Etiquetado nutricional tipo semáforo: conocimiento, uso y preferencias en los adolescentes ecuatorianos

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the use, knowledge, and preferences for traffic light (TL) nutritional labels of processed food products in teenagers in the southern region of Ecuador. Methodology: This was an observational, quantitative, and descriptive study using cross-sectional data. The data was collected through an online survey (November 2020 – January 2021) to 1.179 teenage students (12-18 years old) enrolled in urban public high schools in Ecuador’s southern region. The survey collected information concerning the use and knowledge of TL labels and preferences for specific label colors. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables of interest. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate the association between demographic characteristics and the use, knowledge, and preferences for TL nutritional labeling. Results: 48.9% of teenagers reported using TL labels; 68.48% have high/medium knowledge about the labels, and 31.52% have low knowledge. Concerning preferences for labels’ colors, 45.1%, 20.9%, and 2.9% prefer products with green, yellow, and red TL nutritional labels, respectively; and 30.8% indicated they have no preference for any color. Sociodemographic characteristics are associated with knowledge and preferences but not with the use of TL labels. Conclusions: About half of Ecuadorian teenagers in the Southern region do not use TL light nutritional labels. Moreover, a high percentage of students do not know the label well. In many cases, they prefer not to use the information to make food purchase decisions, even if available.