Patient understanding of food labels - The role of literacy and numeracy
Patient understanding of food labels - The role of literacy and numeracy
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.amepre.2006.07.025
复制
发表时间：
2006-11-01
影响因子：
5.5
通讯作者：
Elasy, Tom A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rothman, Russell L.;Housam, Ryan;Elasy, Tom A.
背景：理解食品标签对患者（包括慢性病患者）来说很重要，有助于遵循饮食建议。患者的理解的食品标签进行了检查，沿着与理解的关系，他们的基本识字和numeracy skills.Methods：从2004年6月至2005年4月，200名初级保健患者进行了横断面研究。管理食品标签理解的24项措施。识字率进行了测量与快速估计成人识字医学（REALM），和计算能力与广泛的成就测试，第三版（WRAT-3）。虽然75%的患者报告至少有高中教育，77%的患者有9年级的识字能力，但只有37%的患者有9年级的数学能力。平均而言，患者正确回答了69%（标准差为21%）的食品标签问题。错误回答的常见原因包括误用份量，食品标签上的外来材料造成的混淆，以及错误的计算。例如，只有37%的患者可以计算出一瓶20盎司的苏打水中含有2.5份的碳水化合物。更高的食品标签的理解是显着相关的（所有p值均小于0.001），较高的收入（rho = 0.39），教育（rho = 0.49），识字（rho = 0.52），和算术（rho = 0.67）。结论：患者表现出缺陷的理解营养标签。较差的标签理解与低水平的识字和算术技能高度相关，但即使是识字水平较高的患者也可能难以解释标签。提供者在提供饮食建议时需要考虑患者的识字和算术能力。美国食品和药物管理局可能有机会推动改变，使食品标签更容易理解。
Background: Comprehension of food labels can be important for patients, including those with chronic illness, to help follow dietary recommendations. Patient comprehension of food labels was examined, along with the relationship of comprehension to their underlying literacy and numeracy skills.Methods: From June 2004 to April 2005, a cross-sectional study of 200 primary care patients was performed. A 24-item measure of food label comprehension was administered. Literacy was measured with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), and numeracy with the Wide Range Achievement Test, third edition (WRAT-3).Results: Most patients (89%) reported using food labels. While 75% of patients reported at least a high school education and 77% had 9th-grade literacy skills, only 37% had 9th-grade math skills. On average, patients answered 69% (standard deviation, 21%) of the food-label questions correctly. Common reasons for incorrect responses included misapplication of the serving size, confusion due to extraneous material on the food label, and incorrect calculations. For example, only 37% of patients could calculate the number of carbohydrates consumed from a 20-ounce bottle of soda that contained 2.5 servings. Higher comprehension of food labels was significantly correlated (all p values were less than 0.001) with higher income (rho = 0.39), education (rho = 0.49), literacy (rho = 0.52), and numeracy (rho = 0.67).Conclusions: Patients demonstrated deficits in understanding nutrition labels. Poor label comprehension was highly correlated with low-level literacy and numeracy skills, but even patients with higher literacy could have difficulties interpreting labels. Providers need to consider patients' literacy and numeracy when providing dietary recommendations. Opportunities may exist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to promote changes to make food labels more comprehensible.