Awareness, Understanding, and Usage of My Pyramid in College
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AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND USAGE OF MYPYRAMID IN COLLEGE STUDENTS Mara Lee Beebe A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES May 2010 Committee: Younghee Kim, Advisor Pricilla Coleman Jie Wu ABSTRACT Younghee Kim, Advisor Background. Since the release of the MyPyramid food guidance system in 2005, there has not been any research conducted to assess the knowledge and usage of this important educational tool among college students. The objectives of this study were to assess (1) college students‟ awareness of the MyPyramid, (2) college students‟ perceived understanding of the new components of the MyPyramid and new method of measuring serving sizes, (3) college students‟ usage of the MyPyramid.gov website, (4) college students‟ usage of MyPyramid as a dietary guide, and (5) the relationship of demographic factors with awareness, understanding, usage, and practice of MyPyramid. Methods. A self-reported quantitative and qualitative online questionnaire was used to collect the data from college students. A recruitment email was used to invite students to participate in the study. Students accessed the questionnaire through a website. Results. A total of 2,687 students participated in the study. Fifty-six percent of students surveyed, and only 29% of students who were aware of MyPyramid had visited the website. Students reported high levels of perceived understanding for both the MyPyramid messages and the changes in serving size measurement. Students reported low levels of utilization of the MyPyramid; only 21% used the MyPyramid as a guide and only 39% tried to reflect MyPyramid in their food choices frequently or almost always. Forty-five percent reported making some or substantial change in their diet after learning of MyPyramid. Females were found to be more likely to be aware of MyPyramid (p <.05), use the MyPyramid website (p <.01), made changes in their diet (p <.05), and use MyPyramid as a nutrition plan (p <.05). Furthermore, completion ii of a nutrition class in college resulted in similar positive impacts on awareness (p <.01), usage (p <.01), and application of MyPyramid (p <.01) regardless of gender. Conclusion. Students reported moderate levels of awareness for MyPyramid and high levels of perceived understanding of MyPyramid. However, awareness did not translate to usage or practice of MyPyramid, as 21% of the students stated to use MyPyramid as a guide for dietary intake and 45% of the students stated to have made changes in their diets after learning about MyPyramid. Students who had taken an introductory nutrition class in college had higher levels of awareness, understanding, usage of the website, and reflection of MyPyramid in dietary choices. These findings support the idea that efforts should be made to promote MyPyramid in all facets of the education system. Continued research is needed to find ways to increase student awareness of MyPyramid and to use it to make better food choices. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank Dr. Kim for all of her hard work and dedication to the research process. I would also like to thank Jie Wu and Dr. Coleman for agreeing to be on my committee and helping me with the research process. Additionally, I would like to thank the Family and Consumer Sciences Department for providing funding for the project. Lastly, I would like to thank my husband and my family for being understanding, patient, and supportive while working on my thesis and my graduate degree. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem ................................................................................................. 2 Significance of Problem ............................................................................................. 2 Objectives .................................................................................................................. 3 Definition of Terms.................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................................... 6 History of the Food Guide Pyramid ........................................................................... 6 Utilization of the Food Guide Pyramid ...................................................................... 7 Criticism of the Food Guide Pyramid ........................................................................ 7 Development of MyPyramid...................................................................................... 10 Technical Research ........................................................................................ 11 Consumer Research ....................................................................................... 11 Website Usability Testing .............................................................................. 17 Release of MyPyramid ............................................................................................... 17 Consumer Response to MyPyramid............................................................... 18 CHAPTER III. METHODS .................................................................................................. 20 Design ........................................................................................................................ 20 Participants ................................................................................................................ 20 Questionnaire Design ................................................................................................. 20 Demographics ................................................................................................ 21 Awareness ...................................................................................................... 21 v Understanding ................................................................................................ 21 Usage ............................................................................................................ 22 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS .................................................................................................... 23 Response Rate ............................................................................................................ 23 Demographics ............................................................................................................ 23 Awareness .................................................................................................................. 23 Understanding ............................................................................................................ 27 Usage ........................................................................................................................ 28 Practice of MyPyramid .............................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................... 31 Limitations ..................................................................................................... 38 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 38 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX A. RECRUITMENT EMAIL ........................................................................... 44 APPENDIX B. INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................................. 46 APPENDIX C. ONLINE QUESTIONAIRE ......................................................................... 48 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Final MyPyramid Graphic and Slogan ...................................................................... 1 2 Food Guide Pyramid Designed by Willet and Associates ......................................... 9 3 Phase I Graphic Concepts .......................................................................................... 14 4 Graphic Concepts for Phase II ................................................................................... 15 5 Final Graphic Variations of Concept J....................................................................... 16 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Phase I Slogans .......................................................................................................... 13 2 Phase II Slogans ......................................................................................................... 16 3 Gender, Class Rank, Field of Study, Meal Behavior, Introductory Nutrition Class, and Class Covering MyPyramid Frequencies............................................................................ 24 4 Gender Differences in the Awareness of MyPyramid, Website Usage, and Application of Knowledge ........................................................................................................................ 25 5 Awareness of MyPyramid Variables ......................................................................... 26 6 Impact of Completion of Nutrition Class on Awareness,