By Priyanjana Pramanik, MSc.Feb 11 2024Reviewed by Sophia Coveney In a recent study published in Nutrients, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin explored how nutrition labels affect eating behaviors among middle-school and high-school students in Texas.
Adolescent health is a policy priority since this period of life is critical for well-being in adulthood. Today, nearly one in four American adolescents are categorized as obese, but studies on nutrition label use among this group have shown contradictory results. Their weight and height were also assessed to calculate their body mass index . Students were also asked whether they used food labels to inform their food choices. They were asked to respond on a Likert scale with five points ranging from 'Always' to 'Never.' This was the primary predictor.
Findings The sample included 4,730 students, of whom 49% were female, more than half were Hispanic, and had an average age of 14.7 years old. Most students were not economically advantaged, and nearly 15% had limited English proficiency. About 60% reported that they never or rarely used food labels to make decisions about eating. Only 11% said they always relied on labels to make food choices.
Conclusions The findings from this study clearly showed a dose-response relationship. The benefits of using food labels were greater for those who used them more frequently, and students who always used food labels had significantly healthier diets than other groups. However, only 11% of the students made use of food labels all the time, indicating that not many are utilizing this resource.