Consumers' personal values and sources of nutrition information

A random population survey was conducted among adult South Australians to examine their use of, and trust in, sources of nutrition information, as well as the influence of demographic variables and personal values. 603 people completed the survey, a response rate of 71%. Respondents reported that the most frequently used sources included food labels, books, articles in cooking magazines, family members and newspaper articles, advertising, articles in women's magazines, television programs and friends. Factor analyses categorized the 23 sources into six groups including Food and health media, Specialised sources, Mass media, Professional sources, Social sources, and Food labels. Similar but slightly different categories were found when consumers' trust ratings were analysed. Members of different gender, age and social economic status groups used and trusted these sources differentially. Personal values were more strongly associated with use and trust than demographic variables. Overall, usage and trust were positively related, though the strength of these associations varied substantially. The influence of source and intrinsic consumer characteristics on consumers' use of nutrition information requires further examination.