A comparison of perceptions of nuts between the general public, dietitians, general practitioners, and nurses

Abstract

BackgroundNut consumption at the population level remains low despite the well-documented benefits of their consumption, including their cardioprotective effects. Studies have suggested that advice from health professionals may be a means to increase nut consumption levels. Understanding how nuts are perceived by the public and health professionals, along with understanding the public’s perceptions of motivators of and deterrents to consuming nuts, may inform the development of initiatives to improve on these low levels of consumption. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare perceptions of nuts among three groups of health professionals (dietitians, general practioners, and practice nurses) and the general public in New Zealand (NZ), along with motivators of and deterrents to consuming nuts amongst the general public and their experiences of receiving advice around nut consumption.MethodsThe NZ electoral roll was used to identify dietitians, general practitioners (GPs), and practice nurses, based on their free-text occupation descriptions, who were then invited to complete a questionnaire with 318, 292, and 149 respondents respectively. 1,600 members of the general public were randomly selected from the roll with 710 respondents. Analyses were performed using chi-squared tests to look at differences in categorical variables and linear regression for differences in other variables between the four survey groups.ResultsAlthough there were significant differences between the four groups regarding the perceptions of nuts, in general there was agreement that nuts are healthy, high in protein and fat, are filling, and some nuts are high in selenium. We noted frequent agreement that the general public participants would consume more if nuts: improved health (67%), were more affordable (60%), or improved the nutrient content (59%) and balance of fats (58%) within their diets. Over half the respondents reported they would eat more nuts if they were advised to do so by a dietitian or doctor, despite less than 4% reporting they had received such advice. The most frequently selected deterrents to increasing nut consumption were: cost (67%), potential weight gain (66%), and leading to eating too much fat (63%).DiscussionIt is concerning that so few among the general public report receiving advice to consume more nuts from health professionals, especially given their apparent responsiveness to such advice. Health professionals could exploit the motivators of nut consumption, while also addressing the deterrents, to promote nut intake. These factors should also be addressed in public health messages to encourage regular nut consumption among the public. Educational initiatives could also be used to improve the nutritional knowledge of GPs and practice nurses with regard to nuts, although even dietitians were unsure of their knowledge in some cases.

Metabolisable energy from nuts and patterns of nut consumption in the Australian population: a secondary analysis of the 2011–12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey

“…This approach may have implications for nutrition labelling and could alleviate the well-documented confusion surrounding nuts and body weight. 12,14 In comparison to the Atwater system, which uses predetermined energy values for each energy-yielding macronutrient or proximate (alcohol, carbohydrate, fat, protein) to estimate the total energy content of a food/ beverage, metabolisable energy is defined as the amount of energy that has been absorbed by the body. The lower metabolisable energy of nuts compared with that estimated by Atwater factors has been suggested to be due to the physical encapsulation of some of the fat content within cell walls.…”

“…For instance, both consumers and health professionals report believing that regular nut consumption will lead to weight gain due to their high-fat content. [12][13][14][15] However, substantial evidence has shown no association between nut intake and body weight. 6,16,17 A systematic review of randomised controlled trials concluded that nut consumption did not influence body weight when compared with nut-free diets, and, in fact, isocaloric substitutions of nuts resulted in decreased body fat compared with control diets.…”

Nut consumption in a representative survey of Australians: a secondary analysis of the 2011–2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey

“…Nuts are energy-dense foods, and both consumers and health professionals report concern regarding their impact on body weight (31,37,38) . As a result, it is pertinent to explore the relationship between nut consumption and anthropometric outcomes.…”

Why Should Pistachio Be a Regular Food in Our Diet?

“…The most extended feeling about nut consumption is the belief that eating nuts would cause weight gain, despite the cumulative results reporting no effect on it [ 51 , 76 , 78 , 85 ]. An interesting and recent study that evidence this issue was that developed by Brown et al [ 141 ], who evaluated the nut perceptions among the general public. Results revealed that over half the respondents reported they would eat more nuts if they were advised to do it by a dietitian or doctor, and the most frequently selected deterrent to increasing nut consumption was the potential weight gain (66%).…”

“…Another common barrier to nut consumption was their high cost. The study developed by Brown et al [ 141 ] in 710 people found the cost (67%) as the most frequently selected deterrent to increase nut intake. Recently, a survey of 124 participants from the United States [ 143 ] highlighted an inverse relationship between the price and the intention to consume nuts.…”