RESEARCII ARTICLE

Information Sources of U.S. Adults Trying to Lose Weight

ALAN W. HEATON AND ALAN S. LEVY

Division of Market Studies, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and

Drug Administration, Washington, DC 20204

ABSTRACT This study attempted to determine whether dieters differ from nondieters in how and where they obtain nutrition and health information and whether choice of weight-loss practices is related [0 use of different information sources. A national telephone survey of a probability sample of 1649 adults provided detailed information on the weight­loss practices of 1431 dieters and comparable background information on 218 nondieters. Dieters were more active readers of nutrition information than were nondierefs. How­ever, their choices about type of regimen and about specific products and services were more heavily dependent on word of mouth, commercial sources, and physicians than on written information. Dieters relying on written materials were more likely to engage in healthy weight-loss regimens and less likely to engage in questionable weight-loss practices than were those relying on other sources. The pattern of information-seeking behavior observed for dieters, which indicated greater moti­vation to seek out written information bm reliance on oral sources to inform them of specific weight-loss practices, sug­gests that if authoritative written information about specific weight-loss practices was available, it would be used and would likely be effective.

(fNE 27:182-190, 1995)

INTRODUCTION

Attempts to lose weight are common in the United States; approximately 40% of adult women and 20% of adult men are attempting to lose weight at any given time. 1- .1 Recent estimates suggest that Americans spend between 30 and 50 billion dollars a year on a variety of diet products and programs. 4.5

A weight-loss attempt is an extended behavioral process during which individuals use information to make decisions about an overall weight-loss plan and to select specific practices. The need for broad-scale public education to inform the public about the safety and effectiveness of various weight-loss practices is recognized by public health authorities." Consumer education efforts that encourage

AddTes~ fOT cOTTe~ponden(e ; Ab n W. H eaton. Ph. D. (HFS-727). Food and Drug Administration, 200 C Street. SW. WOIshington. DC 20204. 101995 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION

182

effective weight-loss practices would benefit from a more complete understanding of the ways that dieters use infor­mation sources and of the relationships between the usc of certain sources and the practices chosen for a weight-loss attempt. (In this article, the term "dieters" will be used as a convenient shorthand for the phrase "people attempting to lose weight," although we recognize that not every person trying to lose weight is engaging in dietary restric­tion, and that people engage in dietary restriction for reasons other than weight loss.)

The Weight Loss Practices Survey (WLPS) is a telephone survey of a national probability sample of (continental) U.S. adults designed to document the behaviors that individuals engage in when they attempt to lose weight. The 1991-1992 WLPS was a collaborative effort by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It gathered information about weight history, current diet, health status, over-the-counter product usage, program participation, and respondent demographics, as well as information on more than 35 specific weight-loss practices, The WLPS included ques­tions about sources of nutrition and health information that describe the information-seeking behaviors of dieters.

The current report addresses the following questions: (1) Do dieters differ from non dieters in how and where they obtain nutrition and health information?; (2) What are the important information sources for dieters at various decision points in the weight-loss process, such as when they first decide to begin a weight-loss plan, and then when they face specific product/service choices?; (3) Does use of informa­tion sources among dieters vary as a function of demo­graphic factors?; (4) Is the choice of appropriate or ques­tionable weight-loss practices related to the use of different information sources?

METHODS

Data for the WLPS was collected September to mid-No­vember, 1991. Respondents were noninstitutionalized, ci­vilian adults, 18 years or older, who were contacted by telephone. A two-stage sampling procedure was used. 7 In the first stage, telephone numbers were selected through

Journal of Nutrition Education Volume 27 Numher 4

random digit dialing procedures; in the second stage, a designated respondent was selected randomly from all adults in the household. The designated respondent was asked the screening question, "Are you right now trying to lose weight?" Respondents who answered "yes" continued the interview. An average of one of every nine respondents who were not currently trying to lose weight was randomly chosen for a control group. Respondents in the control group were asked demographic questions and the core ques­tions about nutrition/health practices and infonnation sources.

The response rate through the weight-loss screening question was 72% of the 10,840 households contacted. Of the designated respondents who said that they were at­tempting to lose weight, 95% completed the WLPS inter­view. The sample of1431 persons trying to lose weight consisted of 1030 women and 401 men; the 218 persons in the control group consisted of 129 women and 89 men.

Several WLPS questions addressed nutrition/health in­formation-seeking behavior. As a measure of information sources used to obtain nutrition and health information, all respondents were asked the open-ended question, "Where do you get most of your information about nutrition and health?" All respondents also were asked whether they read health or fitness magazines or newsletters on a regular basis. In addition, respondents were asked, "In the last 2 weeks, can you remember an instance where your decision to buy or use a food product was changed because you read the nutrition label?" This last question provided an index of the extent to which consumers used the nutrition label to make informed food selections.

To assess information sources specific to weight-loss topics, a further set of questions was asked only of dieters. These persons were asked the open-ended question, "When you decided to begin your current weight-loss plan, where did you look for information about losing weight?" Dieters were also asked whether they checked with a doctor or other health professional before beginning their weight-loss plan. and. if so, which type of health professional.

In addition, dieters who reported using certain kinds of weight-loss products (i.e., over-the-counter [OTC] prod­ucts such as meal replacements, protein or fiber supple­ments, and diet pills, and prescription products such as diuretics or hormone products) or who were participating in an organized fee-paying weight-loss program were asked, "Where did you find out about this product/ program?" Dieters who were using specific products were asked, "Did you discuss the use of the product with your doctor?" Dieters who were participating in an organized program were asked. "Does your doctor know that you are attending the program?"

Analyses. Responses to the open-ended questions about information sources described above were coded into six categories: no information source given (NONE); health professionals (HEALTH PROFESSIONALS). which in-

July • Augu.~t 1995 183

eluded mentions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or dieti­tians - mostly doctors; word of mouth (FRIENDS), which included mentions of friends or relatives; electronic media (TV /RAD IO), which included mentions of radio or televi­sion programming that could be advertisements, infomercials, or news reports; commercial sources (SALES), which included mentions of print advertisements, salespeople, or someone working for a store or program such as a trainer or instruc­tor; and written materials (READING), which included mentions of books, newspapers, magazines, and newsletters.

Demographic variables included gender, race, age, and education. Body mass index (BM!) was calculated as weight(kg)/height(m)' and was based on respondents' self­reported height and weight. Respondents were also classi­fied in terms of their weight-loss experience. Persons were classified as having a high level of experience if they re­ported that they were chronic dieters, that they had made three or more weight-loss attempts during the past 2 years including the current attempt, or if they had tried their current weight-loss plan at least once before. Otherwise, respondents were classified as having low experience.

One purpose of this study was to assess whether infor­mation-seeking behavior is associated with the choice of different weight-loss regimen characteristics, including healthy versus questionable or risky weight-loss practices. Defining a weight-loss regimen as healthy or questionable is difficult because individual circumstances vary greatly, but for analytic purposes, we adopted the widely accepted guideline that a healthy weight-loss regimen combines reduced caloric intake (e.g., dieting) with physical activity (e.g., exercise).8 The following weight-loss practices were defined as questionable: fasting for 24 hours or more, taking diet pills, taking diuretics , taking laxatives, taking hormone products, and vomiting after eating. Weight-loss regimens that included any of these six practices were classified as "questionable." Weight-loss regimens were defined as "healthy" if the dieter reported no questionable practices and combined dieting with exercise. 9 All survey estimates were weighted to the 1990 census distribution on gender. age, race, and education. Respondents were excluded only from those analyses for which they failed to answer the relevant items.

Chi-square analysis was used to detect significant differ­ences between groups (dieten vs. controls or low- vs. high-experience dieters), the relationship between use of information sources and demographic variables, and the likelihood of engaging in various weight-loss behaviors as a function of information-seeking characteristics.

RESULTS

Nutrition information sources of dieters and non­dieters. Table 1 presents the results for sources of nutri­tion and health information. Compared with nondieting

184 Heaton and Levy/ADULT WEIGHT LOSS INFORMATION

Table 1. Sources of nutrition and health information.

Information Use Measures

Dieters (%)

(n = 1431)

Nondieting Controls (%)

(n = 218)

X' (ld!)

Regularly read health and fitness magazines?

Ves

Made product selections based on nutrition label in last 2 weeks?

Ves

Reported major sources of nutrition and health information?

None

Health professionals

Reading

Sales

TV/Radio

Friends

"p < .05; up < .01; NS = not significant.

25 18 4.7'

38 31 5.1'

7 12 5.2'

26 25 O.INS

54 46 4.5'

5 4 0.7NS

18 25 5.7' 14 8 6.5"

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex, race, age, and education. Values for major sources of nutrition and

health information sum to more than 100 because respondents could list multiple sources.

controls, dic:ters wc:re more likely to be regular readers of health and fitness magazines and more likely to use product nucrition labels for food selection. In addition, dieters and controls responded differently to the question about their main sources of nutrition and health information. Written materials, health professionals (mainly doctors), and elec­tronic media were the major nutrition information sources cited by both dieters and controls. However, dieters were more active than controls in seeking out relevant informa­tion in the sense that they were more likely to be readers of product nutrition labels and other written sources of nutrition and health information. Dieters also were more likely to say that word of mouth from friends and relatives was a main information source . In contrast, nondieting controls were more likely to say that TV or radio was a primary information source and were also more likely to report no main information source for nutrition and health matters.

Weight-loss-specific information sources of dieters. Table 2 presents the results for information sources that were used in beginning the current weight-loss attempt by amount of prior experience. A plurality of both experienced and inexperienced dieters reported they did not look any­where specifically for information about losing weight when they began their current weight-loss plan. When dieters sought information, the major sources consulted were either health professionals or various kinds of reading, such as books, health magazines, and newsletters.

The chief effect of prior weight-loss experience on information-seeking behavior was that more experienced dieters were significantly less likely to seek informacion

about losing weight from doctors or other health profes­sionals. When experienced dieters looked for weight-loss information, they were significantly more likely to rely on readi ng than were inexperienced dieters.

Products and services information sources. Table 3 presents the results about weight-loss products and pro­grams: previous experience with them, whether use was discussed with a health professional, and sources of infor­mation. About a third of dieters who used meal replace­ments and two-thirds of dieters who took diet pills had previously used the same type of product. Only about one in six of those using fiber or protein supplements, or prescription products such as diuretics or hormone prod­ucts, were repeat users.

Respondents were most likely to report that they had discussed prescription products, such as diuretics or hor­mone products, and organized weight-loss programs with a doctor. Users of meal replacements were least likely to report that they discussed the product with a doctor, and users of fiber and protein supplements were moderately likely to have discussed the products with a doctor.

Where dieters found out about the particular product or program varied considerably by product and service. Health professionals were predominant information sources for prescription products, and they were major sources of infonnation for the various kinds of OTe products (except for meal replacements) and organized weight-loss programs (some of which are physician sponsored). Advertising and word of mouth from friends and relatives were relatively important information sources for the OTe products, par­ticularly for meal replacements. Print advertisements and

Journal of Nutrition Education Vol ume 27 Number 4 Ju ly. August 1995 185

Table 2. Information sources utilized for weight-loss-specific purposes by amount of prior weight-loss experience.

Low Experience

(%) High Experience

(%) x' (ldt)

All Dieters

(%)

(n: (431)

Number of times tried to lose weight in past 2 years?

0-1

2+

Tried same type of plan before?

Yes

Checked with doctor before starting current plan?

Yes

Sources used to find out how to lose weight?

None

Health professionals

Reading

Sales

TV/Radio

Friends

.p < .05; **p < .01; NS = not sign ificant

(n: 470)

100

o

o

42

40

27

15

6

6

11

(n: 961)

43

57

58

37

45

21

20

7

5

10

2 .9NS

3.0NS

7.7"'

4.6·

O.9NS

O.ONS

0.2NS

71

29

38

39

44

23

18

7

6

10

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex, race, age, and education. Values for sources used to find out how

to lose weight sum to more than 100 because respondents could list multiple sources.

salespeople were the most frequent information sources given for organized weight-loss programs and had a substan­tial role for GTe products. Reading books or articles was seldom used for finding out about weight-loss products or programs.

Correlates of information-seeking behavior. Gentral health and nutrition information. Table 4 displays the re­lationship between general health and nutrition informa­tion-seeking behavior and individual difference variables such as education, gender, age, race, and degree of obesity.

Table 3. Information sources used for purchase decisions of weight-loss products and services.

Product/Service Type

Meal Dret Pills Diet Prescription Organized

Replacements (%) (%) Supplements (%) Products (%) Programs (%)

(n: 220) (n: 63) (n ~ 42) (n: (39) (n: (48)

Repeat user

Yes 32 65 18 18 NA Discuss use with doctor

Yes 20 33 39 84 66 Where found out about product/service

None 11 10 20 10 16

Health professionals 3 28 25 78 27 Reading 5 8 14 0 6 Sales 14 14 9 0 37

TV/Radio 43 25 16 2 13

Friends 24 14 23 10 2

NA:::: not applicable .

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex, race, age, and education .

186 Heaton and Levy/ ADULT WEIGHT LOSS INFORMATIO N

Table 4. Individual difference correlates o f general health information-seeking behavior.

Information Source

Health Nutrition Health TV! Individual Magazines Labels Professionals Reading Radio Friends Sales None Difference

Variable n % X' % X' % X' % X' % X' % X' % X' % X'

Gender

Male 401 21 31 28 46 21 17 2 9 Female 1030 27 43 25 58 16 13 6 7

4.9' 19.9" 1.3NS 19.7"" 4.3" 5.1" 12.2" 2.0NS

Race

Nonwhite 346 30 33 33 46 20 12 4 7

White 1075 24 39 25 55 18 15 5 7 2.6 NS 2.0NS 4.4" 3.8" D.4NS O.gNS O.4NS a.oNS

Age 1 B-34 511 22 37 22 50 20 20 5 7 35-54 576 26 42 25 59 17 13 5 7 55+ 317 26 35 33 51 1 7 8 4 7

3.9NS 4.gNS 11.8 " 9.8' 1.SNS 28.2" O.7NS 1.0NS

Education

<High school 180 16 27 35 33 19 16 3 10 High school graduate 500 23 34 26 52 19 13 6 8 High school + 746 30 47 22 64 17 14 5 6

20.6" 34.4" 16.4" 72.0" 1.5NS O.7NS 2.9NS 3.9NS

8MI

<26 380 25 41 22 59 14 15 5 8 26-<30 613 22 38 25 52 23 15 5 7

30+ 351 27 35 34 47 22 12 5 5 2.3NS 2.gNS 16.1" 13.6" 16.6" 1.7NS a.oNS 3.7NS

*p < .05; **p < .01; NS = not significant.

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex, race , age, and education.

Of individual differences, education was perhaps the most important influence on general health information-seeking behavior. More education was assoc iated with a gr~ater likeli hood of reading health and fitness books and peri­odicals, using product nutritlon labels to make food selec­tions, and reporting tha t reading was a major source of information about health and nutrition . Less education was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting that health professionals were principal sources of health information. Gender also was strongly related to general health infonna­tion-seeking behavior; women were more likely than men to read health and fitm:ss magazines. use nutrition labels, report that reading was a major source of health infonna­tion, and obtain information from commercial sources. M en were more likely than women to report obtaining health and nutrition information from TV I radio and from friends and relatives.

Age, race, and degree of obesity were also related to general nutrition and health information-seeking behavior. Older respondents were particularly likely to get their nutrition and health information from health professionals, w hereas younger respondents were more likely to get their information from friends and relatives. R espondents who were more overweight were more likely to report health professionals and TV I radio as primary sources of nutrition and health informaci on than were leaner respondents, who were significantly more likely to report reading as a major source of information.

Wtight-loss-spuijic information . We also examined the relationship between weight-lass-specific information­seeking behavior and individual difference variables. As shown in Table 5, education. age, and BMI all appear to be related to a search for information abom losing weight

Journal ofNurrition Education Volume 27 N umber 4 July . August 1995 187

Table 5. Individual difference correlates of weight-loss-specific information-seeking behavior.

Individual

Difference

Variable

Gender

Male

Female

Race

Nonwhite

White

Age 18-34

35-54

55+

Education

n

401

1030

346

1075

511

576

317

<High school 180

High school graduale 500

High school +

8MI

<26

26-<30 30+

746

380

613

351

.p < .05; •• p < .01; NS = not signiHcan1.

Doctor

Check

%

37

40

47

38

24

40

60

48

41

34

28

42

56

x'

4.2'

108.3··

14.2··

68.9··

Health

Professionals

%

23

23

24

23

13

20

41

33

24

17

17

23

33

x'

O.ONS

93.8··

26.7··

28.9··

Reading

%

13

21

16

19

17

22

14

8

16

25

19

17

19

x'

14.8··

9f

36.0"

Information Source

TVI

Radio

% x'

5

6

9

5

6

5

6

5

8

3

4

7

7

4.0·

13.1··

Friends

%

10

11

11

10

14

11

5

13

10

9

11

7

13

x'

O.lNS

18.8"

7.0·

Sales

% x'

4

8

7

7

7

7

5

5

7

7

7

6

6

8.2··

C.ONS

None

%

49

41

40

44

50

42

36

40

43

45

48

45

32

x'

7.S··

1.0NS

18.3··

1.aNS

23.8"

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex, race, age, and education.

before weight loss was attempted. Education was positively related to using reading materials and negatively related to using health professionals and TV Iradio, and with checking with a doctor before beginning a current weight-loss at­tempt. Older dieters were far more likely than younger dieters hoth to check with their doctors before beginning their weight- loss attempts and to usc doctors as a source of weight- loss-specific infonnation.Younger dieters tended to

get their infonnation from friends or did not look for information on weight loss at all. More overweight dieters were more likely than leaner dieters to check with their doctors or to use doctors as a source of weight-1055-specific information, whereas leaner dieters were particularly likely not to look for information about losing weight.

Gender and race did not appear to have as much influ­ence on weight-lass-specific information-seeking behavior. Women were more likely than men to read books and articles about losing weight and more frequently relied on

commercial sources. Blacks were more likely than whites to check with their doctors and to use TV Iradio.

Weight-loss behavior. Table 3 shows that weight- loss behavior is related to information-seeking behavior, and Tables 2 and 5 show that information-seeking behavior is rdated to weight-loss experience and to individual differ­ences. Table 6 demonstrates that infom'lation-seeking be­havior is related to the quality of one's weight-loss regimen. In separate chi-square analyses, each of the reported major sources of general nutrition and health information and each of the weight-loss-specific information sources were crossed with the likelihood of (l ) engaging in a questionable weight-loss regimen or (2) engaging in a healthy weight-loss regtmen.

As shown in Table 6, the information sources used by dieters are significantly related to the quality of their weight-loss regimens. As a rule, dieters who relied on

188 Heaton and Lcvy/ ADUl: r WEICHT LOSS INFORMATION

Table 6. Individual difference and information-seeking correlates of weight-loss behaviors .

General Health

Information

Sources

None

Ves

No

Health professionals

Ves

No

Reading

Ves

No

TV/Radio

Ves

No

Friends

Ves

No

Sales

Ves

No

n

97

1334

370

1061

799

632

259

1172

192

1239

70

1361

Weight· loss Behavior

Question Healthy

% x' % x'

23 53

17 59

2 .3NS 1.1 NS

20 59

16 58

3.7NS 0 .1NS

13 63

22 53 15.8" 12.7"

19 57

17 59

O.5NS 0.3NS

16 51

17 59 O.2NS 4.5'

10 76

17 57 2.2NS 8.7""

.p < .05; •• p < .01; NS = not signiHcant.

Weight-Ioss­

specific

Information Sources

None

Ves

No

Doctor

Ves

No

Reading

Ves

No

TV/Radio

Ves

No

Friends

Ves

No

Sales

Ves

No

n

609

822

313

1118

289

1142

83

1348

150

1281

100

1331

Weight-loss Behavior

Question Healthy

% x' % x'

15 57

18 59 2 .2NS O.8NS

24 56

15 59

13.r" 0.8NS

11 65

18 57 7.1"" 5.6"

20 65

17 58

O.3NS 1.2NS

16 62

17 58 O.INS O.7NS

16 67

17 58 0.1NS 3.0NS

Data are weighted to 1990 U.S. census data based on joint classification of sex. race, age, and education.

reading to inform themselves were more likely to engage in healthy weight-loss behaviors and less likely to engage in questionable weight-loss behaviors than those who did not. For sources of general nutrition and health information, dieters who reported using reading or commercial sources were significantly more likely to engage in healthy weight­loss regimens than those who did not, whereas those who relied on their friends and relatives as their primary sources of information about nutrition and health were significantly less likely to engage in healthy weight-loss regimens. Ocher than reading. the only weight-loss-specific information source associated with regimen quality was health profes­sionals. Dieters who reported seeking information about losing weight from their doctors or from other health professionals were significantly more likely to engage in questionable weight-loss regimens than were those who did not.

DISCUSSION

This study has the same limitations as all studies using telephone survey data. For examp1e, we cannot posit causal relationships between using different types of information sources and engaging in either healthy or questionable weight-loss regimens. The categories of information sources used by respondents could potentially overlap to the degree that respondentc; reported using multiple categories. In addition, we have presented data in Tables 4- 6 showing the effects of each individual differen ce variable as if it were independent of all of the other individual difference vari­ables. This makes for a clearer presentation bue also obscures possible inter-relationships between different variables (e.g., age and BMI). It should be noted that we have also analyzed these data using probit regression analysis, 10 which provides an index of the unique effect of each variable in

Journal of Nutrition Education Volume 27 Number 4

the regression model after controlling for the effects of all other variables in the model. The results of each analysis were vircually equivalent to the chi-square analyses pre­sented in Tables 4-6.

U sing a representative sample of the U.S. population, the study has documented some of the characteristic informa­tion-seeking behaviors associated with trying to lose weight. The most common source of information about nutrition and health reported by both dieters and nondieters in the study was reading books and articles, which replicated the findings of several other studies. 11 ,12 There were, how­ever, important differences in information-seeking behav­ior, depending upon one's dieting status. Compared with nondieting controls, dieters were more likely to be readers of nutrition labels and health and fitn ess literature, more likely to seek nutrition and health information from friends and relatives, and less likely to rely on passive information sou rces such as television and radio , Thus, dieters exhibited an information-seeking style usually associated with higher education, I) even though dieters and nondieters in this study did not differ by education or income . The informa­tion-seeking style associated with trying to lose weight suggests that there will be a considerable audience among dieters for the kind of detailed nutrition information found on food labels and for the kind of detailed, science-based messages that are commonly found in health and fitness literature.

In addition to informing themselves by reading, another characteristic of the infonnation-seeking style of die ters was that they often had experience with previous weight-loss attempt Ii to draw on when they made choices about the Current plan and specific weight-loss practices. Prior weight- loss experience had important effects on informa­tion-seeking behavior about weight-loss-related matters. Only about half of all dieters bothered to look for addition.l infonnatiol1 about how to lose weight when they began their current weight-loss attempt. Many dieters may con­sider themselves adequately informed about general weight­loss guidelines, which are easily gleaned from reading, and seek additional information only when it promises "added value infomlation" over and above what they already know . Added value information may be related to the specifics (e.g., health and weight status) of their individual situations, or to the practical features of specific weight-loss products and services they may want to purchase. This may be why health professionals such as doctors, who arc in a posi tion to evaluate the individual's situation and advise accordingly, assumed greater relative importance as information sources when dieters began their weight-loss plans. For highly experienced dieters. however, even doctors may have of­fered less "added value information," and this may explain why highly experienced dieters were less likely to report seeking information about losing weight from their doctors before they began their weight-loss plans. The general principl e thac dieters seek "added value information" would

Jllly • Allgust t 995 189

also explain why commercial sources and electronic media assumed greater importance as information sources about specific products and services, since these kinds o f sources were most likely to be knowledgeable about the practical feacures of specific products and services.

Even when the effects of other individual differences such as sex, age, education, and income are taken into account, an information-seeking style that relied on reading rather than other possible infonnation sources such as com­mercial sources, word of mouth, or health professionals was consistently associated with engaging in healthy weight-loss regimens and avoiding questionable weight- loss practices. Medeiros et al. 14 have recently demonstrated a similar find­ing for a sample of 1651 Wyoming residents. They found that individuals who relied on reading as an information source abou t nutrition had higher levels o f nutrition knowl­edge than individuals w ho relied on other sources.

Reading may be a desirable information-seeking behavior for dieters, but it does little good to encourage dieters to read about weight- loss practices if there is a lack of written information that dieters are likely to fi nd worthwhile. The finding that dieters were more likely to read generally about nutrition and health, but did not rely very much on reading as a source of information about weight-loss practices or specific weight-loss products and services, suggests that the source of the nutrition education problem is not the attitude of dieters, but rather the availability of materials that have value-added information that dieters want. Dieters are likely to be a good audience for written materials that address the specifics of individual circumstances and the characteristics of specific products and services.

In the present study, doctors. electronic media, and com­mercial sources seemed to be the primary sources of indi­vidualized advice and product-specific information for dieters. Physicians arc a widely used source of infonllation about nutrition and health 14

.15 and are seen as highly crediblc .12

However, doctors as information sources about weight loss seem to be consulted only cursorily. Di eters are much more likely to " check" with their doctors when they begin a weight-loss attempt than to consider doctors to be a signifi­cant source of information about weight-loss practices. Although physicians have been shown to have favorable at­titudes toward using nutrition in their practices, these fa­vorable attitudes have not always been consistent with their own reports of clinical performance. H' Physicians should be encouraged to actively advise patients about proper weight­loss practices, particularly since the people most likely to consult physicians are elderly and more obese dieters, who are most at risk for engaging in questionable practices.

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NUTRITION SCREENING INITIATIVE AND THE ELDERLY

Lecture by Dr. Johanna Dwyer, Professor of Medicine and Conllnunity Health, Schools of Medicine and Nutrition, Tufts University. Faculty of Education, Amphitheater No. t, University of Puerto Rico, RIO Piedras Campus, October 20, 1995, 2:00 to 4:00 PM .

MidMichigan Regional Medical Center will be presenting a two day seminar entitled "Baby Friendly ... The Commitment Continues," October 27-28, 1995_ For details, write Lactation Support Services, MidMichigan Regional Medical Center, 4005 Orchard Drive, Midland, MI 48670. Telephone: (517) 839-8400, or Fax: (517) 839-1988.

The 2nd European Interdisciplinary Meeting and 18th Annual Scientific Meeting, "Poverty and Food in Affluent Societies," Freising, Germany, t 9-2 t October, 1995. Detailed information and the call for papers are available from AGEV e.V, Postfach 10 01 06,0-83001 Roscnhcim, Germany.