scholarly journals PACE Labels on Healthy and Unhealthy Snack Products in a Laboratory Shopping Setting: Perception, Visual Attention, and Product Choice

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 904
Author(s):  
Clara Mehlhose ◽  
Daniel Schmitt ◽  
Antje Risius

Informative food labels are one way to increase nutritional awareness in society and can essentially help individuals maintain balanced dietary practices. Nonetheless, making food labels ‘informative’, in the sense of applicability, is not always easy. Physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) food labeling is one approach to achieve this goal. Yet, it is neither understood how consumers perceive PACE labels, nor how effective they are in regards to healthy food choices. Moreover, it is of interest to assess the perception of real products in close-to-realistic environments. Therefore, this study examined a simulated purchase situation and consumers’ visual attention on PACE labels—on 20 different real snack products with varying health values. In a laboratory-shopping environment, the gaze behaviors of 91 consumers were examined with a head-mounted eye-tracker. In regards to perception, it was elucidated that every participant noticed at least one PACE label. On average 1.39 PACE label fixations on different products were counted with a mean fixation duration of 0.55 s and a mean time to first fixation of 22.46 s. On average, 22.9% of the participants viewed the PACE labels at least once, but the intensity and duration varied greatly between the different products; ’healthier products’ attracted more visual attention than ‘unhealthier products’. In regards to health choice, it became obvious that the choices observed were rather healthy and PACE labels attracted attention. This may have been especially true for participants with little involvement in physical activity and health behavior, which may have been the main target group. Hence, catchy, communicable PACE labels, as well as balanced product offerings may facilitate more healthy food choices. The real-world laboratory setting offered valuable insights, which should be followed-up on.

Author(s):  
Jaclyn B. Gaylis ◽  
Susan S. Levy ◽  
Shiloah Kviatkovsky ◽  
Rebecca DeHamer ◽  
Mee Young Hong

Abstract Given the increased prevalence of pediatric obesity and risk of developing chronic disease, there has been great interest in preventing these conditions during childhood by focusing on healthy lifestyle habits, including nutritious eating and physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between PA, body mass index (BMI) and food choices in adolescent males and females. This cross-sectional study, using a survey questionnaire, evaluated 1212 Southern Californian adolescents’ self-reported PA, BMI and food frequency. Results revealed that even though males are more active than females, they have higher BMI percentile values (p < 0.05). Females consumed salad, vegetables and fruit more frequently than males (p < 0.05), where males consumed hamburgers, pizza, red meat, processed meat, eggs, fish, fruit juice, soda and whole milk more frequently than females (p < 0.05). Overweight/obese teens consumed red meat, processed meat and cheese more frequently than healthy weight teens (p < 0.05), yet there was no difference in PA between healthy and overweight/obese teens. These results demonstrate that higher levels of PA may not counteract an unhealthy diet. Even though PA provides numerous metabolic and health benefits, this study suggests that healthy food choices may have a protective effect against overweight and obesity. Healthy food choices, along with PA, should be advocated to improve adolescent health by encouraging maintenance of a healthy weight into adulthood.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Perry ◽  
R.J. De Ayala ◽  
Ryan Lebow ◽  
Emily Hayden

The purpose of this study was to obtain validity evidence for the Physical Activity and Healthy Food Efficacy Scale for Children (PAHFE). Construct validity evidence identifies four subscales: Goal-Setting for Physical Activity, Goal-Setting for Healthy Food Choices, Decision-Making for Physical Activity, and Decision-Making for Healthy Food Choices. The scores on each of these subscales show a moderate to high degree of internal consistency (0.59 ≤ α ≤ 0.87). The Decision-Making for Healthy Food Choice subscale and the Decision-Making for Physical Activity subscale scores show significant convergent validity evidence. These results provide support for using this self-efficacy scale to measure children's perceived confidence to make decisions about healthy eating and physical activity. The PAHFE may be considered to be a useful predictor of both physical activity and eating behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Foong-Fong Chong ◽  
Hui Xian Lim ◽  
Beverly Wen Xin Wong ◽  
Zi Han Chi ◽  
JK Inthujaa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A higher prevalence of obesity in men compared to women, particularly amongst those 18 to 40 years of age, has been observed in Singapore. We hypothesised that poor adaptation during the transition out of full-time National Service (NS) among young men may have contributed to weight gain and we sought to understand these underlying drivers. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with young men (n=26; aged 19-25 years), 12 months after they had completed full-time NS. The interviews were guided by the health belief model to elicit perceived factors influencing weight change during the transition period, as well as barriers and motivators in weight management. Data was collected and cross-checked by two researchers, and analysed using the thematic analysis approach. Results The participants generally perceived themselves to be less fit and less healthy one year later, as compared to during full-time NS. They felt that reduced physical activity levels and unhealthy eating behaviours contributed to their perceived weight gain. However, they did not have immediate concerns about their perceived change in weight. While most were aware of the benefits of regular physical activity, benefits of healthy eating were rarely mentioned. Many did not view healthy lifestyle behaviours as a current priority, citing reasons which included: Time pressures, incongruence with current lifestyle, or poor self-motivation. Other barriers included a lack of access to healthy food choices and insufficient common leisure time to exercise with peers. Motivators for these lifestyle behaviours were mostly intrinsic, including interest in a particular sport, having personal fitness goals and personal preferences for healthy food options. Participants also described healthy eating as a means to compensate for inactivity or unhealthy food choices. Extrinsic motivators included peer influence, access to sports facilities, healthy food options and monetary incentives.ConclusionThere remains a need to educate young men transiting out of full-time NS on lifestyle, weight and health, and address their misconceptions in particular. Creating a healthy environment and providing appropriate incentives would be important to facilitate a smooth transition out of full-time NS, minimising the risk of unhealthy weight gain in young men.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Bovell-Benjamin ◽  
C.S. Hathorn ◽  
S. Ibrahim ◽  
P.N. Gichuhi ◽  
E.M. Bromfield

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document