Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA, FAND October 21, 2014 12:00pm-1:30pm Room B102
Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA, FAND Board Member One Health Commission Employee International Food Information Council/Foundation
Mission: To effectively communicate science-based information on health, nutrition, and food safety for the public good. Primarily supported by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries. www.foodinsight.org International Food Information Council Foundation 2014 Food & Health Survey
Born between 1977 and 2000. (No universal agreement) Approx. 25 % of the U.S. population Control over a trillion dollars in direct buying power Huge influence on older generations Prefer peer to peer sharing Reflect America s changing ethnic composition.
1970 s communication 2014 communication
Challenges: Many are too overweight to serve in our military. Physicians don t discuss excess weight with them. Need more targeted messages. Millennials rate themselves as less healthy and their diets to be less healthy than that of their elders* based on IFICF Food and Health Survey Don t plan meals, frequently skip breakfast and are susceptible to emotional eating triggers* based on IFICF Americans Perceptions and Approaches to Eating and Drinking Occasions and Behavior Research
Healthful Eating Actual Eating Millennials acknowledge the importance of eating healthfully, but their actions don t always reflect their goals. Healthful meal= lean meats, a starch, fruits, vegetables, or a salad. Actual meals= red meats or fried foods, few or no vegetables or produce. IIFIC Foundation Qualitative Research, 2013
Views Toward Nutrition and Healthful Eating Among Millennials November 2013 INTERNATIONAL FOOD INFORMATION COUNCIL FOUNDATION 8
Method: Six focus groups, two locations: Little Rock, AR and Baltimore, MD, October 2013. All participants were born between 1983 and 1993, and accessed the internet at least several times per week. Little Rock, Arkansas Baltimore, Maryland High Education (college grads) X X Low Education (up to high school) X X Only Male (mixed ed.) Only Female (mixed ed.) X X The research was conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc., Wash., DC
It s too expensive It s too time consuming to prepare healthful meals. Meals are based primarily on what is available or accessible to them at the moment of hunger- planning is not top of mind.
Millennials see their challenge to healthful eating as: It s not a lack of knowledge about what to eat, but rather How to integrate those healthful actions into life. Lack of willpower is a challenge for a few. Millennials are unsure of: Amount of calories to consume daily Correct portion sizes How to eat healthfully at a reasonable cost with minimal preparation time and effort INFORMATION DOES NOT EQUAL UNDERSTANDING
Actions Millennials take to eat healthfully: Eat breakfast Cut out sugars or carbohydrates Minimize junk food or fried foods Consume more balanced meals, consisting of several healthful ingredients Reduce consumption of meat, primarily beef and pork Benefits Millennials seek from healthfully eating: Self confidence gained from eating healthfully. Improved self image, especially females Avoidance of illness
Nearly 6 in 10 say they are trying to lose weight (59%), compared to Gen X (62%) and Baby Boomers (49%). Least likely to say they think about the number of calories they consume always or often (40% vs. 47% of the older generations combined). Given that Millennials are just as likely as others to be trying to lose weight, their decreased focus on calories may be due to a lack of knowledge or different views about how to lose weight. Millennials generally show much greater receptivity to technological tools that help them keep track of the calories they are consuming, and are also more likely to think calorie information on menus would be helpful. Source: IFIC Foundation 2014 Food and Health Survey
Although Millennials are similar to other generations in the amount of control they believe it is possible to have over their weight and diets they are less likely to try to take control. Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers Silent The healthfulness of your diet 60% 68% 72% 80% Your weight 60% 61% 69% 72% % who try to take a high level of control over the following (rated 4-5 on a 1 ( not at all ) to 5 ( a great deal ) scale) Source: International Food Information Council Foundation 2013 Food & Health Survey
When those who do not take a high level of control over their weight are asked why: Percentage citing as major/minor reason for not taking complete control over weight* Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers Silent It is too expensive to eat healthful foods 72% 55% 45% 40% I have other, more important things to worry about 54% 58% 45% 30% I don t have the time 59% 56% 41% 29% I don t know enough about how to manage my weight I don t have access to areas or facilities for exercising 40% 30% 25% 33% 36% 34% 23% 28% I m just not that concerned about my weight 29% 28% 32% 46% * Among those who are trying to maintain or lose weight and who do not take complete control over it. Source: International Food Information Council Foundation 2013 Food & Health Survey
Millennials are actually more likely than their counterparts to have changed parts of their diet in the past year, including eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking water or low-calorie beverages, and cutting back on foods high in salt. Percentage who began making this effort in the past year: Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers Silent Eat more fruits and vegetables 34% 33% 28% 28% Cut calories by drinking water or low/no-cal beverages 31% 27% 23% 16% Cut back on foods higher in added sugars 31% 24% 22% 18% Cut back on foods higher in salt 25% 20% 19% 11% Source: International Food Information Council Foundation 2014 Food & Health Survey
Information at their finger tips! Internet, Social media, Mobile apps, TV talk shows, Magazines Food-related documentaries Few say health professionals have provided them nutrition information but yet, are more likely to say hearing information from someone with an advanced degree would have an impact on their willingness to believe it. Source: IFIC Foundation 2013 Food and Health Survey
Millennials are highly skeptical of nutrition information from any source. Suspicious: Of information itself, or the way it is portrayed, or influenced by corporate interests. There s always an angle. There s always somebody trying to sell something. Nothing is ever purely unbiased. Male, High School Education, Little Rock Fearful: that special interest groups have too great an influence on the research they hear. When all the sources agree on certain things, you know that is probably true, because it's just like everybody is saying it and no matter what their interest is in it. Female, Mixed Education, Baltimore
Will believe nutrition information when: It makes sense to them and found from multiple sources. More believable if a neutral third party has produced and/or confirmed the information I think the biggest thing is gathering a lot of information and then seeing which ones match. So if you have 1,000 websites that you ve checked out that say, Hey, you need to have breakfast, it s probably a good idea. It s seeing a recurring theme across a lot of different mediums. Male, Mixed Education, Baltimore Peer to peer sharing: Someone they know especially a successful friend or family member. I have to know somebody who has tried it and see the results. Female, Mixed Education, Baltimore
When asked what impact specific information sources would have on their willingness to believe food or health information, Millennials are generally similar to other consumers. Two exceptions stand out, they are more likely overall to say that hearing information from someone with an advanced degree or social media. Percentage citing the following as having a major/minor impact on willingness to believe food or health information: Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers Silent Hearing the information from someone who has an advanced degree in health or nutrition Hearing or seeing the information on social media 83% 83% 88% 79% 37% 32% 24% 16%
TOP PERFORMING MESSAGES Dietary Guidelines Alliance Research CAL PA EB PORTION RICH CAL Know your number. Learning how many calories you should consume in a day is a critical first step in managing your weight. Fun stuff counts as exercise! Get active with the family whether it s soccer in the backyard, dancing to music or taking a walk in your neighborhood. Take charge of your weight. Balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories you burn through physical activity puts you in control. Small steps = big changes. Serve smaller portions to help curb calories and keep your weight on the right track. Base your plate on nutrient-rich foods that offer beneficial nutrients and fewer calories. Choose fruits and vegetables, whole and enriched grains, lean meats, beans and nuts, and low-fat and fatfree dairy foods more often. You are an important role model for your children. Show your family how to savor their favorite higher-calorie foods and beverages by enjoying smaller portions together. 2010 Dietary Guidelines Alliance
Messages were rated for their: clarity, application to their life Motivation Among the six messages tested, two stand out as motivational because they incorporate a number of important qualities: Fun stuff counts Take charge of your weight Factors perceived as motivational for Millennials: Being positive, upbeat, and encouraging Suggesting a goal that they believe is attainable Being short and to-the-point Reflecting information they already know or something they are already doing in their lives.
Fun stuff counts and Take charge of your weight Makes some actively think about how they could change their own eating habits Makes one want to learn how to estimate the calories in certain foods and how much energy they burn in their own activities. The main critique is that it ignores how important the healthfulness of foods can be to health and weight control.
Establish your expertise but identify with listener s needs. Be aware of social media trends, make messages relevant. Be engaging. Keep messages short, simple, fun and positive. Don t educate; empower the listener by offering ways for listener to find more information and take action.
Is an award winning multiplayer trivia game Ranked as the App Store s #1 app in 10 countries, including the USA and the UK. Can compete with friends and/or any of the 25 million QuizUp players from all over the world, in exciting real-time trivia matches! IFIC has a dedicated topic area of Food and Health questions and answers.
For more information visit FoodInsight.org www.foodinsight.org/millennialnutritionviews http://www.foodinsight.org/surveys/2014-food-and-health-survey Reicks, M, et al. Associations Between Eating Occasion Characteristics and Age, Gender, Presence of Children and BMI Among U.S. Adults. JACN. 2014;33(4). Marianne Smith Edge: Smithedge@ific.org