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Assessing the Public's Comprehension of Dietary Guidelines: Perception of Diet Quality Is Inversely Associated With Dietary ED in US Adults
Author(s) -
Vernarelli Jacqueline A,
Nouri Renee
Publication year - 2016
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.30.1_supplement.429.7
Subject(s) - national health and nutrition examination survey , obesity , environmental health , medicine , gerontology , public health , quality (philosophy) , nutrition facts label , comprehension , demography , population , philosophy , linguistics , nursing , epistemology , sociology
The obesity epidemic continues to challenge researchers and public health officials in the US. Diets high in energy density (ED; kcal/g) have been established as a risk factor for obesity. Current dietary recommendations encourage the consumption of a diet low in energy density as a strategy to combat obesity, however public understanding of the concept of energy density has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to be able to evaluate the relationship between public perceptions of diet quality and quantative assessments of diet quality (including ED and HEI) in US adults. Data from a nationally representative sample of 10,173 participants in a 2009–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) was used for this study. During the NHANES, participants were asked to self‐report diet quality using a 5‐point scale ranging from “Excellent” to “Poor”. Dietary energy density was calculated using multiple methods; diet quality was assessed using the 2010 HEI. All data were analyzed using SAS 9.3 survey procedures to account for the unequal sampling probability and complex survey design of the NHANES. A significant linear trend between self‐reported diet quality and dietary energy density was observed. Individuals who reported their diet as “excellent” had the lowest dietary ED of 1.59 ± 0.03 kcal/g followed by classifications of: very good 1.70 ± 0.03; good 1.83±0.02; fair 1.97±0.02; poor 2.12±0.04 after adjusting for age, sex, race, physical activity, smoking status, income, and education. Additionally, perception of body weight status also predicted dietary ED. Individuals who correctly self‐identified as “overweight” had an adjusted dietary ED of 1.91 ±0.07kcal/g that was significantly higher than individuals who correctly self‐identified as “about the right weight” (1.79±0.02kcal/g). These results suggest that public understanding of the recommendation to “consume a diet low in energy density” may be higher than expected. Future recommendations that provide specifics on how to decrease dietary energy density may therefore be successful strategies to combat obesity in the US. Support or Funding Information None.Mean adjusted dietary energy density (kcal/g) calculated using food‐only is plotted by self‐reported diet quality (“How Healthy Is Your Diet?”). Dietary energy density adjusted for age, race, sex, income:poverty ratio; education, physical activity (met‐min units), and smoking status. A positive linear relationship was observed (p‐trend, <0.0001). Respondents classifying their diet as “excellent” had significantly lower mean ED than any other diet classification (p<0.0001 for each group).