Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T09:24:08.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What do users of reduced-fat dairy products know about the fat in their diets?†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2007

Stephanie Harper  and
Ingrid HE Rutishauser
Stephanie Harper*
Affiliation:
School of Nutrition & Public Health, Deakin University, Geelong 3217, Victoria, Australia
Ingrid HE Rutishauser
Affiliation:
School of Nutrition & Public Health, Deakin University, Geelong 3217, Victoria, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives

To assess the fat intake and knowledge about the fat content of foods consumed by a sample of self reported users of reduced-fat dairy products.

Design

Cross-sectional study of a population-based sample of women shoppers.

Setting

A small, rural town (population approximately 6000) in central Victoria, Australia.

Subjects

Seventy-eight women aged 25–50 years, who regularly used at least one reduced-fat dairy product.

Results

Mean reported intake of total fat was lower while intake of dairy fat was similar to that of a national sample of women of the same age both in the whole sample and when under-reporters were excluded. The ability to identify major sources of fat in the diet as reported appeared to be limited. Less than half of the subjects were able to correctly estimate the fat content of reduced-fat dairy products relative to regular products and about one quarter of subjects reported replacing one kind of oil or fat with another as a strategy to reduce fat intake. Subjects were generally aware of the need to ‘eat less fat’ but few could articulate specific recommendations. A number of subjects reported using low fat diets to control their weight but few subjects appeared to understand the connection between fat intake and energy intake.

Conclusions

The findings of this study raise important questions about how nutrition advice is understood and implemented by consumers, particularly the message to reduce fat intake and the role of energy balance in weight management. They also highlight the difficulty of interpreting information on food intake, in subjects who have modified their diet by reducing intake of specific foods.

Keywords

KnowledgeReduced-fat productsFat intake
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 227 - 232
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 2001

Footnotes

†

This research was conducted as part of the corresponding author's Masters project, prior to her commencing employment at the Anti-Cancer Council. It was jointly funded by the corresponding author and Deakin University.

References

1Health Department of Victoria. Victorian Food and Nutrition Policy. Melbourne: Government Printer, 1987.Google Scholar
2Kristal, AR, White, E, Shattuck, AL, Curry, S, Anderson, GL, Fowler, A.Long term maintenance of a low fat diet: durability of fat-related dietary habits in the Women's Health Trial. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1992; 92: 553–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Baghurst, KI, Crawford, DA, Worsley, A, Record, SJ. The Victorian Nutrition Survey: intakes and sources of dietary fats and cholesterol in the Victorian population. Med. J. Aust. 1988; 149: 12–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Dobson, A, Porteous, J, McElduff, P, Alexander, H.Whose diet has changed?. Aust. NZ J. Public Health 1997; 21: 147–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Mela, DJ. Consumer estimates of the percentage energy from fat in common foods. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1993; 47: 735–40.Google Scholar
6Cremer, SA, Kessler, LG. The fat and fibre content of foods: what Americans know. J. Nutr. Educ. 1992; 24: 149–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Shepherd, R, Stockley, L.Nutrition knowledge, attitudes and fat consumption. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1987; 87: 615–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Kristal, AR, Bowen, DJ, Curry, SJ, Shattuck, AL, Henry, HJ. Nutrition knowledge, attitudes and perceived norms as correlates of selecting low-fat diets. Health Educ. Res. 1990; 2: 467–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Lloyd, HM, Paisley, CM, Mela, DJ. Barriers to the adoption of reduced fat diets in a UK population. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1995; 95: 553–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Lloyd, HM, Paisley, CM, Mela, DJ. Changing to a low fat diet: attitudes and beliefs of UK consumers. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1993; 47: 361–73.Google ScholarPubMed
11Mela, DJ. Understanding fat preference and consumption: applications of behavioural sciences to a nutritional problem. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 1995; 54: 453–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Glanz, K, Brug, J, van Assema, P.Are awareness of dietary fat intake and actual fat consumption associated? – A Dutch–American comparison. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 51: 542–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Allred, JB. Too much of a good thing?. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1995; 95: 417–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Plous, S, Chesne, RB, McDowell, AV. Nutrition knowledge and attitudes of cardiac patients. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1995; 95: 442–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Schapira, DV, Kurmar, NB, Lyman, GH, McMillan, SC. The value of current nutrition information. Prev. Med. 1990; 19: 45–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Wheeler, CE, Rutishauser, IHE, O'Dea, K.Reproducibility of a meal-based food frequency questionnaire: the influence of format and time interval between questions. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1994; 48: 795–809.Google Scholar
17Wheeler, CE, Rutishauser, IHE, O'Dea, K.Comparison of nutrient intake data from two food frequency questionnaires and weighed records. Aust. J. Nutr. Diet. 1995; 52: 140–8.Google Scholar
18Australian Bureau of Statistics. 1995 National Health Survey Summary of Results Australia, Catalogue No. 4364.0. Canberra: ABS, 1997.Google Scholar
19Warwick, PM. Predicting food energy requirements from estimates of energy expenditure. In: Truswell, AS, ed. Recommended Nutrient Intakes: Australian Papers. Sydney: Australian Professional Publications, 1990; 295–320.Google Scholar
20Goldberg, GR, Black, AE, Jebb, SA, Cole, TJ, Murgatroyd, PR, Coward, WA, et al. Critical evaluation of energy intake data using fundamental principles of energy physiology: derivation of cut-off limits to identify under-recording. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1991; 45: 569–81.Google ScholarPubMed
21Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Nutrition Survey Nutrient Intakes and Physical Measurements Australia, 1995, Catalogue No. 4805.0. Canberra: ABS, 1998.Google Scholar
22Fricker, J, Baelde, D, Igoin-Apfelbaum, JMH, Apfelbaum, M.Underreporting of food intake in obese ‘small eaters’. Appetite 1992; 19: 273–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Hirvonen, T, Mannisto, S, Roos, E, Pietinen, P.Increasing prevalence of underreporting does not necessarily distort dietary surveys. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 51: 297–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Briefel, RR, Sempos, CT, McDowell, MA, Chien, S, Alaimo, K.Dietary methods research in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: underreporting of energy intake. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 65: 1203S–9S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Reid, DJ, Hendricks, SM. Consumer understanding and use of fat and cholesterol information on food labels. Can. J. Public Health 1994; 85: 334–7.Google Scholar
26Schwartz, NE, Borra, ST. What do consumers really think about dietary fat?. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1997; 97(Suppl.), S73–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed