Who's using MyPlate?

Abstract

Objective: To understand key characteristics of mothers who were early adopters of MyPlate (the iconic representation of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans) in order to speed adoption among others.

Methods: Through a national online survey, 497 mothers answered questions about MyPlate, demographics, attitudes, and behaviors. Spearman's rho correlation analysis was conducted between MyPlate familiarity and usage and these attitudinal and behavioral predictor variables.

Results: MyPlate familiarity was highest among those who found it easy to understand (P = .001) and who were also familiar with MyPyramid (P < .001). Vegetable lovers most strongly believed that MyPlate would help them eat better (P = .009). This was not true with fruit lovers (P = .36).

Conclusions and implications: Early MyPlate adopters found it clear and easy to use, perhaps owing to nutrition knowledge and cooking experience. Efforts to expand MyPlate to new user groups should explain its purpose and applications, build on familiarity with MyPyramid, and offer practical guidance for preparing vegetables.

Keywords: 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; MyPlate; MyPyramid; child; diffusion of innovations; mothers; vegetables.