Package Information Used by Older Adults to Identify Whole Grain Foods

ABSTRACT

A structured interview protocol was used to investigate the ability of older adults (n = 89, age ≥ 65 years) to accurately determine whether three common food items were whole grain, and to assess the package information used in their decision process. Cereal and crackers, which were both whole grain products, were correctly identified by 63% and 66% of participants, respectively. Bread (a refined product), was correctly identified by only 19% of participants, while 46% of participants misidentified the bread as being whole grain. The ingredient list was the information most frequently cited in deciding if a food was whole grain, but participants varied in their ability to accurately interpret it. Package information considered nonpertinent (e.g., the Nutrition Facts label) in identifying a whole grain product was used almost as often as the ingredient list. Older adults would benefit from whole grain education programs that focus on accurately interpreting package information.

KEYWORDS:

• Food labels
• nutrition education
• older adults
• whole grains

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with the interviews: Nancy Bradford-Sisson and Sue Buteau, Family & Consumer Resources Educators with UNH Cooperative Extension; Rachel Koehler, Nutrition Student at the University of Minnesota; Diane LaHaie, Nutrition Student at the University of Maryland, and William Rice III of the Department of Mathematics at the University of DC. The authors would also like to thank the older adults who volunteered to participate in this study.