Consumers knowledge about dietary fibre : Results of a survey questionnaire in Hungary and Romania

Dietary fi bres (DFs) are essential components of the balanced diet. Even though the adequate level of their consumption can be ensured from several natural (e.g. fruit, vegetables, legumes) and ‘artifi cial’ sources (e.g. functional foods), the consumed levels are below the recommendations. To analyse the Hungarian and Romanian consumers’ knowledge level, their perceptions of the health benefi ts associated with fi bre, as well as the recognition of the potential information sources, a survey questionnaire was conducted with the total of 713 consumers. Results showed that the level of knowledge about DFs was not adequate. Internet was found to be widely used and identifi ed as one of the most appropriate information sources to encourage the consumption of DF. It was a favourable result that three-quarter of the respondents was interested in the topic of healthy food consumption; however, just less than half of them took into consideration the label information during their shopping decisions. To increase the consumption of DF and to support the responsibility and conscious consumer decisions steps must to be done (e.g. education of children, pointing out of the sources). For this purpose, modern information technology and communication channels fi tting to the consumers’ cultural and personal particularities can be utilized.

The domiciliary support in the vision of the informal care provider

The home support services are a social response in order to improve the quality of life directed predominantly for the elderly and for people with varying degrees of disability and dependence. Examples of those services are hygiene and personal comfort, medication, housekeeping and cleaning, preparation and monitoring of the meals; the dressing, etc. It is necessary to make society aware of the importance of these services to all those who need them. The general objective was to understand the most important relationships among informal caregivers, those who are care and home support services providers. Material and Methods. Data were collected through a questionnaire, using the various dimensions of the construct Quality SERVPERF model of service that matches the 22 items of SERVQUAL model. The various items used to assess the perception of care individuals and informal caregivers about the quality of home care services. 82 individuals participated providers of informal care, to receive home support services, and exclusion criteria, the fact of having a diagnosed psychiatric illness or psychological factors that prevent them from responding. The analysis was performed with SPSS and SEM-PLS for the estimation of the proposed structural model. Written consent was obtained, free and clear of each subject. Results and Conclusions. The results showed that the relationships with healthcare professionals are the most important positive effects on satisfaction. This research emphasizes the need to work closely with health professionals to improve the relationship between technicians and patients. Although current constructs appear to explain much of the satisfaction, it is recommended that the future researches exploit new variables, to get a better understanding of the effects of public health policies on the quality of life of these patients.