The purpose of this investigation is to test the mediational effect of parenting style on the association between child health status and child behavioural outcomes in children. Using cross-sectional data of children 4 and 5 years old from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) Cycle 4 2000-2001 the paper explores the degree to which child health status is related to child behavioural outcomes. In addition, the present study investigates the extent to which child health status is linked to parenting style. Another aim of this study is to explore the association between parenting style and child behavioural outcomes. Child outcome measures assessed in this study include: hyperactivity-inattention, emotional-disorder anxiety, conduct disorder — physical aggression, and indirect aggression. Child health status is assessed using the Health Utility Index Mark 3. The Health Utility Index gives a description of an individual's overall functional health, founded on eight attributes that include: vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, cognition, emotion, pain and discomfort. Parenting style is measured using several parenting scales that consist of: positive interaction, hostile/ineffective parenting, consistent parenting, and rational (punitive/aversive) parenting. Statistical analysis was conducted using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression to test the conceptual model and the significance of relationships between the variables of interest. There was partial support for the mediational model of parenting style on the association between child health status and children behavioural outcomes. Specifically, both ineffective and rational parenting each showed a mediational effect. Child health status and child behavioural outcomes were found to have a strong relationship to each other. However, ineffective parenting was more strongly related to child behavoiural outcomes than child health status. This suggests that children that are exposed to ineffective parenting are at greater risk for developing behavioural difficulties than children receiving other forms of parenting. Moreover, children who receive this type of parenting and have poorer health are at even greater risk for developing these behavioural problems. However, these conclusions are tentative as the directionality of these relationships is uncertain because of the cross-section design of this study.

The purpose of this investigation is to test the mediational effect of parenting style on the association between child health status and child behavioural outcomes in children. Using cross-sectional data of children 4 and 5 years old from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) Cycle 4 2000-2001 the paper explores the degree to which child health status is related to child behavioural outcomes. In addition, the present study investigates the extent to which child health status is linked to parenting style. Another aim of this study is to explore the association between parenting style and child behavioural outcomes. Child outcome measures assessed in this study include: hyperactivity-inattention, emotional-disorder anxiety, conduct disorder — physical aggression, and indirect aggression. Child health status is assessed using the Health Utility Index Mark 3. The Health Utility Index gives a description of an individual's overall functional health, founded on eight attributes that include: vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, cognition, emotion, pain and discomfort. Parenting style is measured using several parenting scales that consist of: positive interaction, hostile/ineffective parenting, consistent parenting, and rational (punitive/aversive) parenting. Statistical analysis was conducted using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression to test the conceptual model and the significance of relationships between the variables of interest. There was partial support for the mediational model of parenting style on the association between child health status and children behavioural outcomes. Specifically, both ineffective and rational parenting each showed a mediational effect. Child health status and child behavioural outcomes were found to have a strong relationship to each other. However, ineffective parenting was more strongly related to child behavoiural outcomes than child health status. This suggests that children that are exposed to ineffective parenting are at greater risk for developing behavioural difficulties than children receiving other forms of parenting. Moreover, children who receive this type of parenting and have poorer health are at even greater risk for developing these behavioural problems. However, these conclusions are tentative as the directionality of these relationships is uncertain because of the cross-section design of this study.

This study extends previous research by exploring perceptions of healthiness in the international food marketplace. To this end, it aims to fill an important gap by shedding light on the role of country of origin in shaping perceptions of healthiness. The authors provide evidence that domestic and foreign food products elicit different perceptions of healthiness. Consumers choose domestic products because they perceive them as healthier and more natural. The effect holds across different samples and product categories (apples, tomatoes, bread, and yogurt). However, this healthiness bias vanishes when products are presented as posing health risks and when products are introduced with a dual identity (i.e., both foreign and domestic). Researching these health-related effects helps provide a better understanding of consumer attitudes toward domestic- versus foreign-made food products.

The purpose of this investigation is to test the mediational effect of parenting style on the association between child health status and child behavioural outcomes in children. Using cross-sectional data of children 4 and 5 years old from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) Cycle 4 2000-2001 the paper explores the degree to which child health status is related to child behavioural outcomes. In addition, the present study investigates the extent to which child health status is linked to parenting style. Another aim of this study is to explore the association between parenting style and child behavioural outcomes. Child outcome measures assessed in this study include: hyperactivity-inattention, emotional-disorder anxiety, conduct disorder — physical aggression, and indirect aggression. Child health status is assessed using the Health Utility Index Mark 3. The Health Utility Index gives a description of an individual's overall functional health, founded on eight attributes that include: vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, cognition, emotion, pain and discomfort. Parenting style is measured using several parenting scales that consist of: positive interaction, hostile/ineffective parenting, consistent parenting, and rational (punitive/aversive) parenting. Statistical analysis was conducted using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression to test the conceptual model and the significance of relationships between the variables of interest. There was partial support for the mediational model of parenting style on the association between child health status and children behavioural outcomes. Specifically, both ineffective and rational parenting each showed a mediational effect. Child health status and child behavioural outcomes were found to have a strong relationship to each other. However, ineffective parenting was more strongly related to child behavoiural outcomes than child health status. This suggests that children that are exposed to ineffective parenting are at greater risk for developing behavioural difficulties than children receiving other forms of parenting. Moreover, children who receive this type of parenting and have poorer health are at even greater risk for developing these behavioural problems. However, these conclusions are tentative as the directionality of these relationships is uncertain because of the cross-section design of this study. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

AIM: Nutrient profiling can be defined as ‘the science of categorising foods according to their nutritional composition’ and can be used as a valuable tool in food labelling legislation. Validation is an absolute essential step in the implementation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM), it is important to verify whether or not the NPM has a good solid scientific basis and if it is at all suitable for South Africa. This mini-dissertation investigated the construct validity of a NPM for South Africa. OBJECTIVES: 1) To test construct validity for the nutrient profiling model by examining the relationship between the way the NPM categorises foods and the healthiness of diets in South Africa. 2) To assess if the quality of a diet will improve if ‘unhealthy’ foods are replaced by ‘healthy’ foods as defined by the NPM. STUDY DESIGN: Nested in the South African leg of the international PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) study at baseline. METHOD: The PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) baseline study conducted in the North-West province in 2005, was identified as a suitable dataset of food intake. For the first objective the proportion of respondent’s diets consisting of healthy or unhealthy food, as classified by the NPM, was calculated. The respondents were divided into four groups based on their dietary quality as characterised by the Diet Quality Index (DQI), the lower the DQI-score the better the diet quality. The proportion of healthy or unhealthy foods were compared to the DQI-scores using one-way ANOVA’s, p-values were calculated using the Tukey post-hoc test. For the second objective the diet quality of four different diets consisting of either YES foods (according to NPM), NO foods, a combination of YES and NO were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The model displayed good construct validity by showing a statistically significant positive relationship between the proportion of ‘healthy’ (p<0.0001) and ‘unhealthy’ (p<0.0001) foods, as classified by the NPM, and participants’ DQI-scores. The second objective was also confirmed and a diet consisting of ‘healthy’ foods or a diet where ‘unhealthy’ foods were substituted by ‘healthy’ foods, had a better DQI than diets consisting only of ‘unhealthy’ foods CONCLUSION: Construct validity was confirmed by proving that the better the diet quality of the respondents the bigger their proportion of foods categorised as ‘healthy’ by the NPM and vice versa. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

AIM: Nutrient profiling can be defined as ‘the science of categorising foods according to their nutritional composition’ and can be used as a valuable tool in food labelling legislation. Validation is an absolute essential step in the implementation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM), it is important to verify whether or not the NPM has a good solid scientific basis and if it is at all suitable for South Africa. This mini-dissertation investigated the construct validity of a NPM for South Africa. OBJECTIVES: 1) To test construct validity for the nutrient profiling model by examining the relationship between the way the NPM categorises foods and the healthiness of diets in South Africa. 2) To assess if the quality of a diet will improve if ‘unhealthy’ foods are replaced by ‘healthy’ foods as defined by the NPM. STUDY DESIGN: Nested in the South African leg of the international PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) study at baseline. METHOD: The PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) baseline study conducted in the North-West province in 2005, was identified as a suitable dataset of food intake. For the first objective the proportion of respondent’s diets consisting of healthy or unhealthy food, as classified by the NPM, was calculated. The respondents were divided into four groups based on their dietary quality as characterised by the Diet Quality Index (DQI), the lower the DQI-score the better the diet quality. The proportion of healthy or unhealthy foods were compared to the DQI-scores using one-way ANOVA’s, p-values were calculated using the Tukey post-hoc test. For the second objective the diet quality of four different diets consisting of either YES foods (according to NPM), NO foods, a combination of YES and NO were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The model displayed good construct validity by showing a statistically significant positive relationship between the proportion of ‘healthy’ (p<0.0001) and ‘unhealthy’ (p<0.0001) foods, as classified by the NPM, and participants’ DQI-scores. The second objective was also confirmed and a diet consisting of ‘healthy’ foods or a diet where ‘unhealthy’ foods were substituted by ‘healthy’ foods, had a better DQI than diets consisting only of ‘unhealthy’ foods CONCLUSION: Construct validity was confirmed by proving that the better the diet quality of the respondents the bigger their proportion of foods categorised as ‘healthy’ by the NPM and vice versa. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Indústrias de alimentos têm se empenhado para o lançamento de produtos com atributos de saudabilidade, em resposta ao ganho de consciência de consumidores. No Brasil, o meio acadêmico também tem se esforçado para contribuir na viabilização técnica e aceitação sensorial de alimentos mais saudáveis. Em virtude dos elevados custos para se desenvolver, lançar e comercializar um produto, compreender previamente a percepção e atitude do consumidor é fundamental. Duas metodologias utilizadas para se explorar a atitude do consumidor em relação aos alimentos são as técnicas projetivas e a conjoint analysis. A proposta da presente dissertação foi realizar estudos empíricos sobre como os indivíduos lidam com atributos de saudabilidade em hambúrguer congelado. Foram conduzidos três estudos, com objetivos distintos, mas complementares. No primeiro, via técnica projetiva de associação de palavras, foram identificadas as categorias mais relevantes para consumidores quanto ao hambúrguer tradicional e aos mais saudáveis: Saudabilidade, Sabor agradável, Receio quanto à qualidade/sabor e Gordura/caloria. No segundo estudo, também baseado em uma técnica projetiva, a de completamento, verificou-se que as categorias mais importantes na compra de hambúrgueres congelados em geral foram as relacionadas a marca, preço, sabor e saudabilidade. No terceiro estudo, a conjoint analysis revelou que o atributo Alegação apresentou mais relevância para os participantes do que o Preço. Os níveis de alegação eram de um hambúrguer tradicional (sem alegação), um segundo com apelo de sabor (saboroso) e um terceiro com saudabilidade (fonte de fibras). Destes, o tradicional foi preferido pelos consumidores e o que seria fonte de fibras foi rejeitado. Já em simulações de mercado, a participação do hambúrguer fonte de fibras foi baixa, mas gerou indícios de nicho a ser explorado. A conclusão geral é que há um nicho de potenciais consumidores de hambúrguer congelado com atributos de saudabilidade. Porém, no caso deste produto, as qualidades tradicionais e o sabor ainda são quesitos bastante valorizados mesmo dentre as versões mais saudáveis, e a importância sensorial não deve ser negligenciada por pesquisadores e indústrias de alimentos. O preço, por sua vez, foi considerado secundário no caso do hambúrguer congelado. Quanto à avaliação das metodologias utilizadas, verificou-se que técnicas qualitativas e estatísticas contribuíram nos presentes estudos de consumidor, identificando atributos que merecem atenção para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos e estratégias de marketing. / The food industry has been engaged to launch products with health attributes in response to the increase of consumer awareness. In Brazil, academia has also endeavored to contribute to the technical feasibility and sensory acceptance of healthier foods. Due the high costs to develop, launch and market a product, it is important to previously understand consumer perception and attitude. Two methodologies used to explore consumer attitudes towards a food are projective techniques and conjoint analysis. The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct empirical studies on how individuals deal with healthful attributes in frozen burger. Three studies were conducted with different but complementary goals. In the first, via projective technique of word association, it was identified the most relevant categories for consumers considering the traditional burger and healthier burgers: Healthful, Good Taste, Quality/Flavor Apprehension and Fat/Calorie. In the second study, also based on a projective technique (completion test), it was found that the most important categories in the purchase of frozen burgers in general were related to brand, price, taste and healthiness. In the third study, the conjoint analysis revealed that the attribute Claim had more relevance to the participants than the Price. Levels of Claim were a traditional burger (no claim), a second with flavor appeal (tasty) and a third as the healthier (source of fibers). Of these, the traditional was preferred by consumers and the source of fibers one was rejected. In market simulations, the participation of the source of fibers burger was low, but there was evidence of a niche to be explored. The general conclusion is that there is a potential niche of consumers of frozen burger with healthful attributes. However, in the case of this meat product, the traditional and taste qualities are still highly valued even among the healthier versions, and sensory importance should not be neglected by researchers and food industries. The price, in turn, was considered secondary in the case of frozen burger. Regarding the evaluation of the methods used, it was found that qualitative and statistical techniques contributed to these consumer studies, identifying attributes that need attention to the development of new products and marketing strategies.

Atualmente, existem inúmeros questionamentos quanto aos prováveis efeitos mutagênicos e carcinogênicos dos antioxidantes sintéticos no organismo, e devido a isto, hoje em dia estudos tendem a promover a substituição destes compostos por naturais com o intuito de maior segurança do alimento, sendo que estes apresentam benefícios potenciais à saúde. O objetivo deste estudo foi o uso de antioxidantes naturais obtidos de ervas e especiarias no desenvolvimento de produtos cárneos a base de carne ovina buscando suas propriedades antioxidantes e sensoriais, bem como agregar valor ao produto final, desenvolvido com carne de baixo valor comercial. O apelo de saudabilidade dos produtos foi obtido pela adição de extratos antioxidantes naturais à base de ervas aromáticas selecionadas em função de seu poder antioxidante e harmonização de sabores com a carne ovina. Um primeiro experimento (Capítulo 2) consistiu na avaliação da capacidade antioxidante dos extratos de 13 espécies vegetais, sendo selecionados por Cluster analysis em relação a três métodos colorimétricos e sensorialmente após a adição em produto cárneo. O extrato selecionado foi avaliado quanto a acidez, à identificação e quantificação de compostos fenólicos e utilizado para a elaboração de hambúrguer congelado (Capítulo 3) e linguiça cozida (Capítulo 4), em diferentes concentrações, além de hambúrguer refrigerado sob atmosfera modificada (80% O2 + 20% CO2) (Capítulo 5), sendo comparados com tratamentos sem antioxidante (controle) e contendo antioxidante sintético (eritorbato de sódio ou BHT). Estes produtos cárneos foram avaliados durante armazenamento, respectivamente de 120, 135 e 20 dias, a partir de análises físico-químicas, sensoriais e microbiológicas, sendo inicialmente caracterizados quanto à composição centesimal. Orégano, manjerona, melissa e alecrim foram os extratos selecionados após agrupamento por similaridade quanto à capacidade antioxidante, sendo que os hambúrgueres elaborados com estes quatro extratos naturais não comprometeram a aceitação sensorial em relação ao eritorbato de sódio (P>0,05). Resumidamente, os produtos cárneos elaborados mostraram resultados relevantes quanto à estabilidade oxidativa, apresentando os tratamentos contendo extrato natural, efeitos antioxidantes melhores e/ou compatíveis aos antioxidantes sintéticos. Hambúrguer congelado apresentou mais de 50% de redução (P<0,001) para nível de substâncias reativas ao ácido tiobarbitúrico (TBARS), enquanto que linguiças cozidas apresentaram os menores valores para compostos voláteis (P<0,001) aos 135 dias de estocagem e a presença do extrato em hambúrgueres sob atmosfera modificada (ATM) manteve a qualidade sensorial por até 15 dias de armazenamento. Apesar de diferentes sistemas testados, o ensaio de redução férrica (FRAP) foi o método em comum mais eficaz para estimar a quantidade adequada de antioxidante natural a ser adicionada em comparação ao eritorbato de sódio. Em conclusão, extrato de orégano adicionado em produtos a base de carne ovina apresentou efeitos antioxidantes equivalentes aos antioxidantes sintéticos, não comprometendo a maioria dos parâmetros físico-químicos, microbiológicos e sensoriais, sendo considerado uma alternativa viável e favorecida pela grande vantagem da saudabilidade. / Currently, there are many questions concerning probable mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of synthetic antioxidants in the organism, and because of this, nowadays studies tend to promote the substitution of these by natural compounds with the aim of greater food safety and potential benefits for the health. The objective of this study was the use of natural antioxidants obtained from herbs and spices in the development of meat products ovine meat looking theirs antioxidant and sensory properties as well as add value to the final product, which was developed with low commercial value meat. The healthiness appeal of the product was obtained by adding natural antioxidants based extracts of aromatic herbs to be selected according to its antioxidant power and harmonization of flavors with the sheep meat. A first experiment (Chapter 2) was performed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of 13 plant species extracts, being selected by Cluster analysis in relation to three colorimetric methods and sensory, after the addition in meat product. The selected extract was evaluated for acidity, identification and quantification of phenolic compounds and used for the preparation of frozen hamburger (Chapter 3) and cooked sausage (Chapter 4), at different concentrations, and refrigerated hamburger under modified atmosphere (80% O2 + 20% CO2) (Chapter 5), being compared to treatments without antioxidant (control) and containing synthetic antioxidant (sodium erythorbate or BHT). These meat products were evaluated during storage, respectively of 120, 135 and 20 days, from physical-chemical, sensory and microbiological analyzes, being initially characterized for chemical composition. Oregano, marjoram, lemon balm and rosemary were the extracts selected after grouping by similarity of the antioxidant capacity, and the hamburgers made with these four natural extracts did not affect the sensory acceptance in comparison to sodium erythorbate (P>0.05). Briefly, the meat products showed significant results in terms of oxidative stability, being the treatments containing natural extract presented best effects antioxidant and/or compatible to synthetic compounds. Frozen burger presented more than 50% reduction (P<0.001) for tiobarbituric acid reactive substance TBARS, while cooked sausages had the lowest values for volatile compounds (P<0.001) at 135 days of storage, and the extract presence in burgers under modified atmosphere kept the quality sensory up to 15 days. Although different systems tested, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was more effective common method to estimate the appropriate amount of natural antioxidant to be used in comparison to sodium erythorbate. In conclusion, oregano extract added products in the sheep meat presented equivalent antioxidant effects without to compromise the majority of physical-chemical, microbiological and sensory parameters, being thus considered a viable alternative, favored by the great advantage of healthiness.

Aim Nutrient profiling is defined as “the science of classifying or ranking food items according to their nutritional composition for reasons related to preventing disease and promoting health, and can be used to govern the criteria under which nutrient and/or health claims may be made”. The validation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM) is an essential part of the model development process, and is extremely important for the model to meet basic scientific criteria. This mini-dissertation investigated the content and convergent validity of a suitable NPM for South Africa. Method Content validity was tested for by comparing the NPM classification of 131 “indicator” foods with the classification of the “indicator” foods by the Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs). Convergent validity was tested for by comparing the standard ranking of a representative data set of food items (n = 128) by nutrition experts with the classification of the food items by the NPM. The questionnaire asked respondents to rank 40 foods (electronically generated from a master list of 128 foods) according to the nutritional information provided from “more healthy” to “less healthy” using a six point Likert scale. The 128 foods were selected to be representative of the South African diet. These questionnaires were sent via e-mail to all full members (n = 1105) of the Association of Dietetics in South Africa. The draft “Guiding principles and framework manual for the development or adaptation of nutrient profile models” dated 22 February 2011 (WHO, 2011), was used as a guide in the validation process of the NPM. Results The NPM showed good content validity: the way that the NPM categorises foods correspond well with that of the FBDGs (kappa statistic = 0.73). Two hundred and ninety two responses were received (26.4%) from the nutrition experts, these responses were used to rank the 128 foods by the average score which they received from the nutrition experts. The NPM also showed good convergent validity: the NPM classification of foods had a good correlation with the standard ranking of foods by dietitians (r = 0.853; p = 0.0001). Conclusion The NPM demonstrated good content validity by classifying food items in way that supports the FBDGs with the exception of a few processed food items and combined food items. The NPM also demonstrated good convergent validity by classifying food items in accordance with the views of nutrition experts in South Africa. / Thesis (MSc (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Aim Nutrient profiling is defined as “the science of classifying or ranking food items according to their nutritional composition for reasons related to preventing disease and promoting health, and can be used to govern the criteria under which nutrient and/or health claims may be made”. The validation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM) is an essential part of the model development process, and is extremely important for the model to meet basic scientific criteria. This mini-dissertation investigated the content and convergent validity of a suitable NPM for South Africa. Method Content validity was tested for by comparing the NPM classification of 131 “indicator” foods with the classification of the “indicator” foods by the Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs). Convergent validity was tested for by comparing the standard ranking of a representative data set of food items (n = 128) by nutrition experts with the classification of the food items by the NPM. The questionnaire asked respondents to rank 40 foods (electronically generated from a master list of 128 foods) according to the nutritional information provided from “more healthy” to “less healthy” using a six point Likert scale. The 128 foods were selected to be representative of the South African diet. These questionnaires were sent via e-mail to all full members (n = 1105) of the Association of Dietetics in South Africa. The draft “Guiding principles and framework manual for the development or adaptation of nutrient profile models” dated 22 February 2011 (WHO, 2011), was used as a guide in the validation process of the NPM. Results The NPM showed good content validity: the way that the NPM categorises foods correspond well with that of the FBDGs (kappa statistic = 0.73). Two hundred and ninety two responses were received (26.4%) from the nutrition experts, these responses were used to rank the 128 foods by the average score which they received from the nutrition experts. The NPM also showed good convergent validity: the NPM classification of foods had a good correlation with the standard ranking of foods by dietitians (r = 0.853; p = 0.0001). Conclusion The NPM demonstrated good content validity by classifying food items in way that supports the FBDGs with the exception of a few processed food items and combined food items. The NPM also demonstrated good convergent validity by classifying food items in accordance with the views of nutrition experts in South Africa. / Thesis (MSc (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.