A conversation with Dr. Folasade A. Adebayo
Folasade A. Adebayo, PhD. is a Nigerian-born postdoctoral researcher, with background in Nutrition and Public Health. She obtained a PhD in Nutrition from the University of Helsinki in 2019. Prior to that she obtained degrees from the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (MSc. Public Health Nutrition, 2013) and University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria (BSc. Food Science and Technology, 2005).
She is currently working on her postdoctoral research at the Department of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki. In the research, she is investigating the associations between vitamin D status and long-term incidence of chronic diseases and health outcomes in a longitudinal setting using national register datasets. The preliminary findings from the study showed that improved vitamin D status may be protective against incidence of type 2 diabetes and subarachnoid hemorrhages, especially in individuals with insufficient vitamin D status.
PhD Adebayo’s doctoral thesis was the first to examine food consumption and vitamin D status among immigrant populations in Finland. Over the years, PhD Adebayo’s research work has been of importance in Finland and internationally. She has contributed to eight peer-reviewed article publications and some under-review article manuscripts. She has also given presentations in several international conferences. The implications of her doctoral research findings include the following:
Due to low consumption of healthy foods, especially rye bread, fruits, berries, and fresh vegetables among Kurdish and Somali immigrants, efforts are needed to promote healthy food consumption in adherence to the nutrition recommendation among all immigrant groups in Finland.
Compared to the general Finnish population, non-fair-skinned immigrants, especially Kurds and Somalis, are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency (S-25(OH)D <50nmol/L). Hence, frequent consumption of vitamin D-fortified foods (such as dairy products and margarine) and fish is important in preventing low vitamin D status and related skeletal and non-skeletal health outcomes.
In view of increasing number of immigrant populations in Finland, more dietary research covering different ethnic groups are needed, especially for deeper knowledge about the diet-related health profiles among immigrants living in Finland.
With the observed differences in food consumption and the degree of risk of vitamin D insufficiency among immigrants in relation to the country of origin, it is worth noting that immigrant groups cannot be considered as a homogeneous group with similar health behaviours and challenges, when formulating public health policies.
