What Do Canadians Do About Nutrition?
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We have limited information about what Canadians eat. Provincial nutrition
surveys were carried out during the 1990s and provide valuable important
information on dietary intakes of Canadian adults. However, these data
were collected over a ten-year period, one province at a time, making
it difficult to describe a current, national picture of Canadian eating
habits. To date Nova Scotia, Québec and Saskatchewan have published
reports on dietary intake patterns in their provinces. In addition, Statistics
Canada provides insights into broad shifts in the Canadian food supply
through analysis of the food available for consumption in Canada, released
in semi-annual reports called Food Consumption in Canada (  http://www.statcan.ca/english/ads/23F0001XCB/highlight.htm).
Published reports from a small variety of consumer surveys do provide
valuable insights into eating behaviours of Canadians. Some of these insights
are presented here.
How Canadians Rate Their Eating Habits
According to the National Institute of Nutrition's 2001 Tracking Nutrition
Trends survey, 38% of adult Canadians rated their eating habits as "very
good" or "excellent", 42% as "good" and 21% as
"fair or poor". Of those who assessed their eating habits as
"good", "very good" or "excellent", some
96% also reported making an effort to eat well, and 64% say they have
made some changes to their eating habits over the past year.
Eating Habits and Age
Canadians age 55 to 64 and Canadians over the age of 65 rated their eating
habits more favourably than did their younger counterparts. Only 14% and
16% of these age groups respectively, rated their eating habits as "fair
or poor", compared to 30% for those ages 18 to 24 and 20% of those
aged 45 to 54 years.
Eating Habits and Gender
More women (41%) than men (35%) reported that they feel their eating
habits are "very good" or "excellent". For both men
and women, 42% reported their eating habits as "good". Only
17% of women rated themselves as having "fair or poor" eating
habits as compared with 24% of men.
What Influences Eating Habits Among Canadians?
According to the 2001 Tracking Nutrition Trends survey, nine in ten (92%)
Canadians indicated making an effort to eat well. Almost two-thirds (62%)
of Canadians reported that have made some changes over the past year to
improve their eating habits. Changes identified most frequently included
reducing fat intake (34%), increasing vegetable and fruit consumption
(26%), and reducing sugar intake (14%). Generally, Canadians who rated
their eating habits as "excellent" (6%), "very good"
(32%) or "good" (42%), reported that they try to eat a "balanced
diet" (25%), watch "what they eat" (23%) and "eat
fruits and vegetables" (16%).
When asked about "key motivators" to change or improve their
eating habits, responses provided included "to maintain personal
health" (58%), "to lose weight" (22%), "to accommodate
the needs of family members" (10%), "to prevent disease"
(8%) and "to look better" (8%). The relative importance of each
of these factors, however, differed according to age, with responses related
"looking better" being more prevalent among adults under the
age of 25 (17%) and responses related to "maintaining health"
and "preventing disease" being more prevalent among those over
the age of 45.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition's 2001 Tracking Nutrition
Trends survey, the majority of Canadians surveyed cite "health maintenance"
as the key consideration when selecting foods. More women (74%) than men
(64%) consider health maintenance to be very influential for their decision
on food choices. For almost three-quarters (72%) of Canadians, "weight
management" and "weight loss" were identified as "very"
or "somewhat" influential.
In addition, time appears to be a significant influence on Canadians'
eating habits. According to the Food and Consumer Manufacturers of Canada's
1999 Consumerline Survey, Canadians are increasingly feeling more pressed
for time. More than two-thirds of Canadians (68%) reported they are short
of time. And while many Canadians understand the importance of healthy
eating, approximately 13% don't feel they have enough time to prepare
nutritious meals. Almost three-quarters of employed Canadians (74%) and
over half of homemakers (56%) reported that they eat their meals in a
hurry.
What Influences Canadians to Choose or Avoid Certain Foods?
Results from the 1998/99 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) also
indicate that the single biggest reason reported for avoiding or choosing
certain foods for both women (80%) and men (63%) is "maintaining or improving
health". According to this survey, fifty-nine percent of women reported
that they are concerned about their weight, as are 41% of men.
Also on our minds when choosing or avoiding foods is heart disease (48%
of women and 38% of men) and osteoporosis (42% of women and 15% of men).
One-third of women (33%) and one-quarter of men (23%) said that they take
cancer into consideration when choosing foods, and 26% of women and 20%
of men report that they consider diabetes as a factor. Nutrition factors,
such as nutrient and calorie content of foods, also play a part in what
Canadians - especially women - choose to eat.
In the 2001 Tracking Nutrition Trends Survey, Canadians were asked about
the degree to which several product claims may influence their choice
of food. Statements about added vitamins and/ or minerals were cited as
influential ("very" or "somewhat") for nearly two thirds of consumers (65%).
Claims regarding sugar-free and light products were considered influential
to almost six in ten (58%) Canadians, especially women and primary grocery shoppers.
Products labelled as organic and source of omega 3 claims tend to appeal to consumers
aged 35 to 64 years of age.
References
- Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada, Canadian Council
of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Living and Arthur Andersen. Health,
Time and Shopping: The Balancing Act. The 1999 Consumerline Survey.
- National Institute of Nutrition. (2002) Tracking Nutrition Trends.
An Update on Canadians' Nutrition-Related Attitudes, Knowledge and Actions,
2001
- Statistics Canada. (2001). How Healthy Are Canadians? Health Reports
12(3):11-20.
Enjoy eating well, being active and feeling
good about yourself.
That's VITALITY
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