Are Consumers Fed Up With The Diet And Health Message? - Brief Article

Nutrition Research Newsletter, Feb, 2001

Providing the public with comprehensible and consistent nutrition messages is essential for the promotion of wellness. Despite high public interest in the area of nutrition, several factors may act to reduce the confidence individuals have in nutrition messages. First, communications regarding diet and health have changed frequently over time reflecting the increase in scientific knowledge. Secondly, diet and health messages have become increasingly complex, also likely due to the advancement of scientific knowledge. In addition, there are many different sources of health messages, including government agencies, professional health--related organizations, the food industry, as well as special interest groups. All of the organizations disseminating nutritional messages have varying agendas. Consumers are left confused by the immensity and complexity of the information and they are not sure whom they should believe when it comes to nutrition advice.

In an attempt to examine whether there is backlash against dietary recommendations and whether this backlash is associated with less healthful diets, particularly messages about low-fat diets, researchers performed a random-digit-dial survey of adults. The subjects included 1,751 adults in Washington State. The study was performed from 1997-1998. A nutrition-backlash scale consisting of 12 items rated on a four-point scale, designed by nutritional researchers, was used as the survey instrument. Dietary fat intake was assessed using a modified version of the Fat-Related Diet Habits Questionnaire. Change in fat intake was assessed by asking study participants whether, compared to two years ago, their fat-related diet habits had decreased, increased, or stayed the same. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed using items from the National Cancer Institute's 5 A Day for Better Health fruit and vegetable intervention program.

The results of this survey did not find strong evidence to support the suspicion that nutrition backlash was widespread. In contrast, 70% of participants felt that Americans are obsessed with the fat in their diet and that the government should not tell people what to eat. Greater than 25% of respondents felt that eating low-fat foods takes the pleasure out of eating. Individuals found to have nutrition backlash did tend to have less healthful diets.

In conclusion, although strong nutrition backlash was not observed in this study, nutrition professionals have an obligation to ensure that dietary recommendations are clear and positive. Doing so appears to help promote recommendations and healthful eating practices.

R. Patterson, J. Satia, A. Kristal, et al. Is there a consumer backlash against the diet and health message? J Am Diet Assoc 101:37-41 (January 2001) [Correspondence: Ruth E. Patterson, PhD, RD, Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave., N, Seattle, WA 98109-1024].