School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Kent st, Bentley WA 6102, Australia.
School of Health and Society, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Appetite. 2016 Jun 1;101:205-13. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.03.009. Epub 2016 Mar 10.
Previous research has shown that front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) can assist people to make healthier food choices if they are easy to understand and people are motivated to use them. There is some evidence that FoPLs providing an assessment of a food's health value (evaluative FoPLs) are easier to use than those providing only numerical information on nutrients (reductive FoPLs). Recently, a new evaluative FoPL (the Health Star Rating (HSR)) has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. The HSR features a summary indicator, differentiating it from many other FoPLs being used around the world. The aim of this study was to understand how consumers of all ages use and make sense of reductive FoPLs and evaluative FoPLs including evaluative FoPLs with and without summary indicators. Ten focus groups were conducted in Perth, Western Australia with adults (n = 50) and children aged 10-17 years (n = 35) to explore reactions to one reductive FoPL (the Daily Intake Guide), an existing evaluative FoPL (multiple traffic lights), and a new evaluative FoPL (the HSR). Participants preferred the evaluative FoPLs over the reductive FoPL, with the strongest preference being for the FoPL with the summary indicator (HSR). Discussions revealed the cognitive strategies used when interpreting each FoPL (e.g., using cut offs, heuristics, and the process of elimination), which differed according to FoPL format. Most participants reported being motivated to use the evaluative FoPLs (particularly the HSR) to make choices about foods consumed as part of regular daily meals, but not for discretionary foods consumed as snacks or deserts. The findings provide further evidence of the potential utility of evaluative FoPLs in supporting healthy food choices and can assist policy makers in selecting between alternative FoPL formats.
先前的研究表明，如果易于理解并且人们有动机使用，那么在包装正面标签（FoPL）可以帮助人们做出更健康的食物选择。有证据表明，提供食物健康价值评估的 FoPL（评估 FoPL）比仅提供营养素数值信息的 FoPL（还原 FoPL）更容易使用。最近，一种新的评估 FoPL（星级评分系统（HSR））已在澳大利亚和新西兰推出。HSR 采用了一种综合指标，使其与世界上许多其他 FoPL 区分开来。本研究旨在了解所有年龄段的消费者如何使用和理解还原 FoPL 和评估 FoPL，包括有和没有总结指标的评估 FoPL。在西澳大利亚州珀斯进行了 10 个焦点小组讨论，参与者包括成年人（n=50）和 10-17 岁的儿童（n=35），以探讨对一种还原 FoPL（每日摄入量指南）、一种现有的评估 FoPL（多个交通信号灯）和一种新的评估 FoPL（星级评分系统）的反应。参与者更喜欢评估 FoPL 而不是还原 FoPL，对带有总结指标的 FoPL（HSR）的偏好最强。讨论揭示了在解释每个 FoPL 时使用的认知策略（例如，使用截止值、启发式和排除法），这些策略根据 FoPL 格式而有所不同。大多数参与者报告有动机使用评估 FoPL（特别是 HSR）来做出有关日常餐食中食用的食物的选择，但不会用于作为零食或甜点食用的随意性食物。这些发现为评估 FoPL 在支持健康食物选择方面的潜在效用提供了进一步的证据，并可以帮助政策制定者在选择替代 FoPL 格式之间做出选择。
