Nutr Res Pract.  2009 Sep;3(3):220-225.

Beliefs, benefits, barriers, attitude, intake and knowledge about peanuts and tree nuts among WIC participants in eastern North Carolina

• Pawlak R
• Colby S
• Herring J

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess beliefs (e.g. advantages, disadvantages, benefits, barriers) and knowledge about eating peanuts and tree nuts. Personal interviews based on the Theory of Planned Behavior were conducted to elicit beliefs about eating nuts. Then, a cross-sectional survey was administered to WIC participants from one county in North Carolina. One-hundred-twenty-four WIC participants (mean (SD) age=28.39 (8.09) completed the study. Most were Caucasian (51.6%) females (96%). About one third believed that eating nuts may help to lower cholesterol level. However, only about one forth believed that nuts can lower a risk of a heart attack or diabetes. More than one third believed that eating nuts will cause weight gain. The knowledge of respondents' about nutrient content of nuts was low with correct answers to most questions about 20% or below. The mean (SD) positive attitude, negative attitude, benefits and barriers scores, based on a range from 1 to 5, were 2.53 (0.91), 3.25 (0.89), 2.97 (0.85) and 2.90 (0.76), respectively. WIC participants' beliefs regarding the health effects of nuts are inconsistent with the most recent research findings. They are in a need to education about benefits of eating nuts.

Keyword

Nuts; WIC; barriers; beliefs; knowledge

MeSH Terms

Arachis
Cholesterol
Cross-Sectional Studies
Eating
Female
Heart
Humans
North Carolina
Nuts
Weight Gain
Cholesterol

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