Consumer Research for Development of Educational Messages for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System

Britten, Patricia; Haven, Jackie; Davis, Carole

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2006.08.006

Cited by 63 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This graphic was tested extensively in focus groups and resulted in the now-famous Food Pyramid introduced in 1992 (57). A majority of Americans became familiar with this widely disseminated food guideline, along with its basic messages that people should consume a variety of foods, more items from some food groups than others, and some foods only sparingly (58,59). However, although people were generally familiar with the 1992 Pyramid, not very many Americans' diets met the guidelines set out by the Pyramid.…”

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The process included input from nutrition experts to develop the nutrient profiles (62), which are comparable in key respects to other major nutrition guidelines (63). In addition, a series of focus groups was conducted to examine consumers' reactions to the 1992 Food Pyramid (58). This research revealed a number of points of confusion for consumers involving the 1992 Pyramid.…”

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This research revealed a number of points of confusion for consumers involving the 1992 Pyramid. For example, focus-group participants were confused about what a "serving" referred to (64) and tended to overestimate its size (58,65). Study participants also were confused about why there was a range of serving sizes (e.g., 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables), thinking that these quantities could be minimum and maximum daily amounts, whereas the intended purpose of the range was to show that the amounts would depend upon consumers' necessary caloric intake (which would vary in terms of age, sex, activity level, etc.…”

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on this feedback, Porter Novelli created an updated set of nutrition guidelines and collected qualitative data regarding consumers' reactions to the new guideline (58,66). Content analyses of focus-group responses indicated that people wanted some continuity with the original Pyramid guideline in terms of shape and liked a slogan that related to that shape.…”

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Ratner

Riis

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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For many domains of basic and applied science, a key set of scientific facts is well established and there is a need for public action in light of those facts. However, individual citizens do not consistently follow science-based recommendations, even when they accept the veracity of the advice. To address this challenge, science communicators need to develop a guideline that individuals can commit to memory easily and act on straightforwardly at moments of decision. We draw on research from psychology to discuss several characteristics that will enhance a guideline's memorability and actionability and illustrate using a case study from the US Department of Agriculture's communications based on nutrition science. We conclude by discussing the importance of careful research to test whether any given guideline is memorable and actionable by the intended target audience.cognitive psychology | consumer behavior | social psychology I n many domains of basic and applied science, a key set of scientific facts is well-established, and there is a need for public action in light of those facts. And yet, individual citizens do not consistently follow science-based recommendations, even when they accept the veracity of the advice. The complexity of daily life and the limited capacity of the human mind prevent important science-based recommendations from getting the intended behavior change. To address this challenge, we argue that a specific type of communication tool is needed to promote a scientific field's most important recommendations. In this review paper, we refer to this tool as the memorable and actionable guideline.Because of the cognitive limitations of memory and attention that we review in this article, science-based recommendations must be focused on influencing the moments when key consumer decisions are likely to be made. People do what they do in their daily lives, and communications should be structured so that they can influence particular key moments, whether it is food choices at mealtime, energy use at home in the evening, intervening when you see a friend about to do something dangerous, etc. Recommendations must be memorable at those key moments and must be usable/actionable at those key moments.The challenge of getting people to take action is one that has interested psychologists and communications experts for decades. Research on attitude change demonstrates that persuasive communications need to convince people that the scientific facts are credible and that the science-based recommendations are sound. However, even once the audience is convinced that the facts and recommendations are legitimate, behavior change will not necessarily follow. For example, even though most Americans think it is important to be ready for emergencies, only a minority have taken the necessary actions to be prepared for a disaster (1). Science communicators need to activate people's behaviors to incorporate the science-based recommendations into their lives. Given this major challenge, considerable research in fields ra...

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Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Study: Evolution Of Nutrition Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Ratner

Riis

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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show abstract

“…The HFSR teaches the importance of including the 5 food groups and the importance of complying with appropriate portion sizes as presented in MyPyramid. 1, 2 The portion size information included in the HFSR combines the healthy eating and physical activity messages offered by MyPyramid for Kids. 3,4 The new tool can be easily incorporated into existing math lessons (weights, measures, and fractions), into language arts lessons, or into science lessons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%