Gaps in the awareness of current nutrition issues as dependent on age

The goal of this study is to identify important current topics in nutrition that may be poorly understood by the public.

A questionnaire was designed to assess public awareness of a range of important findings uncovered by recent scientific research on nutrition. Responses were collected in December 2005 from 171 well‐educated male and female respondents ranging from 18–70 years of age.

The highly educated group of respondents surveyed with respect to their awareness of nutrition was well informed on the importance of a balanced diet, the recommendations concerning saturated fat and olive oil, the calcium content of dairy products, and the effect of diet on diabetes and cancer. Important gaps in their knowledge included a low level of awareness of the health effects of canola and corn oil, the high calcium content of several vegetables, the effect of diet on mental processes and the power of the Mediterranean diet in preventing heart attacks. In several of these latter cases, it was the group of younger participants who had the lowest level of awareness. Only about one‐third of the 18–30 years old participants were well informed about canola/corn oil and the calcium content of green vegetables, respectively, vs about two‐thirds in the 31–70 years old age group. Likewise, the participants of ages 18–30 were significantly less well informed about the effect of diet on cancer, intelligence and disruptive behavior than the older participants. In addition, women were found to be better informed than men on the issue of vegetables with high calcium content.

The number of male respondents was lower than that of female respondents and this may have limited the identification of additional cases where gender‐related differences in awareness exist.

This study provides new information about current, important issues in nutrition that are poorly understood even by an educated sample audience, particularly by younger participants. This information should be used as the basis for an education program to improve public health and that should target younger people.