Awareness of Diet-Disease Relationships

Awareness of a relationship between diet and health (diet-disease relationships)
may stimulate interest in learning about nutrition and
healthful eating habits, thus acting as a first step in acquiring the
knowledge necessary for dietary improvement. The Health and Diet
Survey (HDS), conducted by FDA, began tracking top-of-the-mind
awareness of dietary risk factors associated with specific chronic diseases
in 1982. A set of open-ended questions (e.g., “Have you heard
about cancer being related to things people eat or drink?”, “What
things that people eat or drink might be related to cancer?”) measures
the levels of knowledge, awareness, and perceived importance of individual
dietary risk factors at the same time. Respondents must have