Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) includes age-inappropriate feeding behaviors in eating patterns, including food neophobia, defined as refusal or reluctance to eat new or unknown foods. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ARFID and food neophobia among adults and determine the related characteristics of these risks. The study used an anonymous survey questionnaire consisting of three parts as the research tool. The first part of the questionnaire was a metric and concerned socio-demographic data. The Food Neophobia Scale (FNS) and the Nine-Item Avoidance/Restrictive Food Disorder Screen Questionnaire (NIAS) were used to evaluate the eating disorders. The survey included 309 people (60.2% women, 39.8% men) aged 18–77 years. NIAS results indicated that 15.2% of the subjects showed food selectivity, and 11.0% had food anxiety. In the FNS assessment, 42.4% had a low risk of food neophobia, 38.2% a medium risk, and 19.4% a high risk. A higher risk of food neophobia correlated with higher NIAS scores, indicating a higher risk of ARFID (p = 0.00231). The NIAS score increased with the risk of food neophobia (p = 0.000). Respondents at low risk of neophobia were most likely to avoid several products (83.97%), while in the high-risk group, 56.67% did not want to eat a favorite food enriched with a new ingredient. A higher risk of neophobia was correlated with more food avoidance and adverse reactions to new foods (p = 0.000). A higher risk of food neophobia is strongly correlated with a higher risk of ARFID. Although demographics did not significantly impact NIAS results, some trends were noted, such as higher scores among older and underweight people. Those with a higher risk of food neophobia show more food avoidance and a greater reluctance to experiment with new ingredients. Public education should emphasize that eating disorders affect both sexes equally, with tailored interventions for high-risk groups such as the elderly, rural populations, and those with lower education. Health policies should promote access to nutrition education, psychological support, and diverse food options, while further research is needed to improve targeted interventions.

Consumption of milk and milk products in the population of the Upper Silesian agglomeration inhabitants

Color plays a significant role in consumer decisions about food products, influencing preferences and choices and eliciting positive or negative associations. This study aimed to investigate the impact of color on dietitian food preferences, using selected tomato juices as an example. This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the color of the tomato juices was evaluated using a Tri-Color SF80 spectrophotometer. In the second stage, the serialization method performed sensory analysis among dietitians. Results showed that dietitians pay special attention to the color of food products. Spectrophotometric analysis indicated that not all tested pairs of juices had color differences noticeable to an inexperienced observer. There was no clear correlation between the specific color parameters and the choices made by dietitians. These findings suggest that while color is an important factor in consumer preferences, it is not the sole determinant, highlighting the complexity of consumer decision-making processes and providing valuable insights for product marketing strategies.

Methods: An educational project called Cooking and Educational Workshops “Colourful means healthy” was conducted at the Department of Dietetics of the Faculty of Public Health in Bytom of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2019. The participants/recipients of the project were second-grade primary schoolchildren (317 pupils aged 7–9 years). Objective: The aim of this article is to assess the change in knowledge of the principles of healthy eating among children aged 7–9 years following the nutritional education we carried out as part of the “Colourful means healthy” project. As part of project evaluation, the participating children were asked to rate selected food products in terms of their influence on human health (healthy vs. unhealthy). Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the percentage of correct answers provided by the pupils before and after nutrition education. Thus, one may conclude that conducting an educational programme caused the participants’ nutrition knowledge to increase. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the potential of nutrition education in the form of cooking and educational workshops in terms of increasing nutrition knowledge. As such, workshops like these can be a useful measure for improving eating habits and eliminating dietary errors in the study population. However, future research is needed in order to verify whether such cooking and educational workshops can produce beneficial and lasting changes in dietary habits over the long term.

Body composition is an important indicator of the overall health and fitness of team sports athletes, including in football, and therefore, anthropometric profiling of elite football players is useful as part of determining their skills, strengths, and weaknesses to develop effective strength and conditioning programs. One of the tools available to coaches to track correlates of performance and health is routine body composition assessment. The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the body composition and anthropometric profiles of players using the Direct Segmental Multi-Frequency Bio-Electrical Impedance Analysis method, and to manage body composition throughout the round in the 2020–2021 season. The investigation was carried out during the Polish football league, PKO BP Ekstraklasa, spring round of the football season 2020–2021, in which male football players participated. Athletes between the ages of 18 and 25 (n = 16) made up the younger age group, while those between the ages of 26 and 31 (n = 22) made up the older age group. This manuscript is a continuation of the presentation of the results of the study, which was conducted between 7 January and 23 July 2021. At different stages of the macrocycle, participants underwent six different body composition analyses. The younger and older groups of athletes were compared, as well as measurements of time points 1–6. The dominant extremities, assisting extremities, and trunk had larger fat-free mass contents in the older age group. In the study groups, there was a difference in the fat-free mass content between measures 1–6 that was statistically significant. In the younger group, there was a statistically significant difference in the amount of fat mass content between measurements 1–6. In the older age group, no statistically significant changes were found. The study showed changes in fat-free mass and fat mass in body segments; differences were observed between age groups and between different moments of measurement. Age is an important factor in determining body composition and is also related to an athlete’s experience and seniority. Anthropometric profiling and comprehensive body composition analysis are important tools used in preparing athletes for competition.

Background: The increasing focus on healthy eating and achieving an ideal physique can lead to the development of disordered eating patterns, including orthorexia nervosa. The relationship between body image perception, self-esteem, and the risk of orthorexia nervosa is multifaceted, with negative body image and low self-esteem often acting as contributing factors. This study aimed to assess the risk of orthorexia nervosa and analyze body image perception among women engaged in strength training and dietetics students. Methods: The study was conducted using a Computer-Assisted Web Interview with 190 women aged 18 and older, divided into four groups: dietetics students engaged in strength training, dietetics students not engaged in strength training, non-dietetics women engaged in strength training, and non-dietetics women not engaged in strength training. The study utilized the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale to assess the risk of orthorexia nervosa and the Body-Esteem Scale to evaluate body image perception. Results: The highest orthorexia nervosa risk was observed in dietetics students who do not engage in a strength training group (60.9%), followed by dietetics students who engage in a strength training group (37.5%). In contrast, women who are not studying dietetics and do not engage in a strength training group exhibited the lowest orthorexia nervosa risk (13%), emphasizing the protective role of physical activity and reduced focus on nutritional rigidity. Regression analysis revealed that low appearance self-esteem (p = 0.011) and high social attribution (p = 0.043) significantly predicted higher orthorexia nervosa risk. Group affiliation also influenced orthorexia nervosa risk, with dietetics students showing higher Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale scores. However, weight-related self-esteem (p = 0.082) did not significantly impact orthorexia nervosa scores. Conclusions: Dietetics education and physical activity independently and collectively affect orthorexia nervosa risk. Students in dietetics, particularly those not engaged in strength training, are at a higher risk due to the dual influence of academic pressures and heightened nutritional awareness. The findings underscore the need for interventions targeting body image perception, promoting flexible dietary approaches, and addressing external validation pressures to mitigate orthorexia nervosa risk in high-risk groups.