Table 2.
Nutrition awareness and behaviours by WIC participation status (n = 304)
| Variable | All women* | WIC | Non‐WIC | P‐value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | (N/total) % | |||
| Nutrition awareness | ||||
| Heard of Dietary Guidelines | 38.9 (31.1–47.4) | 36.6 | 42.2 | 0.36 |
| Heard of Food Pyramid | 79.7 (69.9–86.8) | 75.2 | 85.8 | 0.34 |
| Heard of 5‐a‐Day | ||||
| Health programme | 48.4 (41.6–55.2) | 47.7 | 49.4 | 0.42 |
| Diet behaviours | ||||
| Use nutrition facts panel on food label | 55.1 (45.0–64.8) | 45.2 | 68.7 | <0.01 |
| Use ingredient list on food label | 43.3 (34.4–52.6) | 37.1 | 51.7 | 0.02 |
| Use serving size on food label | 44.5 (36.9–52.4) | 40.5 | 50.0 | 0.28 |
| Use health claims on food packages | 47.5 (37.2–58.0) | 39.7 | 58.0 | <0.01 |
| Check calories on food label | 63.0 (55.8–69.6) | 50.1 | 77.7 | 0.046 |
| Check calories from fat on food label | 58.0 (49.0–66.5) | 47.2 | 70.4 | 0.02 |
| Check total fat on food label | 58.3 (49.6–66.5) | 52.2 | 65.2 | 0.12 |
| Check trans fat on food label | 43.8 (35.2–52.7) | 36.1 | 52.6 | 0.10 |
| Check cholesterol on food label | 48.6 (39.2–58.2) | 48.0 | 49.4 | 0.88 |
| Check saturated fat on food label | 51.2 (43.4–58.9) | 44.0 | 59.4 | 0.058 |
| Check carbohydrates on food label | 52.7 (45.2–60.0) | 42.4 | 64.5 | 0.02 |
| Check fiber on food label | 55.4 (48.2–62.3) | 49.7 | 61.8 | 0.18 |
| Check sugar on food label | 66.9 (58.2–74.7) | 58.0 | 77.3 | 0.01 |
| Check sodium on food label | 55.7 (47.0–64.0) | 46.7 | 66.0 | 0.02 |
*
All WIC‐eligible women. This includes participating and eligible non‐participating women. WIC, Women, Infants and Children.