What should I eat? - Canadian Public Health Association
What should I eat?
Awareness of Canada’s
Food Guide
Lana Vanderlee, Cassondra McCrory & David Hammond
CPHA Annual Meeting
May 27, 2014
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Image credit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnan/food-guide-aliment/ordercommander/index-eng.php#a1
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Image credit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/the-politics-offood-guides-1.1268575
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Image credit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnan/food-guide-aliment/ordercommander/index-eng.php#a1
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Background
• Few adults meet recommendations 1,2
– Particularly for Vegetables and Fruits and Grain
Products
• 56% could name four food groups in 1997, and 41% in 2001.
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• Government sources have high credibility, but few people use them 4
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2.
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4.
Garriguet D. Overview of Canadians’ eating habits. Health Rep 2004;2:82-620.
Black JL et al. Do Canadians meet Canada's Food Guide's recommendations for fruits and vegetables? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2013;38(3):234-242
Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition. Tracking Nutrition Trends: A 20-year history. 2009
Goodman S et al. Use of nutritional information in Canada: national trends between 2004 and 2008. J Nutr Educ Behav
2011;43(5):356-365
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Research Objectives
1. Examine awareness of Canada’s Food
Guide
2. Examine content knowledge of Canada’s
Food Guide
3. Examine knowledge of estimated energy
requirements from Canada’s Food Guide
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Methods
• 10 minute intercept exit interviews
• 2 hospital cafeterias in Ottawa, Canada
• Aug/Sept 2013
• Questions on what they ordered, nutrition behaviours and knowledge, and sociodemographics
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Measures
• Last use of Canada’s Food Guide
• Knowledge of food groups
• Knowledge of recommended servings of each food group
– Vegetables and Fruit = 7-10
– Grain Products = 6-8
– Milk and Alternatives = 2-3
– Meat and Alternatives = 2-3
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Measures
• Knowledge of recommended calorie intake
• Physical activity level
• Socio-demographic measures
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Analysis
• Linear regression
– Number of food groups names (0 – 4 groups)
– Adjusted for socio-demographic variables
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Income
• BMI
• How recently they had viewed the food guide
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Results
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Sample Characteristics
• 59% female
• 30.3% 55+ years
• 47.3% > $80,000/yr household income
• 80.8% White
• 53.9% overweight or obese
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Ability to recall food groups
(n=1,048)
80%
78%
73% Recalled group
66%
53%
51%
43%
18%
6%
Milk and
Alternatives
Vegetables and Fruit
Meat and
Alternatives
Grain
Products
1%
All four groups
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Ability to recall recommended servings
(n=1,048)
80%
78%
53%
73%
51%
66%
Recalled group
Recalled correct servings
43%
18%
6%
Milk and
Alternatives
Vegetables and Fruit
Meat and
Alternatives
Grain
Products
1%
All four groups
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Who recalled more food groups?
• Viewed the food guide
(p<0.001 for all)
• Females
(p=0.013)
• Younger age categories
(p<0.01)
• White participants
(p<0.001)
• Higher income groups
(p<0.01 for all)
• BMI was not significant
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Knowledge of calorie recommendations
•
4.7% could identify recommendation specific to
age, gender and physical activity level
•
29.0% could identify recommendation specific only to age and gender.
– 50.0% underestimated
– 8.8% overestimated
– 12.2% were not able or willing to provide a guess
• Answers ranged from 3 to 20,000 calories
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Limitations & Strengths
Limitations
• Sample from hospital cafeterias
• Broad categories for “correct” responses
Strengths
• Unprompted recall of groups and recommended servings
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Discussion
• Relatively low levels of use of Canada’s Food
Guide and very low levels of knowledge of food guide content.
• Knowledge was lower among populations that face health disparities
• Very few participants knew calorie recommendations
– Implications for nutritional literacy and ‘calorie literacy’
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Image credit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/order-commander/guide_trans-trad-eng.php and http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/fnim-pnim/index-eng.php
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Discussion
• Relatively low levels of use of Canada’s Food
Guide and very low levels of knowledge of food guide content.
• Knowledge was lower among populations that face health disparities
• Very few participants knew calorie recommendations
– Implications for nutritional literacy and ‘calorie literacy’
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Conclusion
• Poor ‘basic understanding’ of Canada’s official recommendations for diet and nutrition.
• Improving knowledge and understanding of CFG may lead to improved nutrition behaviours
• Sustained campaigns and coordinated efforts with other nutrition programs may improve uptake.
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Acknowledgements
Funding for the project provided by:
Additional support provided by:
Stipend support to Lana Vanderlee funded by the CIHR Training Grant in Population Intervention for Chronic
Disease Prevention: A Pan-Canadian Program (Grant #53893)
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Questions?
Lana Vanderlee
PhD Student
School of Public Health and Health Systems
University of Waterloo
Email: lana.vanderlee@uwaterloo.ca
Tel: 519-888-4567 ext. 31066
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