Food Myths or Food Facts? Study about Perceptions and Knowledge in a Portuguese Sample.

Sofia G Florença,Manuela Ferreira,Inês Lacerda,Aline Maia

doi:10.3390/foods10112746

Sofia G Florença, Manuela Ferreira + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112746

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Abstract

Food myths are nutritional concepts poorly justified or even contradict existing scientific evidence that individuals take as the truth. Knowledge in nutrition is an important tool in tackling misinformation and in the promotion of adequate food choices. This study aimed to investigate the beliefs and perceptions of a sample of the Portuguese population regarding a series of food myths and facts, evaluating, consequently, the level of knowledge and the main sources of information. The research was conducted on a sample of 503 participants, using a questionnaire disclosed online, by email, and social networks, between May and June of 2021. Thirty statements, some true and others false, were analyzed to assess people’s perceptions. Based on the respondents’ answers, a score was calculated for each statement, allowing to differentiate the correct (positive score) from incorrect (negative score) perceptions. The results showed that most statements obtained positive scores, corresponding to correct perceptions. Moreover, the level of knowledge was measured, being very high for 21.7% of the participants and high for 42.1%. The main sources where the participants acquire nutritional information are scientific journals (43.3%), website of the Portuguese General Health Office (DGS) (31.4%), and technical books (31.0%), which is concordant with the level of trust in these sources. Hence, it was concluded that, despite the levels of nutritional knowledge, there are still several food myths that need to be debunked, through the proper channels, in order to promote healthy, balanced, and adequate eating behaviors.

Highlights

Food is one of the basic necessities of humans, being fundamental in the promotion of health and well-being, as well as the prevention of diseases [1]
Cunha et al [5] published a review about the application of the Food Choice Questionnaire in different countries, and they concluded that different contexts influence people’s responses and, even using the same instruments, the results might be differentiated among countries
The fourth section of the questionnaire consisted in the evaluation of the main sources of information and their level of trust: YouTube channels of influencers, blogs from nutritionists, website of the Portuguese General Health Office (DGS), website of the World Health Organization (WHO), shops of natural products, scientific journals, webpages, social networks, television, technical books, pharmacies, health centers, or appointments with medical doctors or nutritionists

Summary

Introduction

Food is one of the basic necessities of humans, being fundamental in the promotion of health and well-being, as well as the prevention of diseases [1]. Even though food consumption has the main goal of satisfying a physiological need, hunger, other factors determine what is the motivation, quantity, frequency, and food choice. Some of these factors are related to appetite, cost, accessibility, emotions, culture, and social interactions [2,3]. An overlap of several domains, from exact sciences, for example nutrition, to social policies and the individual behavior [1]. Questionnaire, allowed identifying eight factors underlying food choice and five groups of consumers according to their motivational profiles. Guiné et al [6] investigated the eating motivations in 16 countries and found them related to different types of factors: 4.0/)

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