ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2005 February;164(1):35-41

Copyright © 2005 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Nutritional habits of Campania country adult people: the use of 24 hours recall nutritional card published on a newspaper

Messina G., Mangoni di Santo Stefano G. S., Imperiale R., D’Ambrosio L., Mangoni di Santo Stefano C.

Department of Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy

Aim. Aim of our work was to collect information on nutritional habits of people in the Campania Country in order to have a basis for educational intervention and background for medical analysis.
Methods. Data on nutritional intake of inhabitants of the Campania Country (Italy) were acquired using a 24/hours recall nutritional card published weekly (Thursday) for a month on a news paper “Il Mattino” at prevailing circulation in Campania Country. The readers were requested to fill the card and to return it to our institution.
Results. At least 16 000 cards were collected. The data from nutritional cards were housed in a personal computer by WinFood software from Medimatica (Martinsicuro, Teramo, Italy). All the readers were placed in their economic and cultural reality using the Zip Code as a geographical informational button. Comparison between nutritional intakes of the inhabitants in different geographical reality was made using StatView statistical analysis package. Inhabitants in sea overlooking provinces appear to have different nutritional habits than inhabitants in internal provinces, and the differences were statistically relevant.
Conclusion. The use of a 24 hours nutritional card published on the newspaper to map nutritional habits was suggested.