Norwegians’ Opinions of a Healthy Diet in Different Stages of Life

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of Norwegian consumers’ opinions of food and health and to discuss this in the light of nutritional guidelines. The data were collected through personal interviews and a precoded questionnaire on a random sample of 1048 persons representative of the Norwegian population. The results show that vegetables, potatoes, fruits, and fish have a strong position in the notion of a healthy diet. Even though the opinions about these foods were quite uniform, older consumers were more inclined than younger consumers to emphasize these foods (p < .01).The official advice to reduce dietary fat was less uniformly reflected in the opinions about foods rich in fat. Socioeconomic factors and variables expressing “trust in experts” and “feeling of uncertainty” were related to the opinions about fat- and protein-rich foods. Those who had small children in their households responded more often than others that they failed to buy the foods they considered to be healthy (p < .05).This study shows that it is important that nutritional advice be directed toward the different life situations of consumers, and that a special focus should be directed toward parents of small children.