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Accuracy of food guide and nutrition label use by caretakers in the STRONG Kids cohort (808.17)
Author(s) -
Paige Katie,
Wallace Victoria,
TeranGarcia Margarita,
Donovan Sharon
Publication year - 2014
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.28.1_supplement.808.17
Subject(s) - overweight , grandparent , odds , bachelor , childhood obesity , obesity , medicine , confusion , nutrition facts label , nutrition education , environmental health , demography , psychology , gerontology , pediatrics , developmental psychology , political science , logistic regression , sociology , psychoanalysis , law
Childhood obesity rates have risen dramatically in recent decades, compelling researchers to analyze the changing environment surrounding this weight gain. Our goal was to assess parent’s knowledge of food guides and nutrition labels. Parents (n=407) of preschoolers (age 3‐5) reported that moms and grandparents were primarily responsible for selecting meals. Overweight parents had 1.86‐times higher odds of having overweight children (95% CI 1.15‐2.99, p=0.01). Parents of children who were overweight (>85 th BMI percentile) had a higher average BMI than parents of children who were normal weight (29.6 vs. 26.6 kg/m 2 ; p=0.0001). Parents’ ability to choose healthy foods may be limited by the way nutrition information is presented. On a nutrition fact label, 35% of parents were unable to correctly complete calculations necessary to interpret nutrition facts. Although 56% of parents attained a Bachelor’s degree or higher, only 32.2% could identify the current USDA food guide. Older and less‐educated parents were more likely to choose an incorrect or outdated food guide (p蠄0.05). The release of multiple food guides in recent decades may have led to consumer confusion. Parent inability to identify current guidelines and interpret nutrition labels suggests poor dissemination of these tools. Clinical settings and grocery stores may serve as opportunities for continued education. Grant Funding Source : Funded by the USDA (Hatch 793‐328), I‐CAR, and NIFA (2011‐67001‐30101)