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Does High Blood Pressure Increase Perceived Healthiness of Foods with Sodium Claims on the Label?
Author(s) -
Wong Christina L.,
Mendoza Julio,
L'Abbé Mary R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.1032.8
Subject(s) - clarity , taste , health claims on food labels , perception , product (mathematics) , psychology , social psychology , medicine , food science , chemistry , biochemistry , mathematics , geometry , neuroscience
This study measured Canadian consumers’ perceived clarity of the wording and the healthiness perception of food products carrying different types of claims related to sodium and examined the effect of having high blood pressure (BP) on these perceptions. Online panellists (n=803) were randomly assigned to one of four identical mock canned soup labels carrying the same Nutrition Facts table, differing only by the claim on the label: 1) nutrient content (NC), 2) function claim, 3) disease risk reduction (DRR) claim, or 4) ‘tastes great’ claim acting as a control. Overall, panellists, regardless of BP, rated the NC claim as the most clear, while the function claim was found to be the least clear (p<0.001). DRR and taste claims were intermediate. Despite the NC claim being the most clear, participants perceived the product with the DRR claim as the healthiest, and all 3 sodium claims were perceived healthier than the taste claim (p<0.001). Those with high BP (n=226) consistently rated all products with sodium related claims healthier compared to those with normal BP (p=0.02); furthermore products with sodium claims, irrespectively of the type, were perceived as healthier than the one with the taste claim. This study demonstrates that, although clarity was rated similarly irrespective of BP, having high BP increases the perceived healthiness of products carrying claims mentioning sodium. Supported by: AFMNet; CIHR STIHR Grant Funding Source : AFMNet; CIHR Strategic Training Program in Public Health Policy (CW); University of Toronto McHenry Chair (ML)