Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Department of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
Appetite. 2025 Jan 1;204:107745. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107745. Epub 2024 Oct 30.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is developing front-of-package nutrition labels for packaged foods. Identifying the most promising type of label among Latino adults could inform federal regulation, given high rates of diet-related disease in Latino populations. Additionally, exploring English-language label effects among populations with limited English proficiency could inform equitable label design. We examined whether text, icon, or graphic nutrition labels attract attention among Latino populations and whether label effects differed by English proficiency. In 2023, we recruited 63 adults in North Carolina identifying as Latino/a/é (hereinafter "Latino"); 48% had limited English proficiency. Participants viewed four labels on a can of soup in random order: a barcode label (control) and text, icon, and graphic labels reading, "WARNING: High in sodium." Eye trackers measured time spent viewing the label (dwell time), number of times viewing the label (fixation count), and time to first fixation on the label. A survey assessed secondary outcomes. Dwell time was highest for the graphic label (mean = 2.58 s (s)), followed by icon (mean = 2.34s), text (mean = 1.94s), and control labels (mean = .96s; p for each label vs. control <.001). The impact of label type on dwell time did not differ by English proficiency (p = .669). Fixation count was highest for the graphic label, followed by the icon, text, and control labels (p for each label vs. control <.001). Participants viewed the graphic and text labels more quickly than control (ps = .01). Self-reported attention, perceived message effectiveness, and understandability were higher for graphic, icon, and text labels than control (all p < .001 vs. control). This study suggests that front-of-package labels signaling that foods are high in nutrients of concern can attract consumers' attention, especially when the labels include images or icons.
美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）正在为包装食品开发标签。鉴于拉丁裔人群中与饮食相关的疾病发病率较高，确定最有前途的标签类型对于联邦法规制定具有重要意义。此外，探索在英语水平有限的人群中使用标签的效果，可以为公平的标签设计提供信息。我们研究了文本、图标或图形营养标签是否能吸引拉丁裔人群的注意，以及标签效果是否因英语水平不同而有所不同。2023 年，我们在北卡罗来纳州招募了 63 名自认为是拉丁裔的成年人；其中 48%的人英语水平有限。参与者以随机顺序查看了一罐汤上的四个标签：条形码标签（对照）和文本、图标和图形标签，上面写着“警告：高钠”。眼动追踪器测量了查看标签的时间（停留时间）、查看标签的次数（固定计数）和首次查看标签的时间。一项调查评估了次要结果。图形标签的停留时间最长（平均值为 2.58 秒（s）），其次是图标（平均值为 2.34s），文本（平均值为 1.94s），控制标签（平均值为.96s；与每个标签相比，p 值均<.001）。标签类型对停留时间的影响不因英语水平而异（p 值= 0.669）。图形标签的固定计数最高，其次是图标、文本和控制标签（与每个标签相比，p 值均<.001）。与对照相比，参与者观看图形和文本标签的速度更快（p 值分别为.01）。图形、图标和文本标签的注意力、感知信息有效性和理解度均高于对照（均 p 值<.001）。本研究表明，表明食物中富含营养成分的标签可以吸引消费者的注意力，特别是当标签包含图像或图标时。
