STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY - HEALTH PULSE OF AMERICA - NOVEMBER 2003

AMERICANS AND NUTRITION:

Despite the popularity of high protein, low carbohydrate diets, more Americans believe that it is healthier to eat fewer fats than to consume a high protein diet. Just under 40% of Americans believe the most healthy diet is based on low to moderate fat levels and high carbohydrates similar to the current food guide pyramid whereas 31% believe an Atkins-style high protein, low carbohydrate diet is the most healthy.

There are considerable regional differences in this view, however. Americans living in the north-east favor a high protein diet over one that is low in fat (43% v. 32%). In contrast, Americans living in the rest of the country view a low fat diet as the most healthy (41% v. 28%). Obese individuals (with a Body Mass Index -BMI-- score of 30 and above) also believe the high protein diet is the most healthy, perhaps because of the link between high protein diets and short-term weight loss.

Most Healthy Diet:
High Protein and Low Carbs or Low Fat and High Carbs?

Consistent with their preference for a low fat diet, Americans reported paying somewhat more attention to the fat content of food than protein or calories. Just over 60% said they paid a great deal or some attention to fat content in the food they eat compared to 53% who attend to protein content and 52% who pay attention to calories. Women pay greater attention to fat content than do men (70% v. 52%); they also pay more attention to calorie content (59% for women v. 43% for men). Older people are much more likely to attend to fat than younger individuals (63% of those aged 65 and older compared to 49% of those aged between 18 and 34). Big-city dwellers pay more attention to calories (60%) than do those living in rural areas (44%) or smaller cities (51%).

Thought Given to Different Food Attribute

Despite paying somewhat greater attention to fat, Americans were not especially knowledgeable about it. Just under 30% knew that the fat in cashew nuts is better for you than the fat in milk (because it is largely unsaturated); even fewer (18%) knew that a medium slice of cheese pizza has less fat than a garden salad with two tablespoons of thousand island salad dressing (which has roughly double the fat content). A majority of Americans (77%) were correct, however, in gauging eggs to have a higher cholesterol content than either green vegetables (1%) or fish (7%).

Americans may disagree over the most healthy diet but they are in agreement on its importance. Almost three in four Americans said they would prefer to live longer even if it means having to watch their diet, compared to just under 1 in 4 who said they would prefer to eat what they feel like even if they didn't live as long. Just over 50% (54%) of Americans were concerned about their weight and this varied predictably with body mass index (BMI). Among obese individuals (with a BMI of 30 or greater), 82% were somewhat or very concerned about their weight. Among underweight individuals or those with normal weight, only 36% were currently concerned about their weight. Twenty-five percent of obese individuals said they were currently on a diet to lose weight compared to 8% of those who were normal or underweight. But that still left 74% of obese individuals who were not currently dieting.

Children and Obesity

A majority of Americans view childhood obesity as a serious problem. Moreover, just under a third support increased physical education (29%) and nutrition classes (31%) even if it means cutting back on electives. Parents and non-parents were equally supportive of this. Nonetheless, parents tend to see obesity as a problem for American children but not their own. Among parents of children aged 18 or younger, 19% said they were very concerned and 17% were somewhat concerned about their child's weight whereas 61% said obesity was a very serious problem for American children. A majority of parents also view their children's diet as somewhat or very healthy (61%). Obese parents were more concerned about their children's weight and were more likely to have been told by a health professional that their child had a weight problem (21% of obese parents compared to 4% of parents of normal weight).

Methodology

The poll was conducted between November 5 and November 25 by the Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research. 814 adults were interviewed from across the nation. The poll is based on an RDD nationally representative sample of telephone numbers drawn from blocks with at least one-listed residential number. Up to 7 contact attempts were made at each selected household and individuals were selected at random within households. Findings are weighted using post-stratification weights for age, gender and census region in accordance with 2002 national Census statistics. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.4 percentage points for the entire sample.

STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY HEALTH PULSE OF AMERICA
November 5 - November 25, 2003

Note: Valid percent refers to the percentage of people that were asked that question.

© Copyright Center for Survey Research - Stony Brook University