Objective
To compare the influence of a food guide’s shape on its effectiveness and efficiency to convey nutritional information.
Methods
A between-subjects experiment was conducted by manipulating the graph’s shape (circle, pyramid, or rainbow). Nutrition tasks were used to assess the effectiveness and eye-movement data (number/duration of fixations) to examine the efficiency of the formats. The data were quantitatively analyzed (chi-square, ANOVA).
Results
There were no overall differences between the formats regarding effectiveness and efficiency. However, there were differences between the formats in effectiveness regarding 3 of the 5 nutrition tasks (χ2s ≥ 7.044, Ps < .05). Furthermore, viewers' attention was drawn to different parts of the graph, depending on the format.
Conclusions and Implications
The results suggest that choosing different formats for practical nutrition communication does not play a major role in effectiveness or efficiency of this communication. However, different parts of the graph are more salient in various food guide formats.
Key Words:
food guide formats, nutrition education, efficiency, effectiveness, eye tracking
© 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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