Processed food intake assortativity in the personal networks of older adults
Hâncean, Marian-Gabriel (University of Bucharest. Department of Sociology)
Lerner, Jürgen (University of Konstanz. Department of Computer and Information Science)
Perc, Matjaž (Kyung Hee University. Department of Physics)
Molina, José Luis (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)
Geantă, Marius (Center for Innovation in Medicine (Romania))
Oană, Iulian (Center for Innovation in Medicine (Romania))
Mihăilă, Bianca-Elena (Center for Innovation in Medicine (Romania))

Fecha:	2025
Resumen:	Existing research indicates that dietary habits spread through social networks, yet the impact on populations in Eastern Europe, particularly in rural areas, is less understood. We examine the influence of personal networks on the consumption of high-salt processed foods among individuals in rural Romania, with a specific focus on older adults. Using a personal network analysis, we analyze data from 83 participants of varying ages and their social contacts through multi-level regression models. The inclusion of participants across a wider age range allows us to capture the broader dynamics of social networks, reflecting the intergenerational nature of rural communities. Our findings reveal assortativity in dietary habits, indicating that individuals cluster with others who share similar food consumption patterns. Our results underscore the need for public health interventions that account for the influence of social networks on dietary behavior, as addressing high salt intake and its associated health risks may require considering the broader social context beyond older adults. The study contributes to understanding the social determinants of dietary behaviors and highlights the role of personal networks in shaping food choices in vulnerable populations.
Nota:	Ajuts: M.-G.H., M.G., I.O., and B.-E.M. were supported by the 4P-CAN project, HORIZON-MISS-2022-CANCER-01, project ID 101104432, programme HORIZON; J.L. was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG 321869138); M.P. was supported by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije) (Grant No. P1-0403). We express our gratitude to Dr. Cosmina Cioroboiu, Dr. Bianca Cucoş, Florin Găină, Simona-Elena Puncioiu, Bogdan-Adrian Vidraşcu, Isabela Tincă, and Dr. Maria-Cristina Ghiță for their valuable contributions to this study.
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Materia:	Processed food ; Older adults ; Social networks ; Assortativity ; Romania ; Eastern Europe ; Complex networks ; Health policy
Publicado en:	Scientific reports, Vol. 15 (march 2025) , ISSN 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-94969-0
PMID: 40140615

12 p, 1.6 MB

El registro aparece en las colecciones:
Artículos > Artículos de investigación
Artículos > Artículos publicados