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Assessing the reach of MyPlate in the U.S. population: An analysis using NHANES data
Author(s) -
Raghavan Ramkripa,
Schap TusaRebecca,
Haven Jackie,
Tagtow Angie
Publication year - 2017
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.31.1_supplement.787.3
Subject(s) - medicine , national health and nutrition examination survey , ethnic group , population , gerontology , environmental health , sociology , anthropology
Objective The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) serves as a basis for developing federal nutrition education materials in the U.S. The MyPlate icon was released in 2011 as a tool to communicate 2010 DGA and help consumers make healthy choices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reach of MyPlate in the U.S. population and understand the characteristics of Americans that have heard about MyPlate. Methods Data from the NHANES (2013–2014) was used for this analysis. In the diet, behavior and nutrition component of NHANES, eligible respondents (n=6,464) over 16 years of age were asked three questions to ascertain their familiarity with MyPlate: 1) Have you heard of MyPlate; 2) Have you looked up MyPlate on the internet; and 3) Have you tried to follow the plan recommended in MyPlate. The survey also collected demographic, income, diet and health related information that was used in this analyses. Survey weights were used in the analysis to account for non‐response and over‐sampling. Results One in five (20.2%) adolescents and adults in the U.S. had heard of MyPlate. Of these, a third looked up MyPlate on the internet (33.2%) and slightly over a third (35.3%) tried to follow the plans recommended in MyPlate. Within demographic characteristics of interest, familiarity varied. The groups more likely to have heard of MyPlate were for gender ‐ women (25.9%), age‐adolescents (30.6%), race‐ethnicity – non‐Hispanic White (23.5%), and income – those with higher incomes (28.0%). Self‐reported superior diet quality was correlated with reported awareness of MyPlate and their inclination to try recommendations tied to MyPlate recommendations. Healthy choices while eating away from home both in fast food/pizza places and restaurants was associated with reported familiarity of MyPlate. For example, those that had heard of MyPlate were more likely to have seen nutrition information on the menu and use that information to order foods in restaurants (50.5% vs. 39.2%; p value = 0.04) and fast food places (54% vs. 38.8%; p value = 0.003), when compared to those that had not heard of MyPlate. Familiarity with MyPlate was not correlated with recent participation in WIC or SNAP. Conclusion Two years after the launch of MyPlate, one in five Americans had heard of MyPlate – the primary tool to communicate DGA. There may be a correlation between familiarity with MyPlate and other health‐seeking behaviors. Targeted efforts may be undertaken to disseminate MyPlate messaging to certain sub‐groups such as older adults, men, racial ethnic minorities and those of lower socio‐economic status to improve MyPlate's reach and amplify impact. Support or Funding Information None