Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of University Students Regarding the Use of Nutritional Information and Food Labels

Functional Food Consumption and Its Associated Factors among University Students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background

In the current situation of COVID-19, dietary intake that incorporates functional foods may potentially be a preventive measure for defence against viral infection. This study aimed to determine the consumption of functional foods and its associated factors among university students during COVID-19.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 284 Malaysian university students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. An online self-administered questionnaire was employed to assess subjects' nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, attitude towards functional foods, recognition and consumption of functional food products.

Results

Out of 284 respondents, 41.9% had poor level of nutrition knowledge and 57% had moderate level of functional food-related attitude, with seven types of functional foods consumed on average (57.0%). Binary logistic regression showed that university students who consumed fruits at least three times per day (aOR = 11.18; 95% CI: 1.46, 80.17), salty snacks (aOR = 2.90; 95% CI: 1.43, 5.86), soft drinks/sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (aOR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.53, 5.26) and pure juice (aOR = 2.80; 95% CI: 1.48, 5.30) were more likely to consume functional foods during COVID-19 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The findings could provide information to public and private sectors in terms of creating a supportive environment to encourage and promote the awareness and consumption of functional foods and their associated health benefits.

Awareness, Knowledge, and Practices towards Reading Snack Food Labels among Malaysian Adolescents

This study aimed to determine the awareness, knowledge, and practices regarding food labels and factors that influence their use; a cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 Malaysian adolescents aged 10 to 19. Participants completed an online Food Label Use Questionnaire (FLUQ) that included demographic, nutrition knowledge, label use, and factors affecting label use. SPSS version 28.0 was used for data analysis. The results showed that 93% of adolescents correctly identified the consequences of over-consuming calories. Still, only 84.5% performed well on the nutrition use task, struggling to interpret calorie and carbohydrate amounts in certain foods. The main reasons for not using food labels were time constraints (45.5%), unattractive or confusing labels (36%), absence of labels on certain foods (33%), lack of health concerns (32%), and insufficient knowledge (27%). However, 90.5% of adolescents were concerned about product expiration dates and often read this information. Taste and price were the main reasons for referring to food labels, while time constraints were the main barrier to their use. In conclusion, practicing reading food labels can guide adolescents in making informed decisions about their food choices and portion intake. Awareness campaigns can aid in promoting healthy habits and empowering adolescents to make the right choices for their health.

Status of nutrition labeling knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of residents in the community and structural equation modeling analysis

Objective

Unhealthy foods were a major contributor to the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases. The promotion of nutrition labeling in the community can effectively help residents to choose healthy foods, which plays an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases. However, the public awareness of this measure is not clear. Our study used a structural equation model based on the KAP theory to analyze the interaction mechanisms among knowledge, attitude, and practice and aimed to evaluate the relationships among nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice of residents, which can provide the basis of policy formulation for nutrition education and behavior intervention.

Methods

We carried out a cross-sectional study from May 2022 to July 2022 in the "Community Health Service Center", and each "Community Service Station" in Yinchuan use a self-designed questionnaire and convenience sampling to evaluate resident nutrition labeling KAP status. This study adopted the structural equation modeling approach to analyze a survey of Chinese individuals through the cognitive processing model, interrelated nutrition knowledge, nutrition label knowledge, attitude, and practice.

Results

According to the principle of sample size estimation, a total of 636 individuals were investigated, with the ratio of male to female being 1:1.2. The average score of community residents' nutrition knowledge was 7.48 ± 3.24, and the passing rate was 19.4%. Most residents had a positive attitude toward nutrition labeling, but the awareness rate was only 32.7% and the utilization rate was 38.5%. Univariate analysis showed that women had higher knowledge scores than men (p < 0.05), and young people had higher scores than older adults (p < 0.05), and the difference was significant. Based on the KAP structural equation model (SEM), residents' nutrition knowledge will directly affect their attitude toward nutrition labeling. Attitude played a greater role as an indirect effect between knowledge and behavior, while trust limits residents' practice of nutrition labeling and then affects their practice. It could be explained that nutrition knowledge was the prerequisite for label reading behavior, and attitude was the intermediary effect.

Conclusion

The nutrition knowledge and nutrition labeling knowledge of respondents hardly directly support the practice of nutrition labeling, but it can influence the use behavior by forming a positive attitude. The KAP model is suitable for explaining residents' use of nutrition labeling in the region. Future research should focus on better understanding the motivations of residents to use nutrition labeling and the opportunity to use nutrition labeling in real-life shopping settings.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Food Labeling and Expiry Date among the Female Health Sciences Students: A Public Health Concern

Nutrition information on food labels can help consumers to choose healthier food. We investigated consumers’ awareness of food labels and their influence on the decision to buy food items among students of health sciences of King Khalid University, Abha. This cross-sectional study involved 350 females who gave informed verbal consent and were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version 21. Overall 76.3% of students knew food labeling. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between the knowledge about food labeling and education, the number of family members, earning members, frequency of shopping and income. Almost half of the students checked food labels before buying, 43.7% replaced food on an importance basis and value of labeling, and 60% replaced on a cost basis. More than half of students were ready to buy food items with no labels, and 21.7% even utilized expired food items because of a lack of knowledge regarding expiry date and low cost of food which could be hazardous for their health. Awareness of food labeling and expiry date should be enhanced by including this subject in the curriculum and electronic media to avoid health hazards of expired food items. Choosing healthy food options shall reduce the nutrition and chronic diseases among the general population in future.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Lebanese shoppers towards food labeling: The first steps in the Nutri-score roadmap

Background: Food labeling is a fundamental educational tool for advocating for public awareness. It emphasizes knowledge of the nutrient content of food and thus directs the choice towards the healthiest food products. This cross-sectional survey aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding nutrition label use in Lebanon through a valid questionnaire. Methods: Overall, 768 participants (mean age: 30.8 ±12, males: 60.2%) were recruited randomly between February and May 2020. We used word of mouth and social media to recruit our sample population. Results: Social media was the most accessed tool to attain nutrition information by responders (39.8%). More than half the participants expressed positive attitudes to check information related to sugars (66.4%), vitamins (64.9%), total fats (61.7%), proteins (59.1%), and calories (58.7%) on the food label. Expiry date, price, and brand name were the top three considerations while reading food labels. About half (46.5%) reported to "always" look at the food label. Responders reported reading labels related primarily to sugars (44.3%), calories (38.8%), and total fats (36.8%). The optimal total KAP score was 46; our findings revealed a mean KAP score of 14.46 ±7 (31.4%). When categorizing the KAP scores, 15% had high scores, and 85% scored low. Spearman's coefficients showed positive correlations between knowledge-attitude, knowledge-practice, and attitude-practice scores, with p<0.001. The regression analysis revealed that gender, age, BMI, residency area, educational level, university degree, health and diet statuses, and activity level were significant predictors of the KAP score. Being on a diet had the highest odds (OR=3.107, CI=1.904-5.072, p<0.001). Conclusion: The low awareness of food labels leads Lebanese people to choose unhealthy food options. A planned educational program is recommended to ease the interpretation of these labels.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Lebanese shoppers towards food labeling: The first steps in the Nutri-score roadmap

Background: Food labeling is a fundamental educational tool for advocating for public awareness. It emphasizes knowledge of the nutrient content of food and thus directs the choice towards the healthiest food products. This cross-sectional survey aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding nutrition label use in Lebanon through a valid questionnaire. Methods: Overall, 768 participants (mean age: 30.8 ±12, males: 60.2%) were recruited randomly between February and May 2020. We used word of mouth and social media to recruit our sample population. Results: Social media was the most accessed tool to attain nutrition information by responders (39.8%). More than half the participants expressed positive attitudes to check information related to sugars (66.4%), vitamins (64.9%), total fats (61.7%), proteins (59.1%), and calories (58.7%) on the food label. Expiry date, price, and brand name were the top three considerations while reading food labels. About half (46.5%) reported to "always" look at the food label. Responders reported reading labels related primarily to sugars (44.3%), calories (38.8%), and total fats (36.8%). The optimal total KAP score was 46; our findings revealed a mean KAP score of 14.46 ±7 (31.4%). When categorizing the KAP scores, 15% had high scores, and 85% scored low. Spearman's coefficients showed positive correlations between knowledge-attitude, knowledge-practice, and attitude-practice scores, with p<0.001. The regression analysis revealed that gender, age, BMI, residency area, educational level, university degree, health and diet statuses, and activity level were significant predictors of the KAP score. Being on a diet had the highest odds (OR=3.107, CI=1.904-5.072, p<0.001). Conclusion: The low awareness of food labels leads Lebanese people to choose unhealthy food options. A planned educational program is recommended to ease the interpretation of these labels.

Analysis of Chinese Consumers' Nutrition Facts Table Use Behavior Based on Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Model

The nutrition facts table is a nutrition labeling tool designed to help consumers understand the nutritional content of food and make informed food choices. However, the utilization rate of the nutrition facts table has been low in China since its introduction in 2013. This study employed structural equation modeling to investigate consumers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the nutrition facts table by using an online survey of 930 valid samples from 31 provinces in China based on the knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) model. The analysis revealed that most respondents had a positive attitude, but not a good level of knowledge or practice in their use of the labeling. Respondents' knowledge about the nutrition facts table directly affected their attitude, through which it could then affect their practice, whereas knowledge played an indirect role in nutrition labeling use. The results confirmed that the KAP model is suitable for explaining consumers' use of nutrition labels in China, and that the first step to promoting labeling usage is to enrich consumers' knowledge on the nutrition facts table.

Associations of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Food Label on Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) Risk amongst University Students in Selangor, Malaysia

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) deaths were on the rise in developing countries. In Malaysia, the accelerating economic transition has been accompanied by high prevalence of CVD risk factors which accounts for 35% of total deaths in 2016. This increasing trend involving not only the elderly but also the young adults. Food label reading is reported to be the key to help individual adopt healthy food choice and dietary habits. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the associations of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of food label on CVD risk amongst university students. A cross sectional study was conducted on 389 university students aged 19 to 35 y old in Selangor. Information on socio-demographic profile, nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice of food label were collected using self-administrated questionnaires. Anthropometric data of participants were measured using standardize methodology and blood pressure was measured using Omron blood pressure monitor. The data were tested using Chi-Square test. Average age of the respondents were 23 y. Majority of the respondents had no CVD risk (41%) while (59%) had increased CVD risks. There was a significant association between CVD risk factors (BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with knowledge and attitude of using food label (p<0.05). The practice of food label usage showed no significant association (p>0.05) with all CVD risk factors. Considering the importance of understanding and usage of food label in the management of chronic diseases, these findings provide useful information to incorporate nutrition education on food labelling in preventing CVD risks.