Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Habits, and Food Labels Use—A Representative Cross-Sectional Survey among Adults in Poland

Abstract

An unhealthy diet is an important risk factor for disability and premature death. This study aimed to assess nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, and food label use among adults in Poland as well as to identify factors associated with diet-related behaviors. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in July 2020 on a non-probability quota-based sample of 1070 adult citizens of Poland. The most common sources of nutrition knowledge were news websites (41.8%) or family/friends (32.4%). Over one-quarter of adults in Poland were on a diet (28.7%). Over one-tenth of respondents (11.9%) consumed less than three meals per day. Half of the respondents (50.3%) declared that they use food labels when shopping, and 15.4% checked the nutrition information on restaurant menus. Female gender (OR:1.70; 95%CI:1.26–2.29; p < 0.001), presence of chronic diseases (OR:1.83; 95%CI:1.37–2.44; p < 0.001), regular physical activity (p < 0.001), and being a non-smoker (OR:1.45; 95%CI:1.02–2.06; p = 0.04) were significantly associated with higher odds of being on a diet. Females (OR:1.63; 95%CI:1.24–2.15; p < 0.001), respondents with higher education (OR:1.53; 95%CI:1.17–2.01; p = 0.002), those who had never been married (OR:1.49; 95%CI:1.07–2.07; p = 0.02), respondents with chronic diseases (OR:1.73; 95%CI:1.30–2.31; p < 0.001), those with regular physical activity (p < 0.05), as well as non-smokers (OR:1.42; 95%CI:1.04–1.95; p = 0.03) had higher odds of checking the food labels. This study showed a significant gap in nutrition knowledge among adults in Poland.