Association of Nutritional Label Literacy and Eating Habits in Adult Population of Rural Texas

ASSOCIATION OF NUTRITION LABEL LITERACY AND EATING HABITS IN ADULT POPULATION OF RURAL TEXAS Purpose: The Nutrition Facts panel (NFP) (nutrition labels on food packaging) is one of the best ways to disseminate nutritional information at the point-of-purchase to help reduce total calorie intake and sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and added sugar consumption. Purpose of this study was to examine the association between the ability to interpret nutrition labels correctly and eating habits in the adult population in rural Texas. Methods: A total of 121 adult subjects were recruited from five primary care clinics located in rural Texas. Data on nutrition label literacy and dietary practice were collected using the Newest Vital Sign and the NHANES Dietary Screener Questionnaire, respectively. Univariate analyses and regression analyses were carried out to estimate the strength of association between nutrition label literacy and eating habits. Results: About one-fifth of the subjects had very low nutrition label literacy. Only two-thirds of the subjects were able to calculate the percentage daily value of calories in a single serving. After adjusting for the demographic variables, higher educational level (OR = 3.53), higher income (OR = 5.10), and lower amount of added sugar consumption (OR = 1.14) were found significantly associated with a higher level of nutrition label literacy. Conclusions: Adult population in rural Texas had difficulty in interpreting nutrition label correctly. This study supported the hypothesized linkage between the ability to interpret nutrition labels and healthy eating practices. Revision of the NFP to reduce complexity and account for varying levels of literacy should be considered for future nutrition labels.