Australian consumers’ discernment of different sources of ‘healthy eating’ messages

This research investigates Australian consumers’ understanding of healthy eating campaigns. A CATI survey was administered to 834 adults across Australia. Participants were asked about their own understanding of the term ‘healthy eating’, the credibility of different advertisers, who they believed should be responsible for healthy eating campaigns and who they trusted to do so. Results indicate that the majority of participants have a basic understanding of ‘healthy eating’. Non-government organisations were viewed as being the most credible and best placed to develop and run healthy eating campaigns; and participants believed there is a need for monitoring healthy eating campaigns for truthfulness and accuracy. Given the significance of overweight and obesity levels in Australia, a collaborative approach between the health industry, the commercial food industry and the media and advertising sectors is required in the development and delivery of improved healthy eating messages to encourage better (sustained) food choices and as a result, improved nutritional status of the community.