Self-Reported Attention to Positive Versus Negative Nutrients During Breakfast Cereal Selection Is Associated With...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Behavioral Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• Dietary guidelines often focus on limiting "negative" nutrients (e.g., sugar, sodium) rather than promoting "positive" ones (e.g., fiber, potassium).
• Understanding how consumers attend to different nutrient types influences their food choices and overall dietary quality.
• The impact of focusing on positive versus negative nutrient information on selecting healthier food options remains an area for exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between attention to positive or negative nutrients and the nutritional quality of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal selections.
• To compare the effectiveness of focusing on positive nutrients versus negative nutrients in guiding healthier food choices.
• To inform nutritional guidance strategies for improving public dietary habits.

Main Methods:

• An online survey involving 962 US adults who selected breakfast cereals from a display of 33 options with nutritional information.
• Participants reported their attention to specific positive (fiber, potassium, iron) and negative (energy, fat, sugar, sodium) nutrients after making their selection.
• Cereal healthfulness was assessed using the Guiding Stars (GS) rating, and ordinal logistic regression analyzed the relationship between nutrient attention and GS rating.

Main Results:

• Considering each positive nutrient increased the odds of selecting a higher GS-rated cereal by 2.83 times compared to considering no nutrients.
• Considering each negative nutrient increased the odds by 1.55 times, a significantly lower effect than considering positive nutrients.
• Individuals focusing solely on positive nutrients or both positive and negative nutrients selected significantly healthier cereals (higher GS ratings) than those focusing only on negative nutrients.

Conclusions:

• Nutritional guidance emphasizing the inclusion of positive nutrients may be more effective in improving the nutritional quality of food choices than messages focused on avoiding negative nutrients.
• Highlighting beneficial nutrients like fiber, potassium, and iron can empower consumers to make healthier breakfast cereal selections.
• Future dietary recommendations should consider a balanced approach, potentially prioritizing the promotion of positive nutrient intake.