Knowledge of dietary fats among US consumers.

Dietary advice emphasizes that some dietary fats increase the risk of heart disease, whereas other dietary fats decrease risk if they are substituted for more risk-increasing fats. Thus, it is important that consumers understand the differences between dietary fats. Existing evidence in the United States suggests troublesome consumer misunderstanding. As part of its continuing effort to promote public health, the US Food and Drug Administration measured consumer awareness and understanding of dietary fats in its Health and Diet Survey- 2004 Supplement. After cognitive interviews and pretests of the questionnaire, telephone interviews of randomly selected noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years and older in the United States were conducted between October 12, 2004, and January 21, 2005. Using cross-sectional data collected from 1,798 respondents who completed the survey, this study estimated the prevalence of awareness and understanding of six dietary fats among US adults and identified the characteristics of adults with different levels of awareness and understanding. Descriptive analyses were used, along with logistic regression models, developed to accommodate the survey design and responses. There was a wide disparity among US consumers in their awareness and understanding. Saturated fat was most recognized and understood, whereas awareness of other fats was much lower. Most importantly, having heard of a fat did not necessarily mean understanding its relationship to heart disease. Only half of those who had heard of trans fat and n-3 fatty acids understood that the fats raise and lower the risk of heart disease, respectively. Only a minority of those who had heard of partially hydrogenated oil and polyunsaturated fat knew the fats raise and lower the risk of heart disease, respectively. Many admitted being uncertain about how a fat relates to the risk of heart disease. College or more-educated adults had better awareness and understanding. Nonwhite adults were less knowledgeable. Findings on the awareness and understanding and how they are related to individual characteristics can inform deliberations about educational messages, nutrition programs, and food labeling about dietary fats to promote public health.

Dietary supplements in a national survey: Prevalence of use and reports of adverse events.

OBJECTIVE: To examine information collected from the 2002 Health and Diet Survey regarding the use dietary supplements and self-reported health problems that the survey participants believed were related to dietary supplements. METHODS: The US Food and Drug Administration sponsors a Health and Diet Survey to track trends of consumer awareness, attitudes, and practices related to health and diet issues. By telephone, the 2002 Health and Diet Survey staff interviewed English-speaking noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older in households in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Survey respondents were queried as to whether or not they had taken a dietary supplement during the past year and if they had experienced any health problem that they attributed to supplement use. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of US noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older who spoke English and resided in households with telephones used a dietary supplement in the previous 12 months and 4% of them had experienced an adverse event that they believed might be related to dietary supplement use. Eighty-five percent of supplement users reported taking multivitamins/multiminerals and 13.3% of adverse events reported were attributed to multivitamins/multiminerals. A higher proportion of supplement users with adverse events than users without adverse events were concurrently taking supplements and prescription drugs or were taking supplements instead of prescription drug to treat or prevent a health condition. CONCLUSIONS: This self-reported data describes the prevalence of supplement use and related adverse events. Multivitamins/multiminerals accounted for much of the supplements use and was attributed to a little more than 10% of the adverse events reported. Food and nutrition-professionals and other health care professionals should take special care to learn about their patients' use of these products.