Ingela Marklinder

Ingela Marklinder has a research background in applied microbiology. As senior lecturer she teaches dietitian- and food service and nutrition students in food microbiology and health communication. Her research has been directed toward food safety & consumers and health communication. In 2007-2009 she participated in the EU-project CHANCE dealing with health community interventions. She has been supervisor for Ph D projects in Dietetic Communication and currently LIVSID.

Whole grain consumption among young adults in Sweden applying Health Action Process Approach (HAPA).

The project runs during 2023-2024 in cooperation with SLU, Fazer AB and in dialogue with Dept of Psychology and education, division of health psychology at Freie Universität, Berlin. The aim is to predict which factors are behind whole grain consumption in young adults (18-44 years) applying the communication model Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). Eating 90 g of whole grains daily from different cereal products is a nutritional recommendation. A diet low in whole-grain is a strong diet-related risk factor for attributable disability adjusted life years (DALY). Lack of knowledge about the health risks of a too low intake of whole grain products as well as inadequate planning of whole grain intake indicate to be barriers for whole grain consumption. Young adults (18-44 years) are targeted as they normally eat a too low amount of whole-grain products.

Healthcare professional´s knowledge, attitude and ability to communicate food safety.

The project is planned to start in autumn 2024. The aim is to explore healthcare professionals' perception of their role in communicating food safety. The project will focus on food safety attitudes, level of knowledge pathogens and risky foods and the ability to identify the need for information about food safety and how to predict factors behind being able to communicate food safe behaviour. The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model is applied with the aim of being able to investigate which mechanisms lie behind individuals' behaviour. The model is based on factors such as risk perception, self-efficacy and planned goal fulfillment and information about the factors that can predict a behavior. Food poisoning can be mild and temporary, but also have serious consequences that lead to hospitalization and death. This particularly applies to vulnerable groups such as children under five, frail elderly, pregnant women, people undergoing cancer treatment or other diseases that result in a weaker immune system. Consumers' knowledge of food safety and food handling is uncertain and there is no given check point to ensure that knowledge of food safety is taught to the public. An as yet unexplored area is the extent to which healthcare professionals, such as dietitians for example, are capable of communicating food safety to their patients, who often belong to a vulnerable category and whose private households are not covered by the requirements of food legislation.