title: Do we provide meaningful guidance for healthful eating? An investigation into consumers' interpretation of frequency consumption terms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate consumers' understanding of terms commonly used to provide guidance about frequency and quantity of food consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of 405 shoppers explored how frequently consumers thought food labeled with the terms "eat often," "eat moderately," "eat occasionally," "a sometimes food," and "an extra food" should be eaten. In a separate phase, 30 grocery buyers responded to open-ended questions about their interpretation of these terms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses indicated significant differences in meaning between the terms. However, the specific interpretation of each term varied considerably across respondents. The qualitative research found the terms to be highly subjective, and there was a high degree of uncertainty about the meaning of the term "an extra food" in particular.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Food frequency and descriptive terms currently used do not provide meaningful or consistent nutritional guidance. There is a need for simple, unambiguous terminology.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia. lesley.king@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Wendy L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Jimmy C Y
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Louie
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003256:Community Participation; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D055815:Young Adult