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Study on Diet, Nutrition and Health Promotion Strategies to Prevent Chronic Diseases in All Life Stages

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Disease Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 2205

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health PROLEPSIS, 15121 Athens, Greece
2. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17676 Athens, Greece
3. Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
4. Functional Foods and Nutrition Research (FFNR) Laboratory, University of Canberra, Bruce, Ngunnawal Country, ACT 2617, Australia
Interests: nutrition; nutrition epidemiology; cardiovascular diseases; metabolic syndrome; gender differences; health promotion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forty million deaths around the globe are annually attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). There is longstanding recognition that diet plays a major role in the etiology of many chronic diseases. For instance, estimates show that 80% of the most frequent chronic disease, i.e., cardiovascular disease (CVD), is preventable earlier in life if a healthier lifestyle is adopted. It is estimated that among all behaviors, nutrition makes the largest contribution to chronic diseases’ morbidity across Europe. This calls for cost‐effective preventive strategies towards this perspective in the first place. Population-based strategies are crucial complements to individual-based efforts and also have the potential for broad and sustained impacts; however, many challenges exist. In view of the magnitude of the disease burden attributable to diet and the limitations of the existing interventions, the development of novel food system interventions is urgently needed.

The scope of this Special Issue is to select original research articles or systematic reviews that connect nutrition with major chronic diseases, with a focus oriented towards health promotion strategies in the field of primary care.

Dr. Matina Kouvari
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • healthy diet
  • health promotion
  • primary care
  • obesity
  • cardiometabolic disorders
  • cancer
  • public health

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 634 KiB  
Article
Older People in Emergencies; Addressing Food Insecurity, Health Status and Quality of Life: Evaluating the “365+ Days of Care” Program
by Dimitrios V. Diamantis, Konstantinos Katsas, Christina Maria Kastorini, Lyndsey Mugford, Nadia Dalma, Marsellos Ramizi, Ourania Papapanagiotou, Afroditi Veloudaki, Athena Linos and Matina Kouvari
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5235; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075235 - 23 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1818
Abstract
During emergencies, older adults stand among the most vulnerable, facing long-lasting food insecurity and overall health issues. The “365+ Days of Care” food aid program addressed food insecurity and poor quality of life among vulnerable older adults following a devastating wildfire in Greece. [...] Read more.
During emergencies, older adults stand among the most vulnerable, facing long-lasting food insecurity and overall health issues. The “365+ Days of Care” food aid program addressed food insecurity and poor quality of life among vulnerable older adults following a devastating wildfire in Greece. Our aim was to evaluate the program’s efficiency, using a process evaluation framework and a partial cost–utility analysis. In total, n = 133 wildfire-hit residents (≥65 years) received daily tailored, pre-cooked meals and/or weekly food packages. The study outcomes were assessed from baseline to 12 months later. Focus groups and interviews (n = 30), researcher observations, and questionnaires were used to assess the beneficiaries’ perception of the initiative. Within the 12-month follow-up period, food insecurity and malnutrition risk decreased, whereas Mediterranean diet adherence; quality of life; and physical, social, and mental health were improved (p < 0.05). A one-point increase in food insecurity was positively associated with improved quality of life, general health, limitation in activities, body pain, vitality, and pain/discomfort (p’s < 0.05), and it was marginally associated with mobility, anxiety/depression, and self-evaluated health status (p’s < 0.1). Quantitative and qualitative data characterized it as successful, acceptable, beneficial, and of high quality. The partial cost–utility ratio was one QALY gained per EUR 22.608. The utilization of well-designed food aid programs during emergencies can alleviate food insecurity and improve quality of life in older adults. Full article
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