COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENTS OF FACTORS FORMING HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IN ADULTS IN BULGARIA AND FRANCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2026.2.013Keywords:
healthy lifestyle, nutritious diet, elderly, subjective assessmentsAbstract
Healthy lifestyles and their determinants are key prerequisites for healthy and active aging and constitute an important domain of the Active Aging Index. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the subjective assessments of elderly people living in Bulgaria and France regarding factors that shape a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on nutrition, health status and socio-economic conditions. Methods: An anonymous voluntary survey was conducted among elderly people living in urban areas, rural regions and institutions in Bulgaria and France during the period 2019–2021. Data were collected through questionnaires, direct observations and interviews. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, applying analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student–Fisher t-tests to assess differences between groups and the influence of selected factors. Results: The average age of respondents in France was significantly higher than that of respondents in Bulgaria. Elderly people in France reported higher alcohol consumption and greater dissatisfaction with their financial status, despite more frequent consumption of healthy foods such as dairy products, fruits and vegetables. In both countries, respondents expressed a need for home-based care and hot meal delivery, with stronger demand observed in France. Conclusions: Differences in lifestyle, financial security and health status significantly influence subjective assessments of healthy aging. Elderly people in Bulgaria are more constrained by financial limitations, experience higher levels of social isolation and poorer oral health, and report more health-related dietary restrictions compared to their French counterparts.
References
Resolution of the European Parliament of 15 September 2011 on the position and commitment of the European Union in view of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2011-0390_BG.doc
National Programme for the Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases / Национална програма за превенция на хроничните незаразни болести 2021-2025 https://ncpha.government.bg/index/3189-nacionalna-programa-za-prevencia-na-hronichnite-nezarazni-bolesti-2021-2025-g.html
Phillips, F., Nutrition for healthy ageing. Nutrition Bulletin, 28(3), 253–263, 2003.
Petrova, S., Angelova, K., Food-Based Dietary Guidelines For Bulgarian Adults - Scientific Background For Development And Formulation, Ministry of Health, National Center of Public Health Protection, Sofia, 2006.
Renna, M, Rinaldi,V, Gonnella, M, The Mediterranean Diet between traditional foods and human health: The culinary example of Puglia (Southern Italy), International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 2(2), 63-71, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2014.12.001
Spiro A, Buttriss JL. Vitamin D: An overview of vitamin D status and intake in Europe. Nutr Bull. Dec;39(4):322-350, 2014 doi: 10.1111/nbu.12108.
Waltenberger, Birgit et al. “Novel Natural Products for Healthy Ageing from the Mediterranean Diet and Food Plants of Other Global Sources-The MediHealth Project.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 23,5 1097. 6 May. 2018, doi:10.3390/molecules23051097
Simren, D., Yordanova, R., New hope for dealing with "superbugs". Trakia Journal of Sciences, 18(1), 2020. doi:10.15547/tjs.2020.s.01.022
Gerasimova V., Yordanova R. Predatory bacteria or "living antibiotics" - a novel way to combat infection. Science and technologies: Volume IX, 2019, Number 1: Medical biology studies, clinical studies, social medicine and health care, pages 211-215, 2019. https://www.sustz.com/journal/8/1908.pdf
Yordanova, R., Gateva, P., Nedeva, N., New antimicrobials in the current pipeline active against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Knowledge - International Journal, 55(4), 729-732, 2022.
Yordanova, R., Kichukova, K., Modern and rapid methods for toxicological analysis of foodstuffs with bacterial contamination. Applied Researches in Technics, Technologies and Education, 6, 69-78, 2018.
Yordanova, R., Yaneva, Z., Gencheva, D.G., Beev, G. (2022). Antimicrobial Resistance Distribution and Quorum-Sensing Regulation of Enterococcal Strains, Isolated from Hospitalized Patients. Appl. Sci. 12, 8735, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178735].
Laguna, L., Mingioni, M., Maitre, I., Vanwymelbeke, V., Pirttijärvi, T., Artigas, M.G.,et all., Perception of Difficulties Encountered in Eating Process from European Elderlies' Perspective. Journal of Texture Studies, 47: 342-352, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtxs.12192
Alekova Todorova S. Study of the Incidence of Some Chronic Diseases Among Patients with Long-term Physical Disabilities. Open Access Maced J Med Sci [Internet], Sep. 11;9(B):1140-8, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6744c
Parsons TJ, Papachristou E, Atkins JL, et al. Healthier diet quality and dietary patterns are associated with lower risk of mobility limitation in older men. Eur J Nutr., 58(6):2335-2343. doi:10.1007/s00394-018-1786-y, 2019.
Curbach J, Warrelmann B, Brandstetter S, Lindacher V, Rueter J, Loss J. Empowering senior citizens for healthy nutrition in Germany: A pilot study. Health Soc Care Community. Published online April 22, 2018. doi:10.1111/hsc.12580
Visser, M., Volkert, D., Corish, Cl,., Geisler, C., et all., Tackling the increasing problem of malnutrition in older persons: The Malnutrition in the Elderly (MaNuEL) Knowledge Hub., Nutrition Bulletin. 42(2):178-18, 2017. 10.1111/nbu.12268.
Barchańska, H., Płonka, J., Quality Control of Plant-Based Foods in Terms of Nutritional Values: Influence of Pesticides Residue and Endogenous Compounds. Food Control and Biosecurity , Academic Press, 407-422, 2018. 10.1016/B978-0-12-811445-2.00012-X.
Khazaal,S., El Darra, N., Kobeissi,A., et al.,Risk assessment of pesticide residues from foods of plant origin in Lebanon, Food Chemistry, v.374 2022.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, Dietary Gudeline, https://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/regions/countries/france/en/
ANSES, Actualisation des repères du PNNS : révision des repères de consommations alimentaires, 2016.
Ducrot P, Méjean C, Bellisle F, Allès B, Hercberg S, Péneau S., Adherence to the French Eating Model is inversely associated with overweight and obesity: results from a large sample of French adults. Br J Nutr. 120(2):231-239. 2018. doi:10.1017/S0007114518000909
Ferrand C, Féart C, Martinent G, Albinet C, André N, Audiffren M. Dietary patterns in French home-living older adults: Results from the PRAUSE study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 70:180-185, 2017. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2017.01.015
Van Wymelbeke-Delannoy, V., Maître, I., Salle, A., Lesourd, B., Bailly, N., & Sulmont-Rossé, C. (2022). Prevalence of malnutrition risk among older French adults with culinary dependence. Age and aging, 51(1), afab208. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afab208
Skripkaitis, M., Našlėnė Ž., Analysis Of The Most Common Causes Of Death And Their Relationship With Major Risk Factors From A Gender Perspective, Visuomenės sveikata, 111 No 4, 2025.
https://doi.org/10.47458/VS.2025.4(111)-9
Tsvetkov, Tsv., Healthy Lifestyle - Physical Activity and the Health of the Bulgarian, Social Medicine, 4, 2015 https://journals.mu-varna.bg/index.php/sm/article/view/1600
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP) – Active Ageing Index of Older People/MLSP https://mlsp.government.bg/uploads/1/active-ageing-index1.pdf
Andonova, А, Milcheva H., Taneva T., Promoting Healthy Eating In People Over 65 Years Of Age, Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design, 12(1), 41-47, 2019 UDC 613.2-053.9(497.2)
Kehayov, A., Goranova - Spasova, R..Informing patients about the risks of overweight and obesity-ethical considerations, Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design, 39, pp. 122-126, 2022.
Goranova-Spasova R. Gradinarova N. Application of mediation in the field of healthcare. General Medicine, 24 (5), pp. 36-40, 2022.
Vankova, D., Mihaylova, N., Feschieva, N., Active Aging and Social Capital SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF RUSE UNIVERSITY - 2014, Volume 53, Series 8.3,263– 268, 2014.
Nursis, M. J. (1986) SPSS/PC+ For the IBM PC/XT/AT, SPSS inc., Chicago, Illinois.
Economic, social and business data on the European countries, EuropeInNumbers.com
Tsanova D., Valentinova T., Vitkova T., Statev K., Mineva-Dimitrova E., Seizov A., Bulgarian population – before COVID-19 and now, Eur J Public Health. 2022,32(3)2022. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckac131.063
Sowa, A., Tobiasz-Adamczyk, B., Topór-Mądry, R. Poscia,A., and Ignazio la Milia4 D., Predictors of healthy ageing: public health policy targets, Published online 2016 Sep 5. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1520-5
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
