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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2019) | Viewed by 9979

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Prof. Dr. Judy Orme

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Guest Editor

University of the West of England, Department of Health and Social Sciences, UWE Bristol, Coldharbour Ln, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Interests: public health; settings based approaches to health and wellbeing; sustainable development; strategic urban planning and health

Dr. Matthew Jones

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Guest Editor

HAS—Health and Social Sciences, UWE Bristol, Coldharbour Ln, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Interests: public health; community development; sustainable food systems; complex community-based programmes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the great challenges of our age is how to create a food system that is both good for people and good for the planet. Today’s global food system is driving environmental degradation, bio-diversity loss and an increasingly unstable climate. It is often bound to human and animal exploitation, and to unsustainable models of economic development. In the context of public health, poor diets are a major contributor towards the global burden of disease, with growing rates of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Undernutrition, insecurity and the erosion of cultural food traditions are persistent features in the evolution of the global food system.

The intersection of food and sustainability issues is increasingly becoming a focus for public health practice at local, national and international levels. Yet, much work remains under-theorised, weakly coordinated and poorly evidenced. The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together papers that examine the nature of problems and the potential for solutions on this topic at a time when action is urgently needed. Indicative themes address the following:

What is the intersection between food, public health, and sustainability?
How are disparities in health and social justice linked to unsustainable food systems?
How can we reshape the food landscape to both promote food system sustainability and population health?
How do we develop food policies and programmes that balance priorities for the environment, social and animal justice, culturally appropriate diets, and human health?
What is the role of the food industry, and the wider commercial sphere, in shaping healthy and sustainable dietary practices?
How can government agencies, NGOs, and public institutions, such as schools and hospitals, lead change?
How do we promote public engagement in debates and solutions around food public health and sustainability?

Prof. Dr. Judy Orme
Dr. Matthew Jones
Guest Editors

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

Diet, nutrition, and health promotion. Diet-related non-communicable disease and burden of disease
Social determinants of health and diets
Inequalities in health and diet
Foodscapes and local food systems
Food security and social justice

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organic Foods in Diets of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

by Szymon Dziuba, Anna Cierniak-Emerych, Blanka Klímová, Petra Poulová, Piotr Napora and Sylwia Szromba

Sustainability 2020, 12(4), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041388 - 13 Feb 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2660

Abstract

Sustainable consumption is increasingly being promoted in the face of the decreasing amount of natural resources in the world. In general, sustainable consumption means using products and services that meet human basic needs while minimizing the consumption of natural resources and reducing waste. At this point, it is worth noting that the production of organic foods is conducive to the development of sustainable consumption through, e.g., natural methods of production, without the use of artificial fertilizers and crop protection chemicals. Nowadays, more and more emphasis is put on the correlations between health and diets. Consumers who care for their health often choose organic food. Therefore, the focus of this study was on the identification and presentation of the interest in organic foods among people who provide care to patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In order to achieve this aim, the theoretical part of the study attempted to demonstrate, on the one hand, the benefits of organic food and, on the other hand, the specific nutrition of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The achievement of the study aim was supported by the analysis of the related literature, including the results obtained by other authors. The results of the authors’ own survey conducted in 2017–2018 were also used, with the respondents being the carers and potential carers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and medical specialists. A statistical analysis was also carried out, including Pearson’s test analysis and a correspondence analysis. The literature survey and empirical examinations led to the conclusion that organic food is characterized by health benefits which should be taken into consideration during planning of diets for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Carers indicated the deficiency of knowledge concerning demanded diet components. They intuitively perceive the need for using organic food due to its health benefits and for the implementation of the principles of sustainable consumption. Carers are unable to identify the values which would help improve the health of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Sustainability and Public Health)

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15 pages, 1831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding Food Literacy in Urban Gardeners: A Case Study of the Twin Cities, Minnesota

by Megan Grubb and Christian R. Vogl

Sustainability 2019, 11(13), 3617; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133617 - 1 Jul 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4526

Abstract

Substantial urbanization has allowed individuals to become increasingly spatially and psychologically distanced from the food system and agricultural practices. Food literacy (FL) has been described as a promising approach to reconnect the city with the country and furthermore address public health issues such as obesity and diet-related disease. The present study examined urban gardening through the lens of the FL approach to determine whether a relationship exists between gardening and FL. The research further investigated the relationship between FL and gardener demographics, participation in educational garden events and socialization among gardeners. Data was collected using an online questionnaire targeted to reach community gardeners (n = 181) in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The research utilized a novel exam and self-perception based measurement tool to assess gardeners’ level of FL. Results indicated a moderately positive relationship between the years of gardening experience and higher individual FL scores. Participants with higher levels of FL were older individuals and more highly educated. There was no significant difference in FL between gardeners who attended educational events and those that had not. The present research presents an initial investigation into the relationship between food literacy and gardening. This research indicates gardening may warrant consideration in holistic approaches to food literacy but further investigation would be valuable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Sustainability and Public Health)

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18 pages, 277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Barbara Groele, Dominika Głąbska, Krystyna Gutkowska and Dominika Guzek

Sustainability 2019, 11(12), 3398; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123398 - 20 Jun 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2360

Abstract

Fruit and vegetable intake is indicated among the features of sustainable diets, while children’s intake is strongly associated with the intake of their parents, as well as the availability of food products and their accessibility at home. The aim of the study was to analyze the mother-related determinants of children at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns in a Polish national sample of children aged 3–10 years. The random quota sampling (with quotas for age, education, and place of residence) was conducted to recruit the national representative sample of Polish mothers of children aged 3–10 years (n = 1200) who were interviewed using a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) method. They were asked about their children’s at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns, which were later compared in sub-groups that were stratified for age, educational background, marital status, place of residence, occupational status, and total net income in households. The indicated features, but not marital status, were indicated as determinants of children at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns. Children of younger mothers more often than others consumed fruits, whereas those of older mothers consumed vegetables. Children of mothers who had a lower level of education more commonly than others consumed fruits alone as a dish, and they had a higher preference for them, while those of mothers who had a higher level of education had a higher consumption of vegetables than others, although they had a medium preference for them. Children of mothers from villages had a lower consumption of vegetables and fruits than others, although they had a higher preference for fruits. Children of mothers with no professional job had a lower consumption of vegetables than others and more often consumed them processed, although they had a higher preference for fruits and vegetables. Children of mothers with low income had a lower consumption of vegetables than others and more often consumed fruits in a dish with other products, although they had a higher preference for fruits and vegetables. To summarize, an indication of a high preference for fruits and vegetables by mothers is not accompanied by the higher consumption and recommended dietary patterns for fruit and vegetable intake by their children. In particular, the sub-samples of mothers who had a low level of education, were from villages, did not have a professional job, and had low income may either overestimate the fruit and vegetable preference of their children or do not offer them sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables, although they indicate a higher preference. In order to encourage more sustainable diet following, in terms of the fruit and vegetable intake, it is essential to introduce actions toward the properly planned nutritional education for the indicated target groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Sustainability and Public Health)

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