Food label use and food label skills among immigrants from the former Soviet Union

To assess food label use and skills and to identify their correlates among immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU).

Cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 200 FSU immigrants residing in New York City.

Food label use and skills; acculturation; and socioeconomic and psychosocial factors.

Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis assessed relationships among the outcomes and socioeconomic and other characteristics.

Fifty-five percent reported using food labels always/often; only 32% had good label skills. FSU immigrants particularly had difficulty understanding servings per package and percent daily value. Food label use was significantly associated with factors such as positive attitude toward food labels, and importance of recommendations such as avoiding too much salt and saturated fat. However, these factors were not related to food label skills, which was positively associated with longer residency in the United States (> 7 y).

There is a need for nutrition education among FSU immigrants to increase their food label use and skills to promote healthful food selection. Developers of new food labels should consider ways to present percent daily value and servings per package in a more consumer-friendly manner. Simplifying the presentation of this information could improve food label skills in FSU immigrants, among others.