Beliefs and Attitudes of Americans Toward Their Diet

Family Economics and Nutrition Review, Wntr, 2001 by Julia M. Dinkins

Insight 19 June 2000

The American diet needs improvement--so indicates the USDA's Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which reported an average score of 63.6 of a possible 100 for the 1994-96 period. But are Americans interested in improving their diet? And how is that interest related to their dietary status? This Nutrition Insight examines the beliefs and attitudes of Americans toward their diet.

Data from a 1991-94 survey conducted by Market Research Corporation of America (MRCA) were used. Nationally representative, the survey consists of information on people's food and beverage consumption over 14 days and their opinions and attitudes about general interests, health, diet, food preparation, shopping, and media usage. The sample consisted of 1,851 adults (18 years old and over). The results were weighted to represent the population of interest.

A Modified Healthy Eating Index Used to Measure Diet Quality

A modified version of the HEI was used to assess the overall quality of the American diet. This modified version uses 9 of the original 10 components. Components 1-5 measure the degree to which a person's diet conforms to serving recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid food groups: Grains (bread, cereal, rice, and pasta), vegetables, fruit, milk products (milk, yogurt, and cheese), and meat and meat alternates (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts). As a percentage of total intake of food energy, component 6 measures consumption of total fat; component 7, saturated fat. Component 8 measures total cholesterol intake; component 9, sodium intake. The score for each component ranges from zero to 10. Intermediate scores are computed proportionately. The MRCA data set does not provide enough information to calculate variety of a person's diet on any given day (component 10 of the original HEI), so variety is not reported. All HEI scores on the modified version were adjusted to a 100-point scale. Thus the total maximum score was 100. Scores greater than 80 imply a good diet; between 80 and 51, a diet that needs improvement; and less than 51, a poor diet. Higher component scores indicate intakes that are closer to recommendations.

About 2 of 10 People Want to Improve Their Diet

Twenty-three percent of the people surveyed were interested in improving their diet, compared with 37 percent who were not interested and 40 percent who believed their diet needed no improvement (table 1). Whereas 20 percent of those who were interested in improving their diet were nonWhite, 7 percent of those not interested and 8 percent of those who said their diet did not need improvement were non-White. Sixty-three percent of those interested in improving their diet were female. Thirty-eight and 47 percent, respectively, of the others who were either not interested or who believed their diet did not need improvement were female. Over one-third (36 percent) of those interested in improving their diet had a household income at or below 130 percent of the poverty threshold. Less than one-fourth, each, of the others had an income within this range: 22 percent (no need to improve) and 24 percent (not interested).

Table 1. Americans' interest in improving their diet, by selected
characteristics and nutrition-related beliefs, 1991-94

                            Interest in improving the diet

                             Yes    No(1)     Needs no
                                             improvement

Sample                       409     590         852
Percent                       23      37          40

                                        Percent

Race
  White                      80      93          92
  Non-White                  20       7           8

Gender
  Male                       37      62          53
  Female                     63      38          47

Percent of Poverty
  130 and under              36      24          22
  131 and over               64      76          78

Beliefs
  Diet is unhealthful.       58      32           5

  Too much emphasis is
    placed on nutrition.     37      69          48

  Eating healthfully is
    too complicated.         70      69          40

  Most snacks consumed
    are unhealthful.         77      68          49

(1) Not interested in improving the diet or believes changing the
diet will do no good.

Eating Healthfully--Many Believe--Is Too Complicated

People interested in improving their diet were more likely than others to believe their diet was unhealthful: 58 versus 32 percent (not interested) and 5 percent (no need to improve). About 7 of 10 Americans not interested in improving their diet believed that too much emphasis was placed on nutrition, compared with 37 percent of those interested in improving their diet and 48 percent of those who said their diet needed no improvement. Seven of 10 Americans interested in improving their diet, as well as 7 of 10 not interested in improving their diet, believed eating healthfully was too complicated. Only 4 of 10 who said their diet needed no improvement believed eating healthfully was too complicated.