Dinner Planning and the Use of the Nutrition Facts Label

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis:  Some people plan in advance what they will prepare for different dinners and specifically shop ahead of time to have the right food available to make dinners according to their plan.  Some  people buy a variety of foods ahead of time, then at dinnertime they choose what to prepare from what they have available.  Others use other methods or do not plan at all.  In addition, dinner preparers may use various resources, such as food labels, cook books, and traditional/familiar habits, in dinner planning.  Yet, little research has explored how dinner planners differ from their counterparts and the extent to which they use food labels for planning purposes.  The Nutrition Facts label (NFL) was developed to help consumers, among other things, plan dinners to construct a healthy diet.  We seek to identify and describe different types of dinner planners, explore the underlying drivers for their dinner planning behavior, and discover the extent to which these individuals use the NFL for dinner planning. 

Methods:  Data are being collected via Porter Novelli’s spring 2013 ConsumerStyles survey; a survey with approximately 6,000 respondents recruited from GfK’s nationally representative online research panel (KnowledgePanel^®).  Descriptive analyses will be used to define and profile respondents regarding their dinner planning behavior.  Key drivers for dinner planning and the degree to which the NFL is likely to be used within each driver will be assessed.  Respondents who report being likely to use the NFL will be asked which specific components of the NFL contribute to their decision-making process.  We will also evaluate differences in how respondents rate the healthfulness of their current diet on a 6-point scale.

Results:  Data will be available for analysis beginning early May 2013.  We will examine which specific drivers of dinner planning behavior are most likely associated with use of the NFL.  We anticipate developing a minimum of 7 respondent groups based on dinner planning drivers and will create profiles including demographics, nutrition-related attitudes and behaviors, as well as new and traditional media consumption.   

Conclusions:  These data will be available and analyzed in May 2013.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Understanding dinner planning practices and the role of the NFL in these practices will help public health planners devise communication strategies aimed at leveraging key drivers to enhance the utility of the label and the information it provides.  Profiles of dinner planners will also help public health communicators develop strategies aimed at different groups’ needs and preferences.