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CFSAN Consumer Studies Branch
Below are research abstracts of consumer research studies conducted or supported by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The FDA Health and Diet Survey: A Data Resource
The Health and Diet Survey is a national consumer survey conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The national single-stage random-digit-dialing telephone survey was administered in the fall of 2002 to a total of 2,743 non-institutionalized adult respondents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purpose of the survey was to track and gather new information on consumer awareness, attitudes and practices related to health and diet issues. In particular, the survey focused on foods and dietary supplements, two categories of the consumer products regulated by the FDA. On diet and health, the survey asked about (1) awareness of the relationship between diet and diseases (cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure), (2) knowledge of fats and cholesterol, (3) knowledge of dietary deficiencies, (4) dietary management practices, and (5) use and impact of food labels. On dietary supplements, the survey asked about (1) prevalence of use, (2) information sources and uses, (3) perceptions of dietary supplements and their labels, (4) substitution of dietary supplements for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, (5) adverse experiences with dietary supplements, and (6) children's and teenagers' use of dietary supplements. The available demographic information includes gender, age, education, race/ethnicity, household size, pregnancy/lactation status, health status, region, and household income.
See also FDA Health and Diet Survey - 2004 Supplement November 2005
Risk Avoidance in Consumer Approaches to Diet and Health.
1987. James T. Heimbach, Clinical Nutrition 6(4):159-162.
Advice to the public to avoid or limit various food components has come from all sources, with all levels of scientific support. Therefore, a major task facing the nutrition education community to reacquaint the public with the idea that food choice can be based not only on avoidance but also on a search for positive nutritional value. This is not to say that concern with over- consumption of various food components will or should disappear, but it is possible that a more even-handed evaluation of risk and benefits from food could replace the one-sided concern with risk avoidance that currently dominates the public's approach to diet and health.
Nutrition Knowledge Levels about Dietary Fats and Cholesterol: 1983-1988.
1993. Alan S. Levy, Sara B. Fein, and Marilyn Stephenson. Journal of Nutrition Education 25(1):60-66.
Consumer knowledge of dietary fats and cholesterol was analyzed for trends over time and for relationships with demographic characteristics and health and dieting behaviors. The data were obtained from three approximately biennial Health and Diet Surveys conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute between 1983 and 1988. Statistical methods included regression analysis and factor analysis. The results indicate that consumer knowledge about dietary fats and cholesterol is poor. Respondents with greater knowledge in 1988 were those who were more educated, middle-aged, or white, and those who were on a cholesterol-lowering diet. The regression analysis of 1988 scores indicated that education was the most important predictor of knowledge scores. Being on a self-prescribed cholesterol-lowering diet was related to higher knowledge, but being on a physician-recommended diet was related to higher knowledge scores only for younger respondents. None of the health behaviors, except engaging in regular exercise, was associated with higher knowledge levels.
Effects of a Health Promotion Advertising Campaign on Sales of Ready-to-Eat Cereals.
1987. Alan S. Levy and Raymond C. Stokes. Public Health Reports. 102(4):398-403.
The objective of this study was to determine how the sales of various segments of the high fiber and non-high fiber, ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal market were influenced by a health message advertising campaign about the possible benefits of a high fiber, low fat diet for preventing some types of cancer. The fiber statements in the media campaign were endorsed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The campaign was undertaken by the Kellogg Company to promote its line of high fiber cereal-products, including Kellogg's All-Bran . The data base consisted of computerized purchase data from 209 Giant Food, Inc. supermarkets in the Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas. All the RTE cereals products in the stores were classified according to their fiber content and competitive market positions compared with Kellogg high fiber cereals. Estimates of market share for the various classes of RTE cereal products were obtained weekly for each store during a period of 64 weeks, beginning 16 weeks before the start of the campaign. Shifts in market share between high fiber and non-high fiber cereal classifications indicate substantial increases in consumer purchases of Kellogg high fiber cereals, particularly All-Bran, beginning with the start of the Kellogg advertising campaign. Growth in market share of high fiber cereals continued during the entire 48-week evaluation period, with much of the later growth in non-Kellogg high fiber cereals. Growth in sales of high fiber cereals was mainly at the expense of low fiber cereals such as a granola-type products. The implications of these results for the competitive and educational effectiveness of commercially sponsored health and diet messages are discussed.
Consumer Demand for Detailed Nutrition Information: A Case Study.
1988. Alan S. Levy, Raymond E. Schucker, Janet E. Tenney, and Odonna Mathews. Journal of Nutrition Education 20(4):161-166.
We monitored sales of a nutrition information booklet in 25 Baltimore, Maryland, and 85 Washington, DC, supermarkets for 72 weeks. The Giant Food Inc. supermarket chain introduced the booklet titled "Special Diet Alert Guide" in conjunction with the Special Diet Alert shelf label nutrition information program. We estimated that 9 to 10% of Baltimore households and 7% of Washington households that patronized Giant stores purchased a Special Diet Alert Guide at some point during this period. Much of the demand occurred in the first 12 weeks. Promotional advertising of the program had a positive impact on booklet sales, but the effect was significantly larger in Baltimore stores. The generally higher level of interest in the guides observed among Baltimore shoppers compared to Washington shoppers is discussed in terms of the previous experience that Washington shoppers had with an earlier version of the guide.
Contact Linda.Verrill@fda.hhs.gov for more information about the above studies.
