Organic food consumption by athletes in Lithuania

• Authors: Marius Baranauskas , Rimantas Stukas , Linas Tubelis , Kęstutis Žagminas , Genė Šurkienė , Valerij Dobrovolskij , Marija Jakubauskienė , Vincentas Rolandas Giedraitis
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Background: With environmental pollution
increasing, interest in organic farming and organic foodstuffs
has been growing all over the world. Data on organic
food consumption by Lithuanian athletes is not yet available.
This lack of data determined the aim of this study: to
identify the particulars of organic foodstuff consumption
among athletes. Methods: In September–November 2012, we polled 158 of
the best-performing athletes of the Olympic sports team
through direct interviews. An approved questionnaire
was used to identify the specifics of organic foodstuff consumption
among athletes. Results: The survey results showed that 97% of athletes
consume organic foodstuffs, and 80% of athletes highlighted
the positive impact of organic food on health.
Nevertheless, a slim majority of athletes (51.7%) consume
organic foodstuffs seldomly, 2–3 times per week. The range
of organic foodstuffs consumed depends on the gender of
athletes, and the consumption of some products depends
on monthly incomes. Conclusions: Survey results confirm the need for the production
and expansion of the variety of organic foodstuffs.
In the course of the development of the organic food
market, it should be beneficial for manufacturers to target
high-performance athletes and physically active people.

Keywords

EN

Organic food; organic farming; athletes; nutrition

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Medicine
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1

Dates

accepted

11 - 12 - 2014

received

21 - 5 - 2014

online

25 - 2 - 2015

Contributors

author

Marius Baranauskas

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Rimantas Stukas

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Linas Tubelis

• Institute of Sports Science, Lithuanian University of
  Educational Sciences, Vilnius, 08106, Lithuania, Lithuanian Olympic Sports Center, Vilnius, 07171, Lithuania

author

Kęstutis Žagminas

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Genė Šurkienė

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Valerij Dobrovolskij

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Marija Jakubauskienė

• Institute of Public Health of the
  Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania

author

Vincentas Rolandas Giedraitis

• Faculty of Economics, Vilnius University,
  9 Saulėtekio Street, Vilnius, 10222, Lithuania

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/med-2015-0029