Photo (von links nach rechts): Vanessa Keller, Forschungsinstitut für pflanzenbasierte Ernährung (IFPE); Walter Willett, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health; Markus Keller, IFPE; Keren Papier, Oxford University; and Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, Abteilung für Epidemiologie, Zentrum für Public Health, Medizinische Universität Wien
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Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, postdoctoral researcher from the Department of Epidemiology of the Medical University of Vienna’s Center for Public Health presented the VEGANScreener project at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS2023, which took place 14-17 November, 2023, in Belgrade, Serbia. The conference also hosted the VEGANScreener Consortium meeting (hybrid) and was a chance for the team to meet with some project collaborators, including the world’s leading nutrition epidemiology scientist, professor Walter Willett from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (Harvard University).
The VEGANScreener project is an ERA Net-funded project led by professor Eva Schernhammer, the Head of Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health of the Medical University of Vienna aiming to develop and evaluate a tool for measuring diet quality among vegans in Europe. Vegan diets, while associated with a number of positive health outcomes, may also lead to nutrient deficiencies and unhealthy diet patterns. Therefore, tools for quick dietary screening suitable for both healthcare settings and self-assessment could help reduce risks of inadequate diets and guide vegans in making healthy dietary choices.
This multi-country project includes partners from Belgium (Ghent University), Czech Republic (Královské Vinohrady University Hospital in Prague and Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences), Germany (Research Institute for Plant-Based Nutrition), Spain (IdiSNA-University of Navarra), Switzerland (Bern University of Applied Sciences), and collaborators from the US (Walter Willett, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health) and Belgium (HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts).
The VEGANScreener is currently undergoing testing and evaluation among vegans in five European countries. Once successfully evaluated, the tool may be used in healthcare settings for early detection of diet-related risks and as a quick web-based tool for dietary self-assessment among vegans.