Newswise — CHICAGO – The American Dietetic Association has released the findings of its nationwide consumer opinion survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2011. The results of ADA’s 20th anniversary survey were released in San Diego, Calif., at ADA’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, held September 24 to 27 at the San Diego Convention Center.
ADA conducted its first nationwide consumer nutrition trends survey in 1991, with follow-up surveys in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008 and now 2011. The aims of each survey have been:• To measure people’s attitudes, knowledge, beliefs and behaviors regarding food and nutrition• To identify trends and understand how consumers’ attitudes and behaviors have evolved over time.
The results of the surveys, individually and together, tell a compelling story of consumers’ views on food, nutrition and health since 1991, including:• Whether people are doing all they can to achieve the goal of balanced nutrition and a healthy diet• How important diet and nutrition are to them• Where Americans are getting their information about nutrition• How reliable those sources are considered to be.
Twenty years ago, in announcing the findings of ADA’s first nutrition trends survey, then-President Judith Dodd said it was designed “to measure the pulse of consumer nutrition trends.”
“The survey results were to be used to educate the public about nutrition,” says registered dietitian and ADA’s 2011-2012 President Sylvia Escott-Stump. “We now have twenty years of insight into Americans’ attitudes toward food and nutrition. This lets us measure not only what people think at this moment, but also how far consumers have come in improving their nutritional health. Registered dietitians need this information to guide individuals more effectively in achieving their nutrition goals.” Significant results and more details from the Nutrition and You: Trends 2011 can be found at www.eatright.org/nutritiontrends.
The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.
Participants in ADA’s survey were 754 adults age 18 and older, who were not employed in the food, nutrition, dietetics or market research industries. For trending analysis, only responses from those age 25 and over (the cutoff age in previous surveys) were used. Interviews were conducted in May 2011 by telephone via random digit dialing by Mintel International Group Limited.
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