physical Function in Dutch Older Adults Attending a Healthy Ageing Public Engagement Event

Keenan A Ramsey,1 Suey SY Yeung,1 Anna GM Rojer,1 Noémie Gensous,2 Evans A Asamane,3 Justin Avery Aunger,3 Dmitriy Bondarev,4 Andrea Cabbia,5 Paul Doody,3 Barbara Iadarola,6,7 Belina Rodrigues,8,9 Muhammad R Tahir,10 Victor Kallen,10 Paola Pazienza,6,7 Nadine Correia Santos,8,9 Sarianna Sipilä,4 Janice L Thompson,3 Carel GM Meskers,1,11 Marijke C Trappenburg,12,13 Anna C Whittaker,15 Andrea B Maier1,14,16,17 1Department of Human Movement Sciences, @AgeAmsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Faculty of Behavioural and Human Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 2Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; 3School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; 4Gerontology Research Center & Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; 6Personal Genomics s.r.l., Verona, Italy; 7Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; 8Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; 9ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal; 10Department of Microbiology and System Biology, The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Zeist, the Netherlands; 11Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 12Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 13Department of Internal Medicine, Amstelland Hospital, Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 14Department of Medicine and Aged Care, @Age, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; 15Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK; 16Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 17Centre for Healthy Longevity, @AgeSingapore, National University Health System, SingaporeCorrespondence: Andrea B Maier, Department of Human Movement Sciences, @AgeAmsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Faculty of Behavioural and Human Movement Sciences, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, 1081 BT, the Netherlands, Tel +31 20 59 82000, Email [email protected]: Evidence-based guidelines on nutrition and physical activity are used to increase knowledge in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. However, actual knowledge of guidelines is limited and whether it is associated with health outcomes is unclear.Participants and Methods: This inception cohort study aimed to investigate the association of knowledge of nutrition and physical activity guidelines with objective measures of physical function and physical activity in community-dwelling older adults attending a public engagement event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Knowledge of nutrition and physical activity according to Dutch guidelines was assessed using customized questionnaires. Gait speed and handgrip strength were proxies of physical function and the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity in minutes/week. Linear regression analysis, stratified by gender and adjusted for age, was used to study the association between continuous and categorical knowledge scores with outcomes.Results: In 106 older adults (mean age=70.1 SD=6.6, years) who were highly educated, well-functioning, and generally healthy, there were distinct knowledge gaps in nutrition and physical activity which did not correlate with one another (R2=0.013, p=0.245). Knowledge of nutrition or physical activity guidelines was not associated with physical function or physical activity. However, before age-adjustment nutrition knowledge was positively associated with HGS in males (B= 0.64 (95% CI: 0.05, 1.22)) and having knowledge above the median was associated with faster gait speed in females (B=0.10 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.19)).Conclusion: Our findings may represent a ceiling effect of the impact knowledge has on physical function and activity in the this high performing and educated population and that there may be other determinants of behavior leading to health status such as attitude and perception to consider in future studies.Keywords: health knowledge, attitudes, practice, lifestyle, physical performance, age

Evaluation of a mobile application for estimation of food intake

Objective Evaluate the use of the Nutrabem (São Paulo, Brasil) mobile application as a tool for measurement of food intake among university students. Methods Cross-sectional study of a random sample of 40 undergraduate students at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista. Food intake data were estimated using the Nutrabem app and the 24-hour dietary recall. Intakes of energy, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, calcium, iron, and vitamin C were calculated. The intake of food groups and diet quality were evaluated by the Diet Quality Index associated with the Digital Food Guide. The agreement between the methods was assessed using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the Student’ t-test. Results Strong correlations were observed between energy (0.77), carbohydrates (0.82) and protein (0.83). The groups: poultry, fish, and eggs; beef and pork; refined grains and breads; and fruits and legumes showed strong correlations (between 0.76 and 0.85). There were moderate correlations (0.59 and 0.71) between the groups sugars and sweets; whole grains, tubers and roots, milk and dairy products, animal fats, and the Diet Quality Index associated with the Digital Food Guide scores. Vegetables and leafy greens, nuts, and vegetable oils showed weak correlations (0.31 and 0.43). Homogeneity assessment revealed similarity between the results obtained by both methods (p>0.05). Conclusion The Nutrabem app can be used as a tool to assess dietary intake among university students since it produces results similar to those obtained by the 24-hour dietary recall method.Objetivo Avaliar a utilização do aplicativo Nutrabem (São Paulo) como recurso para a medida da ingestão alimentar entre universitários. Métodos Estudo transversal conduzido em uma amostra aleatória com 40 universitários adultos da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista. Os dados de ingestão alimentar foram estimados por meio do aplicativo Nutrabem e pelo Recordatório de 24 horas; foram calculados os valores de ingestão de energia, carboidratos, proteínas, lipídeos, cálcio, ferro e vitamina C; avaliou-se ainda a ingestão segundo grupos alimentares e qualidade da dieta conforme o Índice de Qualidade da Dieta associado ao Guia Alimentar Digital. A concordância entre os métodos foi estimada pelo coeficiente de correlação linear Pearson e Teste-t. Resultados Foram observadas correlações fortes para energia (0,77), carboidratos (0,82) e proteínas (0,83). Os grupos aves, pescados e ovos, carnes bovina e suína, cereais e pães refinados, frutas e leguminosas apresentaram correlações fortes (entre 0,76 e 0,85); açúcares e doces, cereais integrais, tubérculos e raízes, leite e derivados, gorduras de origem animal e a pontuação do Índice de Qualidade da Dieta associado ao Guia Alimentar Digital apresentam correlações moderadas (0,59 e 0,71); hortaliças, oleaginosas e os óleos vegetais apresentam correlações fracas (valores entre 0,31 e 0,43). A avaliação de homogeneidade dos dados mostrou haver semelhança entre os resultados obtidos por ambos os métodos (p>0,05). Conclusão O aplicativo Nutrabem pode ser mais uma ferramenta no estudo de ingestão alimentar de jovens universitários, uma vez que produz resultados semelhantes aos obtidos pelo Recordatório de 24 horas.Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Polit Publ & Saude Colet, Programa Posgrad Interdisciplinar Ciencias Saude, Campus Baixada Santista,Av Ana Costa 95, BR-11060001 Santos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Políticas Públicas e Saúde Coletiva, Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar em Ciências da Saúde. Campus Baixada Santista, Av. Ana Costa, 95, Vila Mathias, 11060-001, Santos, SP, BrasilWeb of Scienc