Abstract
Objective: For more effective nutrition communication, it is crucial to identify sources from which consumers seek information. Our purpose was to assess perceived relevance and information needs regarding food topics, and preferred information sources by means of quantitative consumer research.
Design: Based on qualitative studies, a quantitative questionnaire was developed and administered in face-to-face interviews.
Subjects: The study population consisted of Dutch adults aged 18–80 y. A stratified sample of 923 adults was taken from the GfK ScriptPanel; 603 respondents completed the questionnaire.
Results: Despite high perceived relevance of food topics regarding dietary guidelines (55–78%), most respondents indicated that they did not want more information about these topics (71–74%). Furthermore, our study revealed information needs regarding safety- and health-related food topics (up to 77% in some subgroups). Differences in perceived relevance and information needs were found in subgroups based on gender, age, perceived weight and socioeconomic status. Education offices of the food sector and the family doctor were mentioned for most food topics, who ranked among the highest regarding perceived reliability, perceived expertise, clearness and accessibility.
Conclusions: With respect to five food topics (losing weight, sports and nutrition, lowering cholesterol, carbohydrates and food composition), interested subgroups should receive tailored information. For other groups and food topics, a population-wide strategy should suffice, utilising the preferred information source. If people who are not yet interested become interested through a life event, information on demand can be put into action.
Sponsorship: Dutch Dairy Association.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Budtz S & Witt K (2002): Consulting the Internet before visit to general practice: patients' use of the Internet and other sources of health information. Scand. J. Prim. Health Care 20, 174–176.
Buttriss J (1997): Food and nutrition: attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in the United Kingdom. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65 (Suppl 6), 1985S–1995S.
Cass Ryan V & Gates A (1988): Nutrient intake status, knowledge, source of information and self-perceived health status among older adults in South Carolina. J. Nutr. Eld. 2, 41–48.
Chapman G & Maclean H (1993): ‘Junk food’ and ‘healthy food’: meanings of food in adolescent women's culture. J. Nutr. Educ. 25, 108–113.
Clayton DB (2000): Improving public awareness of nutrition issues. Nutrition 7/8, 637–639.
Contento I, Balch GI, Bronner YL, Lytle LA, Maloney SK, Olson CM & Sharaga Swadener S (1995): The effectiveness of nutrition education and implications for nutrition education policy, programs and research: a review of research. J. Nutr. Educ. 27, 277–420.
Contento IR, Randell JS & Basch CE (2002): Review and analysis of evaluation measures used in nutrition education intervention research. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 34, 2–25.
Coulson NS (2002): Sources of food safety information: whom do adolescents trust? Appetite 38, 199–200.
De Almeida MDVP, Graça P, Lappalainen R, Giachetti I, Kafatos A, Remaut De Winter AM & Kearney JM (1997): Sources used and trusted by nationally-representative adults in the European Union for information on healthy eating. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 51(Suppl 2), S16–S22.
European Commission (1998): A Pan-EU Survey on Consumer Attitudes to Physical Activity, Body-weight and Health. Luxembourg: European Commission.
Falk LW, Sobal J, Bisogni CA, Connors M & Devine CM (2001): Managing healthy eating: definitions, classifications, and strategies. Health Educ. Behav. 28, 425–439.
Goldberg JP (2000): Nutrition communication in the 21st century: what are the challenges and how can we meet them? Nutrition 16, 644–646.
Hiddink GJ, Hautvast JGAJ, van Woerkum CMJ, Fieren CJ & van't Hof MA (1997): Consumers' expectations about nutrition guidance: the importance of primary care physicians. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65(Suppl 6), 1974S–1979S.
Holgado B, Martínez-González MA, de Irala-Estévez J, Gibney M, Kearney J & Martínez JA (2000): Sources of information about diet and health in a Mediterranean country: comparison with other European member states. Eur. J. Publ. Health 10, 185–191.
Hulshof KFAM, Brussaard JH, Kruizenga AG, Telman J & Löwik MRH (2003): Socio-economic status, dietary intake and 10 y trends: the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 57, 128–137.
Krinke UB (1990): Nutrition information topic and format preferences of older adults. Soc. Nutr. Ed. 22, 292–297.
Kunkel ME, Cody MM, Davis RJ & Wheeler FC (1986): Nutrition information sources used by South Carolina adults. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 3, 371–372.
Lappalainen R, Kearney J & Gibney M (1998): A Pan European survey of consumer attitudes to food, nutrition and health: an overview. Food Qual. Pref. 9, 467–478.
Maiburg BHJ, Rethans J-JE, Schuwirth LWT, Mathus-Vliegen LMH & van Ree JW (2003): Controlled trial of effect of computer-based nutrition course on knowledge and practice of general practitioner trainees. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77(Suppl 4), 1019S–1024S.
Medeiros L, Russell W & Shipp R (1991): Nutrition knowledge as influenced by source of nutrition information. Nutr. Res. 11, 979–988.
Miles S & Frewer LJ (2001): Investigating specific concerns about different food hazards. Food Qual. Pref. 12, 47–61.
Nowak M (1998): The weight-conscious adolescent: body image, food intake, and weight-related behavior. J. Adolesc. Health 23, 389–398.
Nutrition Center (1998): Zo eet Nederland: resultaten van de Voedselconsumptiepeiling 1997–1998. The Hague, The Netherlands: Nutrition Center.
Nutrition Council of the Netherlands (1986): Dietary Guidelines. The Hague, The Netherlands: Nutrition Council.
Probart CK, Davis LG, Hibbard JH & Kime RE (1989): Factors that influence the elderly to use traditional or nontraditional nutrition information sources. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 89, 1758–1762.
Raab CA, Bock MA, Carpenter K, Medeiros D, Ortiz M, Read M, Schutz HG, Sheehan ET & Williams DK (1989): Targeting messages to supplement users. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 89, 545–546.
Serra-Majem LL, Calvo JR, Male ML, Ribas L & Lainez P (1999): Population attitudes towards changing dietary habits and reliance on general practitioners in Spain. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 53(Suppl 2), S58–S61.
Silvester K & Horwath C (1991): The nutrition information sources of elderly New Zealanders. J. Nutr. Eld. 10, 45–53.
Slovic P (1987): Perception of risk. Science 236, 280–285.
SMO (Stichting Maatschappij en Onderneming) (1991): Voeding en voorlichting. Resultaten van een onderzoek onder 628 personen. The Hague, The Netherlands: SMO.
SWOKA (2000): Vijfde meting van de SWOKA voedingsmonitor. Leiden, The Netherlands: SWOKA.
Te Molder H (1999): Communicatie in de informatiemaatschappij, In Basisboek communicatie en verandering, eds. CMJ van Woerkum & P van Meegeren, pp 105–121. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Uitgeverij Boom.
Truswell AS (1997): Nutritional attitudes and practices of primary care physicians. Proceedings of a symposium held in Heelsum, Netherlands, December 11–13, 1995. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65(Suppl 6), 1927S–2022S.
Truswell AS (1999): International workshop ‘Family doctors and patients: is effective nutrition interaction possible?’ Proceedings of a symposium held at hotel Klein-Zwitserland, Heelsum, Netherlands, December 14–16, 1998. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 53(Suppl 2), S1–S114.
USDA (US Department of Agriculture), DHHS (US Department of Health and Human Services) (2000): Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: USDA, DHHS.
Vaandrager HW & Koelen MA (1997): Consumer involvement in nutritional issues: the role of information. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65(Suppl 6), 1980S–1984S.
Van Binsbergen JJ & Drenthen AJM (2003): Patient information letters on nutrition: development and implementation. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77(Suppl 4), 1035S–1038S.
Van Dillen SME, Hiddink GJ, Koelen MA, de Graaf C & van Woerkum CMJ (2003): Understanding nutrition communication between health professionals and consumers: development of a model for nutrition awareness based on qualitative consumer research. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77(Suppl 4), 1065S–1072S.
Van Dillen SME, Hiddink GJ, Koelen MA, de Graaf C & van Woerkum CMJ : Determinants of nutrition awareness in Dutch adults and the relationship with their nutrition behavior: results of a quantitative consumer study (submitted).
Van Oers JAM (2002): Gezondheid op koers? Volksgezondheid Toekomst Verkenning 2002. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum.
Van Woerkum CMJ (1999): Nutrition guidance by primary care physicians. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 53(Suppl 2), S19–S21.
Van Woerkum CMJ (2003): The Internet and primary care physicians: coping with different expectations. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77(Suppl 4), 1016S–1018S.
Walker WA (2003): Innovative teaching strategies for training physicians in clinical nutrition: an overview. J. Nutr. 133, 541S–543S.
Worsley A (1989): Perceived reliability of sources of health information. Health Educ. Res. 4, 367–376.
Acknowledgements
We thank the market research office GfK (Lianne van der Wijst and Kamieke van de Riet) for their collaboration in this research. Finally, we thank the participants.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Guarantor: SME van Dillen.
Contributors: All authors were participants of the project group of the project called ‘Nutrition Education through Health Professionals’. They were all involved in the design of the study, including the development of the questionnaire. GJH and SMEvD organised the data collection in cooperation with market research office GfK. SMEvD was responsible for data analysis and MK helped to analyse the data. Furthermore, all authors contributed to the discussion of the results. Finally, SMEvD wrote the manuscript and the other authors critically revised the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van Dillen, S., Hiddink, G., Koelen, M. et al. Perceived relevance and information needs regarding food topics and preferred information sources among Dutch adults: results of a quantitative consumer study. Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 1306–1313 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601966
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601966
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Perceptions of healthy eating in four Alberta communities: a photovoice project
Agriculture and Human Values (2015)
-
Perceptions on healthy eating, physical activity and lifestyle advice: opportunities for adapting lifestyle interventions to individuals with low socioeconomic status
BMC Public Health (2014)
-
Examining the content of weight, nutrition and physical activity advices provided by Dutch practice nurses in primary care: analysis of videotaped consultations
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014)
-
Leefstijladviezen
Bijblijven (2013)
-
Huisartsen merken behoefte aan deskundig voedingsadvies van hun patiënten vaak niet op
Huisarts en Wetenschap (2007)