title: Perceptions of university students regarding calories, food healthiness, and the importance of calorie information in menu labelling.
abstract: This study investigated Brazilian university students' perceptions of the concept of calories, how it relates to food healthiness, and the role of calorie information on menus in influencing food choices in different restaurant settings. Focus groups were conducted with 21 undergraduate students from various universities. Transcriptions were analysed for qualitative content, by coding and grouping words and phrases into similar themes. Two categories were obtained: Calorie concept and connection to healthiness; and Calorie information and food choices in restaurants. Calories were understood as energy units, and their excessive intake was associated with weight gain or fat gain. However, food healthiness was not associated to calorie content, but rather to food composition as a whole. Calorie information on restaurant menus was not considered enough to influence food choices, with preferences, dietary restrictions, food composition, and even restaurant type mentioned as equally or more important. Only a few participants mentioned using calorie information on menus to control food intake or body weight. Students' discussions were suggestive of an understanding of healthy eating as a more complex issue than calorie-counting. Discussions also suggested the need for more nutrition information, besides calorie content, to influence food choices in restaurants.
authors: Nutrition Postgraduate Program (Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição), Nutrition in Foodservice Research Centre (Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições - NUPPRE), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors: Ana Carolina
authors: AC
authors: Fernandes
authors: Nutrition Postgraduate Program (Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição), Nutrition in Foodservice Research Centre (Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições - NUPPRE), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors: Renata Carvalho
authors: RC
authors: de Oliveira
authors: Nutrition Postgraduate Program (Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição), Nutrition in Foodservice Research Centre (Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições - NUPPRE), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors: Vanessa Mello
authors: VM
authors: Rodrigues
authors: Nutrition Postgraduate Program (Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição), Nutrition in Foodservice Research Centre (Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições - NUPPRE), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors: Giovanna Medeiros Rataichesck
authors: GM
authors: Fiates
authors: Nutrition Postgraduate Program (Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição), Nutrition in Foodservice Research Centre (Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições - NUPPRE), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: rossana.costa@ufsc.br.
authors: Rossana Pacheco
authors: RP
authors: da Costa Proença
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005515:Food Labeling; D005518:Food Preferences; D006262:Health; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D010465:Perception; D012147:Restaurants; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: College students; Focus group; Food behaviour; Food service; Nutrition information; Qualitative research