title: Awareness, Comprehension, and Use of Newly-Mandated Nutrition Labels Among Mestiza and Indigenous Ecuadorian Women in the Central Andes Region of Ecuador.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2014, Ecuador became the first country in Latin America to adopt the nutritional traffic light labeling system as a public policy aimed at guiding informed food choices.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the differences in comprehension and use of the new nutrition label in 2 different ethnic populations residing in a limited resource area of central Ecuador.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 394 women (18-75 years, 54.8% indigenous and 45.2% mixed-race mestizas) were randomly selected in the Chimborazo Province and were requested by a questionnaire to provide information regarding their awareness and comprehension of the traffic light nutritional labeling system and personal use of the food label in food selection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Indigenous women had a high percentage who lacked any formal education (43.5%) and a greater proportion were not aware of the labeling system when compared with the mestizas (84.3% vs 46%; P = .001). In both groups, the main reason for not reading labels was lack of understanding of its meaning (50% indigenous vs 32.7% mestiza; P < .05). The reported use of the labeling system for food choices was low-on average, 32% of the mestizas and 5% of the indigenous women reported using nutrition label information to guide their purchase and consumption of packaged food items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of nutritional labeling is low in both mestiza and indigenous Ecuadorians, although higher among the mestizas. Among the indigenous women, mostly likely owing to less education, limited nutrition-related health knowledge, and higher risk for food insecurity, the utility of the new traffic light food label is limited.
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Health Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Fadya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Orozco
authors.affiliation: 2 School of Public Health, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ochoa
authors.affiliation: 2 School of Public Health, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muquinche
authors.affiliation: 3 Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Padro
authors.affiliation: 3 Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.|4 College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Melby
keywords: Latin America; food policy; nutrition policy; public health