The International Food Information Council (IFIC) recently commissioned research on consumer attitudes toward foods that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, or “functional foods.” Such health-promoting foods can range from broccoli to fortified foods such as calcium fortified orange juice, to soy-based products to nutritional supplements.
The first of the two consumer research studies was a Web-based quantitative survey of 1,012 U.S. adults years 18 and older fielded May 6-12, 2005 and it was weighted by education, age, and ethnicity to the 2003 U.S. population estimate. This allowed the findings to be representative of the American public, as a whole.
The second, a qualitative study was conducted August 9-11, 2005 with 27 participants using CoRe Boards™, a new Web-based focus group technique. Commissioned by IFIC, Cogent Research, of Cambridge, MA., created this online discussion board methodology, to provide participants with a private-access, moderator-controlled chat room.
The last quantitative study, fielded in 2002, found that the top health concerns for consumers were cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, with concerns about being overweight a distant third. Now, in the age of obesity hyperawareness, weight has climbed to the number two health concern for consumers, just behind CVD. This new research shows consumers most likely to mention weight as a concern are those with a college degree or higher, females, and consumers age 18 to 34.
According to the 2005 quantitative survey, consumers overwhelmingly believe food and nutrition play “a great role” in maintaining or improving overall health. Similar to the quantitative findings, almost all of the respondents to the qualitative study report they believe certain foods have benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and may reduce the risk of disease or promote health.
“I believe certain foods may help reduce risk or control certain diseases,” said one focus-group participant, “because if, for example, a person drinks milk products, the calcium helps promote healthy bones.”
In addition to food playing a role in reducing the risk of certain diseases, consumers believe family genetics play a role. Ninety-one percent of consumers believe their family health history plays a moderate to great role in maintaining or improving their overall health.
“My family genetics indicate that I do need to be worried about thyroid disease, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and blood pressure issues,” said one focus-group participant.
Whole Foods versus Food Components
As in past surveys, consumers more easily identify certain whole foods, such as fish, milk, broccoli, and tomatoes, as providing a benefit to their health beyond basic nutrition. These well-known “good for you” foods were joined by other foods such as whole grains and green tea that are getting more coverage by the news media. For example, this spring, about a month before the IFIC survey was fielded, the U.S. government released its new MyPyramid food guidance system. The new food guidance stresses the importance of whole grains in the diet, which may account for the increased awareness of the benefits of whole grains by the quantitative survey respondents.
On an unaided basis, the top “functional foods” named in the quantitative survey were:
- Fruits and vegetables (general)
- Milk
- Fish, fish oil, seafood
- Fiber
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Whole grains
- Green leafy vegetables
- Oats, oat bran, oatmeal
- Garlic
- Oranges, orange juice
- Green tea
Diet/Disease Relationships
When asked, on an unaided basis, what foods may help to keep certain diseases at bay, 9 in 10 consumers can name a diet/disease pairing relationship.
On an aided basis, the top diet/disease pair, known by 93 percent of respondents, was calcium for bone health. Other top pairs included fiber for maintaining a healthy digestive system (92 percent), vitamin D for the promotion of bone health (88 percent), and whole grains for reduced risk of heart disease (83 percent). Consumer awareness of these diet/disease pairings can be traced to long-held associations about certain foods versus those based on emerging science.
Some diet/disease pairings that are gaining awareness among consumers include antioxidants for protection against free radical damage (79 percent), omega-3 fatty acids for reduced risk of heart disease (78 percent), and lycopene for reduced risk of prostate cancer (57 percent).
Awareness vs. Consumption Behaviors
The awareness of diet/disease pairs indicates consumer consumption of those foods. For example, of those respondents who are aware of the link between antioxidants for protection against free radical damage, a full 55 percent said they are already consuming foods that contain antioxidants, such as fruits and vegetables, to protect against possible damage from free radicals.
Differences Between the Sexes and Among the Ages
It's no surprise that men and women see things differently when it comes to food and health. While 40 percent of women mention weight as a top health concern, only 27 percent of men do so. But the opposite is true when it comes to heart disease or heart attacks as a top concern; 40 percent of men mention it while only 29 percent of women do. This finding is especially interesting because heart disease is the greatest health threat to women, and many public health awareness campaigns have sought to educate women about heart disease risk.
Both of the sexes seem to want to learn more about adding healthful foods to the diet, with 88 percent of women and 78 percent of men agreeing with this sentiment, but the numbers vary with age when it comes to actually making dietary changes.
Thirty-five percent of Americans ages 25 to 34 have made no changes to their diet. By contrast, 40 percent of Americans ages 45 to 54 have changed their diet, with 67 percent of this group removing what they perceive as less healthful elements from their diet.
Forty-eight percent of young women, those of “Generation Y” age 18 to 24, are the most likely to have added healthful elements to their diet, with 35 percent adding more vegetables and 27 percent adding fruit in an effort to improve or maintain their health.
Where Consumers Get Their Information
The media, especially electronic media outlets such as the Internet, are the top source of information about health and nutrition, but people still look to their physician for guidance.
According to IFIC's quantitative survey, 54 percent of respondents get their health and nutrition information from the Web or Internet followed by their physician (43 percent), magazines (28 percent), television news (21 percent), and friends and family (20 percent).
Again, there is a difference among the ages. Americans ages 18 to 54 are more likely to name the media, whether print or electronic, as one of their top sources of information on health and nutrition, while those age 55 plus were more likely to get their health and nutrition information from their physician.
“I read the Health section on MSN a lot,” said one focus-group participant. “It has great links to cool sites and if it is on a big site like MSN, I trust it.”
But just because consumers get their information from the media, doesn't mean they necessarily trust all the information provided. When asked on an aided basis who is the most influential source of information regarding food and food components, 52 percent said health professionals, followed by dietitians (41 percent), health associations (20 percent), food label (13 percent), and magazines (9 percent).
Reporting the Science
With more and more of the public getting their health and nutrition information from the mass media, it is important for everyone in the communication chain to provide the best, most scientifically accurate information possible.
Consumers often say one of the reasons they do not make healthful lifestyle changes is because messages are often conflicting, and they desire more personalized nutrition information on how to make healthful dietary changes that “fit” their lifestyles. Health professionals, among others, play a key role in getting consumers information that is accurate, while also providing consumers with tips on how to apply this information to their life.
To aid in this process, the IFIC Foundation partnered with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) to develop the Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health. These Guidelines include a checklist for communicators to help enhance the public's understanding of foods, food components, and dietary supplements and their role in a healthful lifestyle.
Some points that communicators ranging from health professionals, scientists, scientific journal editors, government officials, and journalists should consider include:
- Serve-up plain talk about food and health.
- Scientific research is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
- Carefully craft communications.
- Make messages meaningful.
- Cite study specifics.
- Consider the peer-review process and explain it.
- Consider the full facts when assessing a study's objectivity.
This recent research indicates that consumers are primed for personalized messages about health-promoting foods. Personalization is key, with one focus group participant commenting, “I would be motivated to do more with regard to my diet if I had more accurate information on foods that would reduce my risk of these diseases.” Everyone in the communication chain plays an important role in providing consumers with scientifically accurate information to help consumers make healthful lifestyle changes.
The full Guidelines can be found on the IFIC Foundation Web site at: http://www.ific.org/nutrition/functional/guidelines.
For more information on functional foods go to: http://www.ific.org/nutrition/functional.
