NUTRITION INFORMATION SOURCES AMONG AUSTRALIANS AND ITALIANS IN PERTH

In a study of nutrition information in 166 Italians and 173 Australians in Perth, sources were classified initially into 19 categories. These could be divided into two main groups, inside sources (implied no contact with information outside personal experience or family circle) and outside sources (implied information from outside the family). Overall, 71 per cent of Italians and 44 per cent of Australians were reliant on inside sources with “parents or tradition” (25 per cent of Italian and 10 per cent of Australian responses) and “rely on taste”, “leave it to the cook” and “don't worry” (23 per cent of Italian and Australian responses) being the major categories. More Australians (25 per cent) than Italians (7 per cent) mentioned the media as their main outside source. Doctors were mentioned in only 7 per cent of responses. In both Italians and Australians, females were more likely to have outside sources of nutrition information than were males. Italians were significantly more likely to be obese (56.4 per cent of females and 38.3 per cent of males) than Australians (34.9 per cent of females and 12.2 per cent of males). Obese people tended to have less outside sources of nutrition information than nonobese. There are distinct cultural differences between the populations studied and it is believed that they may account for some of the differences observed. Attention should be paid to these cultural factors when designing and implementing preventive health programs.