Priven Matthew, Baum Jennifer, Vieira Edward, Fung Teresa, Herbold Nancie
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Nov;115(11):1808-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.03.013. Epub 2015 May 9.
Given the rapid rise of free-from products available in the marketplace (especially gluten-free), more research is needed to understand how these products influence consumer perceptions of healthfulness.
To determine whether perceptions of healthfulness can be generated about free-from products in the absence of risk information.
A survey was administered to 256 adults. Two picture-based food product questions evaluated which products consumers perceived to be healthier. One free-from designation was fabricated (MUI-free), whereas gluten-free was used as the comparison designation. For each question, participants chose which product they thought was healthier (free-from, conventional, or equally healthy).
A χ(2) test was run to assess the difference between responses to picture-based food product questions. Multinomial regression assessed variance in responses attributable to participant demographic characteristics.
Among the respondents, 21.9% selected the MUI-free product as healthier, whereas 25.5% selected the gluten-free product as healthier. Frequency data showed that a significant number of participants chose both free-from products as healthier than the conventional products (P<0.001). Regression analysis found that individuals who identified as gluten intolerant or unsure of a gluten intolerance were significantly more likely than other participants to choose the free-from product as healthier compared with choosing "equally healthy" (P=0.040). Hispanics and those with an associate's degree or vocational training were significantly more likely than their referent groups (whites and those with a doctoral degree, respectively) to choose the free-from product as healthier compared with choosing "equally healthy" (P=0.022 and 0.034, respectively). Finally, African Americans were more likely than whites to choose the conventional product as healthier compared with choosing "equally healthy" (P=0.016).
Frequency data demonstrated that free-from products can generate perceptions of healthfulness in the absence of risk information. Self-reported intolerance data suggest that individuals with a heightened concern about the risks associated with gluten may perceive the larger category of free-from products as more healthful. In addition, ethnicity and education level appear to play a role in free-from product perception.
鉴于市场上无特定成分产品（尤其是无麸质产品）的迅速兴起，需要更多研究来了解这些产品如何影响消费者对健康程度的认知。
确定在没有风险信息的情况下，无特定成分产品是否能引发对健康程度的认知。
对256名成年人进行了一项调查。两个基于图片的食品问题评估了消费者认为哪些产品更健康。虚构了一种无特定成分标识（无MUI成分），而无麸质作为对照标识。对于每个问题，参与者选择他们认为更健康的产品（无特定成分、传统产品或同样健康）。
进行χ²检验以评估对基于图片的食品问题的回答之间的差异。多项回归分析评估了因参与者人口统计学特征导致的回答差异。
在受访者中，21.9%的人选择无MUI成分的产品更健康，而25.5%的人选择无麸质产品更健康。频率数据显示，大量参与者选择两种无特定成分产品都比传统产品更健康（P<0.001）。回归分析发现，自认为麸质不耐受或不确定是否麸质不耐受的个体，与选择“同样健康”相比，显著更有可能选择无特定成分产品更健康（P=0.040）。西班牙裔以及拥有副学士学位或职业培训的人，与各自的参照群体（分别为白人和拥有博士学位的人）相比，选择无特定成分产品更健康而非选择“同样健康”的可能性显著更高（分别为P=0.022和0.034）。最后，与选择“同样健康”相比，非裔美国人比白人更有可能选择传统产品更健康（P=0.016）。
频率数据表明，在没有风险信息的情况下，无特定成分产品能够引发对健康程度的认知。自我报告的不耐受数据表明，对与麸质相关风险高度关注的个体可能会认为更大类别的无特定成分产品更健康。此外，种族和教育水平似乎在对无特定成分产品的认知中发挥作用。
