Women Use Food Labels More Than Men

SANTA MONICA, Calif.When it comes to making smart decisions about nutrition, women use food label components more often and thoroughly than men, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nutrition Facts Labels have been a part of the consumer landscape for almost 20 years, but their use has slightly declined during that time (65% of consumers used the labels in 1995, and 62% used them in 2009 to 2010). However, studies have shown there are benefits for those that use labels, including improved dietary quality, reduced caloric intake and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Researchers at the University of Alabama looked at a sample of 573 males and 809 females from ages 19 to 70 years, and they found women use the Nutrition Facts label, health claims, ingredient lists and serving sizes more frequently than men when making decisions about food products.

Previous studies have shown that women use food labels more then men to make food choices. In this study, researchers wanted to examine differences between how men and women actually use and apply the labels to their daily lives. They found that women check the majority label components more consistently than men, and in line with other research, use the labels more frequently when making decisions about food choices.

Personal factors, like age and education (more education correlated with more label checking), as well as personal systems like diet quality, affected female scores. Food label use did not differ by income level among men nor women. However, men who did not receive SNAP benefits had higher scores than men who received assistance. SNAP participation was not a significant predictor for label use among women.

Study author Kimberly Stran, MS, RD, said women are the main recipients of SNAP-Ed, which can include education on the food label, so their scores were not statistically different.

Race was a significant predictor of label use for men only, too. Hispanic men checked the labels more frequently than white men.

Both men and women ages 51 to 70 years had higher rates of checking the labels compared with younger participants in the study.

Men and women who perceived their diets to be of good quality also checked food labels more frequently than others with a lesser perception of their diets. Researchers say this could be true for two reasons. One is that men and women may believe their diet quality is better because they check food labels. Another explanation is that health conscious people may simply check labels more frequently.

 The food label contains so much information that can be confusing for many people." Stran said. "We need to teach consumers how to properly read and use the information on labels in order to see improvements in dietary quality."