Use of food labels and beliefs about diet–disease relationships among university students
Open Access
- 1 June 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Public Health Nutrition
- Vol. 3 (2), 175-182
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980000000203
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure the reported use of nutrition information on food labels by a population of university students and to determine if label users differed from non-users in terms of gender and specific beliefs related to label information and diet–disease relationships, specifically fat and heart disease and fibre and cancer. A single-stage cluster sampling technique was used. Data was obtained using a self-administered, validated questionnaire. The present investigation took place at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in the autumn of 1997. A total of 553 students in randomly selected classes in the College of Arts and Science took part in the survey (92% response rate). The sample consisted of roughly equal numbers of males and females, most between the ages of 18 and 24. There were approximately equal numbers of label users and non-users among males, while label users outnumbered non-users by almost four to one among females. The importance of nutrition information on food labels was the only belief that differed significantly between label users and non-users for both sexes. For females, no other beliefs distinguished label users from non-users. However, for males, significant differences were found between label users and non-users on the beliefs that nutrition information is truthful and that a relationship between fibre and cancer exists. Females appear to use food labels more often than do males. The only consistently observed difference between label users and non-users (male and female) was that users believed in the importance of nutrition information on food labels while non-users did not.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Breakfast is the Lowest Fat Meal for Young Adult WomenJournal of Nutrition Education, 1997
- Inappropriate Dieting Behaviors and Related Lifestyle Factors in Young Adults: Are College Students Different?Journal of Nutrition Education, 1997
- Consumer Utilization of Food Labeling as a Source of Nutrition InformationJournal of Consumer Affairs, 1995
- Prevalence of reading nutrition and ingredient information on food labels among adult Americans: 1982–1988Journal of Nutrition Education, 1992
- The value of current nutrition informationPreventive Medicine, 1990
- Nutrition knowledge and misconceptions of university students: 1971 vs. 1984Journal of Nutrition Education, 1987
- Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research.Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 1977
- Applied SamplingJournal of Marketing Research, 1977
- Theory and Methods of ScalingBritish Journal of Sociology, 1961
- A Time-Saving Device for the Construction of Attitude ScalesThe Journal of Social Psychology, 1933