A meta-analysis of food- and nutrition-related research

Development of a general nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults

“…Studies aiming to assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviour in the UK have often been criticised on the grounds of uncertain validity and reliability of the instruments used to measure nutritional knowledge (see, for example, Axelson et al, 1985;Shepherd and Towler, 1992;Anderson et al, 1988). The aim of the present study was to develop a psychometrically reliable and valid questionnaire covering all aspects of practical nutrition knowledge which could be used in future studies to look at the relationship between nutrition knowledge, demographic characteristics and dietary behaviour.…”

“…Despite the intuitive appeal of education as a means of improving diet, many studies in this area have failed to ®nd signi®cant associations between nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviour (Axelson et al, 1985). If these conclusions are correct and knowledge really has little or no impact on dietary behaviour, then the implications for campaigns to improve people's diet are important.…”

“…Organisations like the Health Education Authority in the UK produce extensive literature aimed at informing people about appropriate dietary behaviour. Their most recent lea¯et, entitled`Eight Guidelines for a Healthy Diet' (HEA, 1997) includes advice to eat more starchy foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables and to cut down on fatty and sugary foods, as well as information about what these foods are, explanations of the kinds of health bene®ts of following the guidelines and practical tips and recipes to help people make the recommended dietary changes.Despite the intuitive appeal of education as a means of improving diet, many studies in this area have failed to ®nd signi®cant associations between nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviour (Axelson et al, 1985). If these conclusions are correct and knowledge really has little or no impact on dietary behaviour, then the implications for campaigns to improve people's diet are important.…”

Impact of nutrition knowledge on food evaluations

“…They are encouraging because the findings are consistent with previous research and theory and thus illustrate a mechanism through which nutrition knowledge might influence food attitudes and subsequent consumption. Previous research, for instance, suggests (1) that people with more nutrition knowledge tend to eat healthier diets but that the effects of nutrition knowledge are relatively modest (Axelson et al, 1985;Shepherd, 1992;Wardle et al, 2000;Räsänen et al, 2003) and (2) that attitudes summarize disparate types of evaluative information (eg, flavor, health, etc.) into a single evaluative judgment that then helps guide behavior (eg, Fazio, 1990).…”

“…These attempts range from large governmental approaches whose objectives are to provide basic information to a significant portion of their populations (eg, food pyramid, labeling requirements) to focused and intensive nutritional counseling (eg, Rask-Nissilä et al, 2000;Räsänen et al, 2003). Research examining the effects of general nutrition knowledge and programs designed to increase nutrition knowledge have found that nutrition knowledge influences food preferences and selection but that its effects are relatively modest (Axelson et al, 1985;Shepherd, 1992;Wardle et al, 2000;Räsänen et al, 2003). For instance, Räsänen et al (2003), reporting results from a longitudinal study of control and nutrition-counseled groups, found at the 7 y visit that people in the counseled group ate less saturated fat and salt than people in the control group; however, the total fat intake of the two groups did not differ significantly and was greater than the recommend fat intake.…”