A Deep Dive into Food Label Literacy and Nutritional Awareness among Future Medical and Pharmaceutical Professionals: A cross-sectional study
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Abstract Background Food labeling is a necessary tool that helps people in monitoring their dietary consumption and making healthy decisions, which eventually aids in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases. Food illiteracy is a huge global problem that causes poor health outcomes and even death. The objective of this study is to assess the awareness, knowledge, and readability of food labels, as well as the factors influencing these aspects among future healthcare professionals. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 200 students at the University of Baghdad, including 100 students from the College of Pharmacy and 100 students from the College of Medicine. The study was conducted between December 2024 and March 2025. All participants were asked to fill in a newly developed and validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed based on a thorough literature review, comprising sections on demographics, nutritional awareness, and knowledge related to food labels. The questionnaire's content validity was confirmed by expert review, and its reliability was established through test-retest assessments, showing high correlation coefficients (0.931 for nutritional awareness and 0.688 for nutritional knowledge). Results The mean age of study participants was 22.36 ± 1.83 years. They were predominantly females (71.5%) and all residing in urban areas. Participants mainly focused on taste, expiration date, and product weight when making food purchasing decisions, with less emphasis on organic nature or manufacturing country. Most (> 50%) highlighted reading sugar, protein, and caloric content on labels, but barriers such as small font and unclear language hindered proper reading. Overall, nutritional knowledge (13%) and awareness (13.5%) were poor, though pharmacy students demonstrated significantly better understanding than medical students. Conclusion Future healthcare students in Iraq show poor knowledge and awareness of food labels, with limited readability due to unclear labeling and time constraints, highlighting the urgent need for improved nutrition education. Trial registration: This study was registered from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad (RECAUBCP2210202406R) on October 22, 2024.
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A Deep Dive into Food Label Literacy and Nutritional Awareness among Future Medical and Pharmaceutical Professionals: A cross-sectional study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Deep Dive into Food Label Literacy and Nutritional Awareness among Future Medical and Pharmaceutical Professionals: A cross-sectional study Zainab Ali Faisal, Hasan Raid Fadhil, Ehab Mudher Mikhael This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7983302/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Food labeling is a necessary tool that helps people in monitoring their dietary consumption and making healthy decisions, which eventually aids in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases. Food illiteracy is a huge global problem that causes poor health outcomes and even death. The objective of this study is to assess the awareness, knowledge, and readability of food labels, as well as the factors influencing these aspects among future healthcare professionals. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 200 students at the University of Baghdad, including 100 students from the College of Pharmacy and 100 students from the College of Medicine. The study was conducted between December 2024 and March 2025. All participants were asked to fill in a newly developed and validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed based on a thorough literature review, comprising sections on demographics, nutritional awareness, and knowledge related to food labels. The questionnaire's content validity was confirmed by expert review, and its reliability was established through test-retest assessments, showing high correlation coefficients (0.931 for nutritional awareness and 0.688 for nutritional knowledge). Results The mean age of study participants was 22.36 ± 1.83 years. They were predominantly females (71.5%) and all residing in urban areas. Participants mainly focused on taste, expiration date, and product weight when making food purchasing decisions, with less emphasis on organic nature or manufacturing country. Most (> 50%) highlighted reading sugar, protein, and caloric content on labels, but barriers such as small font and unclear language hindered proper reading. Overall, nutritional knowledge (13%) and awareness (13.5%) were poor, though pharmacy students demonstrated significantly better understanding than medical students. Conclusion Future healthcare students in Iraq show poor knowledge and awareness of food labels, with limited readability due to unclear labeling and time constraints, highlighting the urgent need for improved nutrition education. Trial registration: This study was registered from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad (RECAUBCP2210202406R) on October 22, 2024. Food Label Medical students Pharmaceutical students Knowledge Awareness Nutrition Introduction Packaged foods, like processed snacks, frozen food, and canned beverages, became highly popular among many people due to their convenience, affordable cost, and long shelf life[ 1 ]. However, in spite of their usefulness, the reliance on these materials raises negative concerns about their influence on health. Many packaged foods contain high amounts of preservatives, unhealthy fats, refined sugars, and sodium content, which have been related to non-communicable diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes [ 2 , 3 ]. Food labeling contains detailed information about the quality, origin, processing, and preservation of the food product as well as its composition, ingredients, and quantities[ 4 ]. Therefore, food labeling is a necessary tool that helps people in monitoring their dietary consumption and making healthy decisions, which eventually aids in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases[ 4 – 6 ]. Food label literacy, a type of health literacy, refers to the ability to receive, comprehend, and use nutrition information on food labels in order to make healthy food choices[ 7 ]. People’s understanding and use of the nutrition labels on prepackaged food products are affected by country of origin, gender, work, income level, education, and other factors[ 8 – 10 ]. Food illiteracy is a huge global problem that causes poor health outcomes and even death[ 7 ]. Several studies have looked into consumers' knowledge and awareness of food labels. A study found that 61.8% of participants' food choices were not based on nutritional information, while only 9.3% claimed to use such knowledge when purchasing goods. Additionally, 57.7% of consumers reported that they don’t understand food labels, whereas 39.7% reported that they partially understand the information on food labels[ 11 ]. Even educated individuals, such as university students, have an unsatisfactory and varying understanding of the functional claims of food ingredients listed on nutrition labels of prepackaged food[ 8 ]. Healthcare professionals, particularly those in the medical and pharmaceutical field, are positioned at the forefront of patient education and preventive healthcare. Their ability to educate the patients on nutritional matters is not only dependent on their clinical knowledge but also on their awareness and understanding of nutritional information in food labels[ 12 ]. Similarly, research found that medical and educational staff have a better understanding and awareness of nutritional knowledge compared to other professions[ 13 , 14 ]. Despite the well-known importance of food label literacy, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have yet assessed nutritional knowledge and awareness among consumers or healthcare professionals in Iraq. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, and readability of food labels, as well as the factors influencing these aspects among future healthcare professionals. The findings of this study could be valuable in improving the design of food labels and enhancing health and nutrition education in Iraq. Method Development of the questionnaire A thorough literature review was conducted to identify studies that investigate the nutritional awareness and knowledge regarding food labels. Five relevant articles were found [ 15 – 19 ]. The questionnaire items and ideas in the aforementioned studies were utilized to write the first draft of the current study questionnaire. The developed questionnaire comprised three sections: the first section was designed to gather demographic data of the participants; the second part was designed to evaluate the participants' nutritional awareness through two main questions using a 5-pointLikert scale. Additionally, this section included four supplementary questions to assess multiple aspects related to consumer behavior regarding food label reading, particularly motivations, interests, and understanding. The last section of the questionnaire was designed to assess the participants' knowledge about food labels through four questions. Validity of the developed questionnaire To evaluate the content validity of the questionnaire, it was distributed to a panel of three experts, comprising two academic pharmacists and one nutritionist. Each expert was asked to assess each question using a three-point Likert scale: “Relevant and Important,” “Relevant but Not Important,” and “Not Relevant.” The experts were encouraged to provide comments on any wording issues and to suggest potential additions of new questions. Lawshe’s approach was chosen to determine the content validity of the interview guide [ 20 ]. All experts deemed the majority of the questionnaire items to be both relevant and important, with the exception of one item that was considered irrelevant by one expert, leading to its removal. Additionally, two experts provided feedback regarding wording issues in another question, prompting a revision of that item. The revised questionnaire was subsequently accepted by all experts. Scoring of the developed questionnaire For statistical purposes, Likert scale responses were ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).Nutritional awareness was assessed by calculating the mean score for the two main questions (Q1 and Q2). The score for Question 1 was determined by calculating the mean of the responses to its 12 items, while the score for Question 2 was obtained directly from the participants' responses. According to bloom' cutoff point, participants with a mean score of ≥ 4 were classified as having good nutritional awareness [ 21 ].Regarding nutritional knowledge, each correct answer was scored as 1 point, while incorrect answers received a score of zero. Participants with a mean score of ≥ 3.2 were deemed to have good nutritional knowledge [ 21 ]. Reliability of the developed questionnaire The reliability of the developed questionnaire was evaluated using the test-retest reliability method. To perform this assessment, a pilot study was conducted in which the questionnaire was initially administered to a convenient sample of 24 pharmacy students and then re-administered to the same group three weeks later. Test–retest reliability was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to measure score difference for each question [ 22 ]. The score for questions with more than one item was measured as a mean score. On the other hand, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation of the questionnaire's total score before and after retesting [ 22 ]. When the individual questions in the questionnaire were examined, none were significantly different at test–retest (p > 0.05). On the other hand, the Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the total score of questionnaire domains (nutritional awareness and knowledge) at test–retest reliability was high and significant (0.931 and 0.688; (P < 0.001), respectively) (Table 1 ) indicating a strong positive correlation between test-retest total questionnaire scores. Thus, the developed questionnaire is considered to have a high test-retest reliability. Table 1 Test-retest reliability of the developed questionnaire Question Z-score for test–retest mean difference P value Q1 -0.670 0.503 Q2 -1.414 0.157 Q3 -1.074 0.283 Q4 -0.296 0.767 Q5 -1.841 0.066 Q6 -0.948 0.343 Q7 -1.811 0.070 Total awareness score correlation 0.931 0.000 Total knowledge score correlation 0.688 0.000 Study design and participants A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 on a convenient sample of medical students (Pharmacy and Medicine) at the University of Baghdad. To ensure an acceptable sample size [ 23 ]200 students (100 from each college) were collected. All students in the medical colleges were considered eligible to participate in this study. Eligible students were informed about the study objective, and only those who provided their verbal informed consent were included in this study. All enrolled students were given the paper-based questionnaire and asked to fill it out by themselves. The research was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethical approval from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad. Statistical analysis Data input and analysis were done using SPSS version 17. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages, whereas continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation. The chi-square test was used to test the significance of the difference among categorical variables. Pearson's correlation test was used to test the correlation among study variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results The mean age of the study participants was 22.36 years. The participants were evenly distributed across two specialties: Medicine and Pharmacy, with each group representing 50% of the total sample. Most participants were single (98.5%), female (71.5%), in the fifth stage of education (68.0%), and classified as having normal body weight (53.0%). All participants lived in urban settings. Details about the demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants are shown in Table 2 . Table 2 Demographics of study participants. Parameter Values Age in years (Mean ± SD) 22.36 ± 1.83 Gender Male n(%) 57 (28.5) Female n(%) 143 (71.5) Specialty Medicine n(%) 100 (50.0) Pharmacy n(%) 100 (50.0) Educational level (stage) 4 n(%) 27 (13.5) 5 n(%) 136 (68.0) 6 n(%) 37 (18.5) Marital status Single n(%) 197 (98.5) Married n(%) 3 (1.5) Living setting Urban n(%) 200 (100.0) Rural n(%) Zero (0.0) Weight* Underweight n(%) 30 (15) Normal weight n(%) 106 (53.0) Overweight n(%) 50 (25.0) Obese n(%) 14 (7.0) *Weight was measured based on BMI values; <20kg/m 2 as underweight; 20 to < 25kg/m 2 as normal weight; 25 to < 30Kg/m 2 as overweight; and ≥ 30Kg/m 2 as obese. Most participants viewed the taste (86%) and expiration date (84.5%) of a product as important factors influencing their purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, less than one-third of study participants agreed on the influence of the product's organic nature (20%), net weight (25.5%), and manufacturing country (31.5%) on their purchasing decisions. Details about key factors influencing the purchase of a specific food product are shown in Table 3 . Table 3 Key factors influencing the purchase of a specific food product (n = 200). Parameter Not important at all Rarely important Somewhat important Important Very important Ingredients1 13 (6.5) 28 (14.0) 64 (32.0) 60 (30.0) 35 (17.5) Net volume (weight) 41 (20.5) 48 (24.0) 60 (30.0) 38 (19.0) 13 (6.5) Expire date1 5 (2.5) 13 (6.5) 13 (6.5) 40 (20.0) 129 (64.5) Manufacture date 26 (13.0) 39 (19.5) 51 (25.5) 42 (21.0) 42 (21.0) Taste 3 (1.5) 9 (4.5) 17 (8.5) 70 (35.5) 101(50.5) Price 5 (2.5) 17 (8.5) 69 (34.5) 62 (31.0) 47 (23.5) Storage condition 10 (5.0) 32 (16.0) 46* (23.0) 69 (34.5) 43 (21.5) Instruction of use 22 (11.0) 53 (26.5) 46 (23.0) 49 (24.5) 30 (15.0) Manufacturing country 26 (13.0) 50 (25.0) 61 (30.5) 44 (22.0) 19 (9.5) Allergy information 38 (19) 40 (20.0) 32 (16.0) 41 (20.5) 49 (24.5) Being organic 49 (24.5) 49 (24.5) 62* (31.0) 26 (13.0) 14 (7.0) It is genetically modified 44 (22.0) 45(22.5) 46 (23.0) 29 (24.5) 26(13.0) *Added numbers Regarding the most important constituents to read on food labels, the majority of study participants emphasized the necessity of checking sugar (67.2%), protein (63.7%), and caloric (60.8%) content. In contrast, few participants highlighted the necessity of reading product contents of sodium (32.1%), preservatives (30.4%), and trans-fat (32.8%). For a closer look at these insights, please refer to Table 5 . Table 5 Participants' perceptions regarding the importance of reading various constituents on food labels (n = 168). Parameter Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Calories 15(8.9) 22(13.1) 29(17.3) 52(31.0) 50(29.8) Fat 17(10.1) 32(19.0) 35(20.8) 49(29.2) 35(20.8) Saturated fats1,2 18(10.7) 37(22.0) 43(25.6) 40(23.8) 30(17.9) Unsaturated fats2 20(11.9) 41(24.4) 46(27.4) 40(23.8) 21(12.5) Cholesterol2 21(12.5) 33(19.6) 52(31.0) 33(19.6) 29(17.3) Trans fat2 28(16.7) 42(25.0) 43(25.6) 30(17.9) 25(14.9) Carbohydrates1,2 6(3.6) 28(16.7) 41(24.4) 58(34.5) 35(20.8) Sugars1,2 10(6.0) 21(12.5) 24(14.3) 54(32.1) 59(35.1) Fibers1,2 19(11.3) 31(18.4) 39(23.2) 44(26.2) 35(20.8) Proteins1,2 12(7.1) 18(10.7) 31(18.4) 47(28.0) 60(35.7) Sodium1 33(19.6) 46(27.4) 35(20.8) 33(19.6) 21(12.5) Vitamins1,2 26(15.5) 25(14.9) 32(19.0) 50(29.8) 35(20.8) Minerals1,2 30(17.9) 36(21.4) 31(18.4) 45(26.8) 26(15.5) Preservatives1,2 34(20.2) 44(26.2) 39(23.2) 29(17.3) 22(13.1) The majority of study participants reported writing the label in non-understandable language (63.1%) and in a small font (47.6%) were the main barriers for reading food labels. Conversely, comparing products (67.3%) and periods of weight loss (69.5%) were the main motivators for reading a product label. Further details are given in Table 6 . Table 6 Barriers and motivators for reading food labels before purchasing a product. Parameter Strongly disagree n(%) Disagree n(%) Neutral n(%) Agree n(%) Strongly agree n(%) Barriers to read food label (N = 168) Font is too small 19(11.3) 22(13.1) 47(28) 57(33.9) 23(13.7) Information is difficult to understood 10(6.0) 41(24.4) 43(25.6) 47(28) 27(16.1) Uninteresting design 18(10.7) 37(22.0) 69(41.1) 33(19.6) 11(6.5) Have no time to read (busy) 14(8.3) 29(17.3) 55(32.7) 50(29.8) 20(11.9) Laziness 18(10.7) 37(22.0) 48(28.6) 36(21.4) 29(17.3) Purchasing the same product frequently 5(3.0) 20(11.9) 65(38.7) 55(32.7) 23(13.7) Trust in producer 13(7.7) 38(22.6) 54(32.1) 48(28.6) 15(8.9) Written in non-understandable language (e.g., Russian, Turkish, etc) 9(5.4) 24(14.3) 29(17.3) 41(24.4) 65(38.7) Inadequate Information in food label 8(4.8) 44(26.2) 76(45.2) 35(20.8) 5(3.0) Motivators to read food label (n = 141) First time purchase of a product 6(4.3) 12(8.5) 36(25.5) 60(42.6) 27(19.1) The type of food to be purchased 4(2.8) 14(9.9) 34(24.1) 71(50.4) 19(13.5) Weight loss trial period 9(6.4) 13(9.2) 21(14.9) 45(31.9) 53(37.6) Purchasing a product for the family 5(3.5) 24(17.0) 44(31.2) 45(31.9) 23(16.3) Product comparison 7(5.0) 6(4.3) 33(23.4) 59(41.8) 36(25.5) Table 7 shows that the percentages of participants with good knowledge and awareness of food labels were 13.0% and 13.5%, respectively. Table 8 shows that participants' weight and gender were not significant factors affecting their nutritional awareness and knowledge. The nutritional awareness was significantly higher among pharmacy students than those in the medicine college (20% vs 7%; P = 0.007). Furthermore, pharmacy students had significantly higher knowledge than their counterparts in the medical college (20% vs 6%; P = 0.004). Table 7 Knowledge and awareness of food labels among study participants. Parameter Good N(%) Poor N(%) Knowledge 26 (13.0) 174 (87) Awareness 27 (13.5) 173 (86.5) Table 8 Factors affecting knowledge of food labels. Parameter Parameter Parameter Good N(%) Poor N(%) P value Knowledge Gender Male (n = 57) 4(7.0) 53(93.0) 0.112 Female (n = 143) 22(15.4) 121(84.6) Faculty Medicine (n = 100) 6(6.0) 94(94.0) 0.004 Pharmacy (n = 100) 20(20.0) 80(80.0) Weight Underweight (n = 30) 4(13.3) 26(86.7) 0.340 Normal (n = 106) 17(16) 89(84) Overweight (n = 50) 5(10.0) 45(90.0) Obese (n = 14) 0(0.0) 14(100.0) Awareness Gender Male (n = 57) 4 (7.0) 53 (93.0) 0.090 Female (n = 143) 23(16.1) 120(83.9) Faculty Medicine (n = 100) 7(7.0) 93(93.0) 0.007 Pharmacy (n = 100) 20(20.0) 80(80.0) Weight Underweight (n = 30) 5(16.7) 25(83.3) 0.831 Normal (n = 106) 15(14.2) 91(85.8) Overweight (n = 50) 6(12.0) 44(88.0) Obese (n = 14) 1(7.1) 13(92.9) Discussion Understanding the level of knowledge and awareness regarding food labels among future healthcare professionals is crucial, given their important role in promoting healthy dietary habits. In this study, the demographic profile of participants primarily comprised young females, with an average age of 22.36 years, a pattern consistent with those reported in similar research [ 24 – 26 ]. Meanwhile, all participants in our study lived in urban areas. This finding was highly expected since most Iraqis nowadays live in urban areas [ 27 ]. Regarding body weight, more than half of the participating students had a normal body weight, around 25% were overweight, and 7% were obese. Similarly, some studies conducted in England and America found that about one-third of students were overweight or obese, whereas the majority had normal BMIs[ 25 , 26 ]. The current study results showed that taste, expiration date, and price of the product were considered the main influential factors for food purchasing decisions among most study participants. Similarly, taste and price are widely reported as the top factors influencing food purchases among Spanish and Australian university students [ 28 ][ 29 ]. Additionally, university students in New Zealand consistently identified cost as a barrier to choosing healthier foods, and interventions like discounted meals were found to significantly influence purchasing behavior [ 30 ]. Furthermore, expiry dates were prioritized by students in Brazil and Ghanaas the most important information on food labels, indicating widespread concern for product freshness and safety [ 31 ][ 16 ]. On the other hand, the results of the present study showed that only a few participants considered factors such as organic status, net weight, and manufacturing country of the product as important in influencing their purchase decision. Similarly, less than one-third of undergraduate Malaysian students felt that the organic nature significantly influenced their choices [ 32 ]. All of the above findings support the idea that when consumers (even medical students) are making purchasing decisions regarding food, they often prioritize practical factors like price, taste, and expiration date over other important considerations. Therefore, there is a need to further enhance nutritional awareness among this population to ensure healthy nutrition. The findings of this research indicated that the majority of participants frequently prioritized focusing on the sugar, protein, and calorie content of the product when reading food labels. In contrast, fewer participants emphasized the importance of reading the sodium, preservatives, and trans-fat content of the product on its label. These preferences indicate a general awareness of key dietary factors affecting health while also highlighting significant gaps in label literacy, particularly concerning constituents that are less immediately recognizable as health risks. The current claims and emphasis on reading certain parts of the food label and neglecting others align with a study conducted in Singapore, in which. Singaporeans prioritize reading calories, fats, and sugar above other nutritional label components [ 33 ]. Additionally, food label constituents like sodium, cholesterol, fiber, and types of fat were largely overlooked among Turkish students[ 19 ]. Therefore, medical and pharmaceutical college students should receive a comprehensive education that broadens their understanding of all essential nutrients, particularly those associated with chronic disease risk, such as sodium and trans fats. This knowledge should be integrated not only through dedicated nutrition programs but also incorporated into their broader college curricula to ensure a more holistic and professional understanding of nutrition's role in health management. Regarding the barriers to reading food labels, the most commonly reported barriers among current study participants were the writing of food labels in non-understandable language and with a small font. This finding is consistent with those observed among Turkish health science students, who identified difficulties in understanding labels as a common obstacle to food label comprehension [ 19 ]. In addition, problems with font size were reported as a barrier for reading food labels by Miller and Cassady in their review study [ 34 ]. This study also identifies key motivators that influence consumers’ decisions to read food labels before making purchases. The primary motivators for reading food labels among the current participants were product comparison, first-time purchases, family health concerns, and adherence to a weight loss regimen. This underscores a pronounced connection between health-conscious behavior, specifically weight management, and consumers’ attention to food labels. Previous research supports this finding, demonstrating that individuals who are health-conscious or on dietary restrictions typically show higher engagement in reading nutritional information [ 35 ]. Another study claimed that health motivation can stimulate students' attention to nutrition information on food labels [ 36 ]. Furthermore, the motivation driven by first-time purchases is also noteworthy, with over 60% of current study participants indicating agreement. This suggests that unfamiliarity with a product compels consumers to seek additional information through food labels to reduce perceived risk and uncertainty. This aligns with consumer behavior theories proposing that uncertainty reduction is a fundamental driver in decision-making, particularly for new or unknown products [ 37 ]. In addition, the current finding is similar to another study that found first-time purchases prompt higher label attention among college students [ 38 ]. Unfortunately, the current study results showed that only 13% of participants had good knowledge, and 13.5% had high awareness of food labels. This low rate is consistent with many global studies. For instance, a study in China found that only 21.3% of university students had a good understanding of prepackaged food labels[ 8 ].Although nutritional knowledge is low in both studies, it is even lower in the current one. Additionally, a notable difference is that the study conducted in China included general university students rather than medical students. This highlights a concerning gap in nutritional knowledge and awareness in Iraq. Therefore, further research should be conducted among other university students and the general public in Iraq to confirm or challenge these findings and to identify effective solutions to address this significant issue. Despite the low knowledge and awareness about food labels among all study participants, pharmacy students had significantly higher knowledge and awareness levels than their peers in the medical college. A similar finding was not found in previous literature; however, health science and especially nutrition-related majors consistently show higher food label literacy due to curriculum exposure [ 19 ] may give a clue that the curriculum of the pharmacy college may be better than that of the medicine college in regard to nutrition information. Factors such as gender and weight showed no significant influence on the current students' knowledge and awareness regarding food labels. This finding is comparable to other studies, which established that there is no link between consumers' gender or weight and knowledge about food labeling[ 12 , 39 ]. This study has certain limitations, including a small sample size and its restriction to students from a single university. However, these limitations may be justified, given that this is the first study to develop and validate a new assessment tool in Iraq, and it was conducted at the largest university in the country. In conclusion, future healthcare professionals in Iraq primarily base their food purchasing decisions on practical factors such as taste, expiration date, and price, with less consideration given to organic status, ingredients, or manufacturer origin. While these students generally have some awareness of key dietary factors affecting health, significant gaps remain in their understanding of food labels, particularly regarding components that pose less immediately recognizable health risks. Barriers like unclear labeling and limited time further hinder effective label reading, reducing their nutritional awareness. Overall, only a small proportion of students demonstrate good knowledge of food labels, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive nutrition education to improve label literacy and encourage healthier food choices. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The research was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethical approval from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad. The participants were informed about the study objective, and only those who provided their verbal informed consent were included in this study. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding The authors did not receive any financial support or funding. Authors' contributions All authors contributed significantly to the development of this research article. The specific contributions are as follows: Z.A.: Data collection and initial drafting of the manuscript. H.R.: Literature review, Data interpretation, revision of the manuscript, and editing of the final manuscript version. E.M.: Conceptualization of the study, methodology design, data analysis, supervision, and final manuscript revision. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the participants of our study. References Weaver CM, Dwyer J, Fulgoni VL, King JC, Leveille GA, MacDonald RS, et al. Processed foods: contributions to nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99:1525–42. https://doi.org/10.3945/AJCN.114.089284 . Henney AE, Gillespie CS, Alam U, Hydes TJ, Boyland E, Cuthbertson DJ. Ultra-processed food and non-communicable diseases in the United Kingdom: A narrative review and thematic synthesis of literature. Obes Rev. 2024;25:e13682. https://doi.org/10.1111/OBR.13682 . 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Self-reported use and understanding of food label information among tertiary education students in Ghana. Food Control. 2020;108. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODCONT.2019.106841 . ÇALBAYRAM N, YARDIMCI H, Aydin B. An evaluation of food label reading habits of individuals working in hospitals. PROGRESS Nutr. 2017;19. https://doi.org/10.23751/PN.V19I4.5841 . Prasiwi RI, Yuliati LN, Simanjuntak M. Analysis of Food Label Reading Behavior. Int J Sci Res (IJSR). 2018;7(11):1628–34. 10.21275/ART20193039 . Odaman TA, Bahar R, Şam S, Ilyasoğlu H. Food label reading habits of health sciences students. Nutr Food Sci. 2020;50:1021–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-09-2019-0301/FULL/PDF . LAWSHE CH, A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO, CONTENT VALIDITY. Pers Psychol. 1975;28:563–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1744-6570.1975.TB01393.X . Olum R, Chekwech G, Wekha G, Nassozi DR, Bongomin F. Coronavirus Disease-2019: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Health Care Workers at Makerere University Teaching Hospitals, Uganda. Front Public Health. 2020;8. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPUBH.2020.00181 . Mikhael E, Hassali M, Hussain S, Shawky N. The Development and Validation of Quality of Life Scale for Iraqi Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2020;12:262–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/JPBS.JPBS_190_19 . Memon MA, Ting H, Cheah JH, Thurasamy R, Chuah F, Cham TH. Sample size for survey research: Review and recommendations. J Appl Struct Equation Model. 2020;4:i–xx. https://doi.org/10.47263/JASEM.4(2)01 . Cooke R, Papadaki A. Nutrition label use mediates the positive relationship between nutrition knowledge and attitudes towards healthy eating with dietary quality among university students in the UK. Appetite. 2014;83:297–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APPET.2014.08.039 . Belogianni K, Ooms A, Lykou A, Moir HJ. Nutrition knowledge among university students in the UK: a cross-sectional study. Public Health Nutr. 2022;25:2834–41. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021004754 . Misra R, Knowledge. Attitudes, and Label Use among College Students. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107:2130–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JADA.2007.09.001 . Khalis M, Hassan R. Factors Affecting Urbanisation in Iraq: A Historical Analysis from 1921 to the Present. Gen Article Urbanisation. 2023;8:61–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/24557471231169386 . Martinez-Perez N, Telleria-Aramburu N, Insúa P, Hernández I, Telletxea S, Ansotegui L, et al. On-campus food purchase behaviors, choice determinants, and opinions on food availability in a Spanish university community. Nutrition. 2022;103–104111789. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NUT.2022.111789 . Tam R, Yassa B, Parker H, O’Connor H, Allman-Farinelli M. University students’ on-campus food purchasing behaviors, preferences, and opinions on food availability. Nutrition. 2017;37:7–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NUT.2016.07.007 . Roy R, Harrington K. Effectiveness of price-reduced meals on purchases among university young adults. J Nutr Sci. 2021;10:e94. https://doi.org/10.1017/JNS.2021.87 . Weber FH, Deimling LCD, Guerra D, Silva DM da, Leães FL. Percepções dos consumidores sobre a rotulagem nutricional para aquisição de alimentos em Boa Vista do Buricá/RS. Revista Eletrônica Científica da UERGS. 2022;8:22–31. https://doi.org/10.21674/2448-0479.81.22-31 Sulaiman Y, Kan WPE, Salimon MB. Purchase intention towards organic food among undergraduate students. WSEAS Trans Environ Dev. 2020;16:734–43. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2020.16.76 . Talib A, Pereira JS. Food Label Usage and Understanding Among Singaporeans. Indonesian J Multidisciplinary Sci. 2023;2:2350–64. https://doi.org/10.55324/IJOMS.V2I4.369 . Miller LMS, Cassady DL. The effects of nutrition knowledge on food label use. A review of the literature. Appetite. 2015;92:207–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APPET.2015.05.029 . Petrovici DA, Ritson C. Factors influencing consumer dietary health preventative behaviours. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-6-222/TABLES/7 . Visschers VH, Hess R, Siegrist M. Health motivation and product design determine consumers’ visual attention to nutrition information on food products. Public Health Nutr. 2010;13:1099–106. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980009993235 . Shulman JD, Cunha M, Saint Clair JK. Consumer Uncertainty and Purchase Decision Reversals: Theory and Evidence. https://doi.org/101287/mksc20150906 . 2015;34:590–605. https://doi.org/10.1287/MKSC.2015.0906. Marietta AB, Welshimer KJ, Anderson SL. Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of college students regarding the 1990 Nutrition Labeling Education Act food labels. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99:445–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(99)00108-X . Bonanno A, Bimbo F, Cleary R, Castellari E. Food labels and adult BMI in Italy – An unconditional quantile regression approach. Food Policy. 2018;74:199–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODPOL.2017.12.008 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7983302","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":563605270,"identity":"cb4ba7e0-8257-447c-9cad-9d84294f3a59","order_by":0,"name":"Zainab Ali Faisal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Baghdad","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zainab","middleName":"Ali","lastName":"Faisal","suffix":""},{"id":563605271,"identity":"dc686dee-0905-40eb-bfc5-fd5c9355e70c","order_by":1,"name":"Hasan Raid Fadhil","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Al-Rafidain 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However, in spite of their usefulness, the reliance on these materials raises negative concerns about their influence on health. Many packaged foods contain high amounts of preservatives, unhealthy fats, refined sugars, and sodium content, which have been related to non-communicable diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood labeling contains detailed information about the quality, origin, processing, and preservation of the food product as well as its composition, ingredients, and quantities[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, food labeling is a necessary tool that helps people in monitoring their dietary consumption and making healthy decisions, which eventually aids in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR5\" citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood label literacy, a type of health literacy, refers to the ability to receive, comprehend, and use nutrition information on food labels in order to make healthy food choices[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. People\u0026rsquo;s understanding and use of the nutrition labels on prepackaged food products are affected by country of origin, gender, work, income level, education, and other factors[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Food illiteracy is a huge global problem that causes poor health outcomes and even death[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeveral studies have looked into consumers' knowledge and awareness of food labels. A study found that 61.8% of participants' food choices were not based on nutritional information, while only 9.3% claimed to use such knowledge when purchasing goods. Additionally, 57.7% of consumers reported that they don\u0026rsquo;t understand food labels, whereas 39.7% reported that they partially understand the information on food labels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. Even educated individuals, such as university students, have an unsatisfactory and varying understanding of the functional claims of food ingredients listed on nutrition labels of prepackaged food[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare professionals, particularly those in the medical and pharmaceutical field, are positioned at the forefront of patient education and preventive healthcare. Their ability to educate the patients on nutritional matters is not only dependent on their clinical knowledge but also on their awareness and understanding of nutritional information in food labels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilarly, research found that medical and educational staff have a better understanding and awareness of nutritional knowledge compared to other professions[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the well-known importance of food label literacy, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have yet assessed nutritional knowledge and awareness among consumers or healthcare professionals in Iraq. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, and readability of food labels, as well as the factors influencing these aspects among future healthcare professionals. The findings of this study could be valuable in improving the design of food labels and enhancing health and nutrition education in Iraq.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDevelopment of the questionnaire\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e A thorough literature review was conducted to identify studies that investigate the nutritional awareness and knowledge regarding food labels. Five relevant articles were found [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR16 CR17 CR18\" citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. The questionnaire items and ideas in the aforementioned studies were utilized to write the first draft of the current study questionnaire. The developed questionnaire comprised three sections: the first section was designed to gather demographic data of the participants; the second part was designed to evaluate the participants' nutritional awareness through two main questions using a 5-pointLikert scale. Additionally, this section included four supplementary questions to assess multiple aspects related to consumer behavior regarding food label reading, particularly motivations, interests, and understanding. The last section of the questionnaire was designed to assess the participants' knowledge about food labels through four questions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eValidity of the developed questionnaire\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the content validity of the questionnaire, it was distributed to a panel of three experts, comprising two academic pharmacists and one nutritionist. Each expert was asked to assess each question using a three-point Likert scale: \u0026ldquo;Relevant and Important,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Relevant but Not Important,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Not Relevant.\u0026rdquo; The experts were encouraged to provide comments on any wording issues and to suggest potential additions of new questions. Lawshe\u0026rsquo;s approach was chosen to determine the content validity of the interview guide [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. All experts deemed the majority of the questionnaire items to be both relevant and important, with the exception of one item that was considered irrelevant by one expert, leading to its removal. Additionally, two experts provided feedback regarding wording issues in another question, prompting a revision of that item. The revised questionnaire was subsequently accepted by all experts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eScoring of the developed questionnaire\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor statistical purposes, Likert scale responses were ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).Nutritional awareness was assessed by calculating the mean score for the two main questions (Q1 and Q2). The score for Question 1 was determined by calculating the mean of the responses to its 12 items, while the score for Question 2 was obtained directly from the participants' responses. According to bloom' cutoff point, participants with a mean score of \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;4 were classified as having good nutritional awareness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e].Regarding nutritional knowledge, each correct answer was scored as 1 point, while incorrect answers received a score of zero. Participants with a mean score of \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;3.2 were deemed to have good nutritional knowledge [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eReliability of the developed questionnaire\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reliability of the developed questionnaire was evaluated using the test-retest reliability method. To perform this assessment, a pilot study was conducted in which the questionnaire was initially administered to a convenient sample of 24 pharmacy students and then re-administered to the same group three weeks later. Test\u0026ndash;retest reliability was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to measure score difference for each question [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. The score for questions with more than one item was measured as a mean score. On the other hand, Spearman\u0026rsquo;s correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation of the questionnaire's total score before and after retesting [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. When the individual questions in the questionnaire were examined, none were significantly different at test\u0026ndash;retest (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). On the other hand, the Spearman\u0026rsquo;s correlation coefficient for the total score of questionnaire domains (nutritional awareness and knowledge) at test\u0026ndash;retest reliability was high and significant (0.931 and 0.688; (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), respectively) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) indicating a strong positive correlation between test-retest total questionnaire scores. Thus, the developed questionnaire is considered to have a high test-retest reliability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTest-retest reliability of the developed questionnaire\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZ-score for test\u0026ndash;retest\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003emean difference\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.670\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.503\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.414\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.074\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.283\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.296\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.767\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.841\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.066\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.948\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.343\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.811\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal awareness score correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.931\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal knowledge score correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.688\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy design and participants\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 on a convenient sample of medical students (Pharmacy and Medicine) at the University of Baghdad. To ensure an acceptable sample size [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]200 students (100 from each college) were collected. All students in the medical colleges were considered eligible to participate in this study. Eligible students were informed about the study objective, and only those who provided their verbal informed consent were included in this study. All enrolled students were given the paper-based questionnaire and asked to fill it out by themselves. The research was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethical approval from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData input and analysis were done using SPSS version 17. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages, whereas continuous variables were presented as mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation. The chi-square test was used to test the significance of the difference among categorical variables. Pearson's correlation test was used to test the correlation among study variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe mean age of the study participants was 22.36 years. The participants were evenly distributed across two specialties: Medicine and Pharmacy, with each group representing 50% of the total sample. Most participants were single (98.5%), female (71.5%), in the fifth stage of education (68.0%), and classified as having normal body weight (53.0%). All participants lived in urban settings. Details about the demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographics of study participants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValues\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge in years (Mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.36\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (28.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e143 (71.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecialty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedicine n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacy n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducational level (stage)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (13.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e136 (68.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37 (18.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarital status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e197 (98.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (1.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiving setting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e200 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZero (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeight*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderweight n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 (15)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormal weight n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e106 (53.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverweight n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObese n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (7.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e*Weight was measured based on BMI values; \u0026lt;20kg/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e as underweight; 20 to \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;25kg/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e as normal weight; 25 to \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;30Kg/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e as overweight; and \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;30Kg/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e as obese.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost participants viewed the taste (86%) and expiration date (84.5%) of a product as important factors influencing their purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, less than one-third of study participants agreed on the influence of the product's organic nature (20%), net weight (25.5%), and manufacturing country (31.5%) on their purchasing decisions. Details about key factors influencing the purchase of a specific food product are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKey factors influencing the purchase of a specific food product (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;200).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot important at all\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely important\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSomewhat important\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImportant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery important\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIngredients1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (6.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (14.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64 (32.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35 (17.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNet volume (weight)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41 (20.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48 (24.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38 (19.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (6.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExpire date1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (2.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (6.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (6.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e129 (64.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManufacture date\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (13.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39 (19.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (25.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42 (21.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42 (21.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTaste\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (1.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (4.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (8.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70 (35.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101(50.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrice\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (2.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (8.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (34.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62 (31.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47 (23.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStorage condition\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (5.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (16.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46* (23.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (34.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (21.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstruction of use\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (11.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53 (26.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46 (23.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 (15.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManufacturing country\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (13.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61 (30.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44 (22.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (9.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAllergy information\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38 (19)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (16.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41 (20.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing organic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62* (31.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (13.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (7.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is genetically modified\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44 (22.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(22.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46 (23.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(13.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e*Added numbers\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding the most important constituents to read on food labels, the majority of study participants emphasized the necessity of checking sugar (67.2%), protein (63.7%), and caloric (60.8%) content. In contrast, few participants highlighted the necessity of reading product contents of sodium (32.1%), preservatives (30.4%), and trans-fat (32.8%). For a closer look at these insights, please refer to Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants' perceptions regarding the importance of reading various constituents on food labels (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;168).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly disagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeutral\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly agree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCalories\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15(8.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22(13.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52(31.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50(29.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFat\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17(10.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32(19.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49(29.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSaturated fats1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18(10.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37(22.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43(25.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40(23.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30(17.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnsaturated fats2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(11.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41(24.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46(27.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40(23.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCholesterol2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(19.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52(31.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(19.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrans fat2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28(16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42(25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43(25.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30(17.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25(14.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarbohydrates1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6(3.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28(16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41(24.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58(34.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSugars1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10(6.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24(14.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54(32.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59(35.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFibers1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19(11.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(18.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39(23.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(26.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProteins1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12(7.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18(10.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(18.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47(28.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60(35.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSodium1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(19.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46(27.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(19.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVitamins1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(15.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25(14.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32(19.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50(29.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMinerals1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30(17.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36(21.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(18.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(26.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(15.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePreservatives1,2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34(20.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(26.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39(23.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22(13.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe majority of study participants reported writing the label in non-understandable language (63.1%) and in a small font (47.6%) were the main barriers for reading food labels. Conversely, comparing products (67.3%) and periods of weight loss (69.5%) were the main motivators for reading a product label. Further details are given in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarriers and motivators for reading food labels before purchasing a product.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly disagree n(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeutral\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly agree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"8\" rowspan=\"9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarriers to read food label (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;168)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFont is too small\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19(11.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22(13.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47(28)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57(33.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(13.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInformation is difficult to understood\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10(6.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41(24.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43(25.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47(28)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27(16.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUninteresting design\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18(10.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37(22.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69(41.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(19.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11(6.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave no time to read (busy)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14(8.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55(32.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50(29.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(11.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLaziness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18(10.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37(22.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48(28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36(21.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePurchasing the same product frequently\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(3.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(11.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65(38.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55(32.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(13.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrust in producer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13(7.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38(22.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54(32.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48(28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15(8.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWritten in non-understandable language (e.g., Russian, Turkish, etc)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9(5.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24(14.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(17.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41(24.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65(38.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInadequate Information in food label\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8(4.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(26.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76(45.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(20.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(3.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMotivators to read food label (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;141)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst time purchase of a product\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6(4.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12(8.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36(25.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60(42.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27(19.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe type of food to be purchased\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4(2.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14(9.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34(24.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e71(50.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19(13.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeight loss trial period\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9(6.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13(9.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(14.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(31.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53(37.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePurchasing a product for the family\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(3.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24(17.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(31.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(31.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(16.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProduct comparison\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7(5.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6(4.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33(23.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59(41.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36(25.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e shows that the percentages of participants with good knowledge and awareness of food labels were 13.0% and 13.5%, respectively. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e shows that participants' weight and gender were not significant factors affecting their nutritional awareness and knowledge. The nutritional awareness was significantly higher among pharmacy students than those in the medicine college (20% vs 7%; P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.007). Furthermore, pharmacy students had significantly higher knowledge than their counterparts in the medical college (20% vs 6%; P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge and awareness of food labels among study participants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGood N(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoor N(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKnowledge\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (13.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e174 (87)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAwareness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (13.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e173 (86.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 8\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFactors affecting knowledge of food labels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGood\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoor\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKnowledge\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;57)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4(7.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53(93.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.112\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;143)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22(15.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e121(84.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFaculty\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedicine (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6(6.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e94(94.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacy (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80(80.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderweight (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4(13.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(86.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.340\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormal (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;106)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17(16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89(84)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverweight (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(10.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(90.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObese (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14(100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAwareness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;57)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (7.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53 (93.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.090\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;143)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(16.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e120(83.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFaculty\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedicine (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7(7.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93(93.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.007\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacy (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80(80.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderweight (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25(83.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.831\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormal (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;106)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15(14.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91(85.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverweight (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6(12.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(88.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObese (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1(7.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13(92.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding the level of knowledge and awareness regarding food labels among future healthcare professionals is crucial, given their important role in promoting healthy dietary habits. In this study, the demographic profile of participants primarily comprised young females, with an average age of 22.36 years, a pattern consistent with those reported in similar research [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR25\" citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Meanwhile, all participants in our study lived in urban areas. This finding was highly expected since most Iraqis nowadays live in urban areas [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. Regarding body weight, more than half of the participating students had a normal body weight, around 25% were overweight, and 7% were obese. Similarly, some studies conducted in England and America found that about one-third of students were overweight or obese, whereas the majority had normal BMIs[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe current study results showed that taste, expiration date, and price of the product were considered the main influential factors for food purchasing decisions among most study participants. Similarly, taste and price are widely reported as the top factors influencing food purchases among Spanish and Australian university students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, university students in New Zealand consistently identified cost as a barrier to choosing healthier foods, and interventions like discounted meals were found to significantly influence purchasing behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, expiry dates were prioritized by students in Brazil and Ghanaas the most important information on food labels, indicating widespread concern for product freshness and safety [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, the results of the present study showed that only a few participants considered factors such as organic status, net weight, and manufacturing country of the product as important in influencing their purchase decision. Similarly, less than one-third of undergraduate Malaysian students felt that the organic nature significantly influenced their choices [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. All of the above findings support the idea that when consumers (even medical students) are making purchasing decisions regarding food, they often prioritize practical factors like price, taste, and expiration date over other important considerations. Therefore, there is a need to further enhance nutritional awareness among this population to ensure healthy nutrition.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of this research indicated that the majority of participants frequently prioritized focusing on the sugar, protein, and calorie content of the product when reading food labels. In contrast, fewer participants emphasized the importance of reading the sodium, preservatives, and trans-fat content of the product on its label. These preferences indicate a general awareness of key dietary factors affecting health while also highlighting significant gaps in label literacy, particularly concerning constituents that are less immediately recognizable as health risks. The current claims and emphasis on reading certain parts of the food label and neglecting others align with a study conducted in Singapore, in which. Singaporeans prioritize reading calories, fats, and sugar above other nutritional label components [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, food label constituents like sodium, cholesterol, fiber, and types of fat were largely overlooked among Turkish students[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, medical and pharmaceutical college students should receive a comprehensive education that broadens their understanding of all essential nutrients, particularly those associated with chronic disease risk, such as sodium and trans fats. This knowledge should be integrated not only through dedicated nutrition programs but also incorporated into their broader college curricula to ensure a more holistic and professional understanding of nutrition's role in health management.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding the barriers to reading food labels, the most commonly reported barriers among current study participants were the writing of food labels in non-understandable language and with a small font. This finding is consistent with those observed among Turkish health science students, who identified difficulties in understanding labels as a common obstacle to food label comprehension [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, problems with font size were reported as a barrier for reading food labels by Miller and Cassady in their review study [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study also identifies key motivators that influence consumers\u0026rsquo; decisions to read food labels before making purchases. The primary motivators for reading food labels among the current participants were product comparison, first-time purchases, family health concerns, and adherence to a weight loss regimen. This underscores a pronounced connection between health-conscious behavior, specifically weight management, and consumers\u0026rsquo; attention to food labels. Previous research supports this finding, demonstrating that individuals who are health-conscious or on dietary restrictions typically show higher engagement in reading nutritional information [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Another study claimed that health motivation can stimulate students' attention to nutrition information on food labels [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, the motivation driven by first-time purchases is also noteworthy, with over 60% of current study participants indicating agreement. This suggests that unfamiliarity with a product compels consumers to seek additional information through food labels to reduce perceived risk and uncertainty. This aligns with consumer behavior theories proposing that uncertainty reduction is a fundamental driver in decision-making, particularly for new or unknown products [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, the current finding is similar to another study that found first-time purchases prompt higher label attention among college students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, the current study results showed that only 13% of participants had good knowledge, and 13.5% had high awareness of food labels. This low rate is consistent with many global studies. For instance, a study in China found that only 21.3% of university students had a good understanding of prepackaged food labels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].Although nutritional knowledge is low in both studies, it is even lower in the current one. Additionally, a notable difference is that the study conducted in China included general university students rather than medical students. This highlights a concerning gap in nutritional knowledge and awareness in Iraq. Therefore, further research should be conducted among other university students and the general public in Iraq to confirm or challenge these findings and to identify effective solutions to address this significant issue.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the low knowledge and awareness about food labels among all study participants, pharmacy students had significantly higher knowledge and awareness levels than their peers in the medical college. A similar finding was not found in previous literature; however, health science and especially nutrition-related majors consistently show higher food label literacy due to curriculum exposure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e] may give a clue that the curriculum of the pharmacy college may be better than that of the medicine college in regard to nutrition information. Factors such as gender and weight showed no significant influence on the current students' knowledge and awareness regarding food labels. This finding is comparable to other studies, which established that there is no link between consumers' gender or weight and knowledge about food labeling[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study has certain limitations, including a small sample size and its restriction to students from a single university. However, these limitations may be justified, given that this is the first study to develop and validate a new assessment tool in Iraq, and it was conducted at the largest university in the country.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, future healthcare professionals in Iraq primarily base their food purchasing decisions on practical factors such as taste, expiration date, and price, with less consideration given to organic status, ingredients, or manufacturer origin. While these students generally have some awareness of key dietary factors affecting health, significant gaps remain in their understanding of food labels, particularly regarding components that pose less immediately recognizable health risks. Barriers like unclear labeling and limited time further hinder effective label reading, reducing their nutritional awareness. Overall, only a small proportion of students demonstrate good knowledge of food labels, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive nutrition education to improve label literacy and encourage healthier food choices.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethical approval from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad. The participants were informed about the study objective, and only those who provided their verbal informed consent were included in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors did not receive any financial support or funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors' contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors contributed significantly to the development of this research article. The specific contributions are as follows:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZ.A.:\u003c/strong\u003e Data collection and initial drafting of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eH.R.:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eLiterature review, Data interpretation, revision of the manuscript, and editing of the final manuscript version.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE.M.:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eConceptualization of the study, methodology design, data analysis, supervision, and final manuscript revision.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank the participants of our study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeaver CM, Dwyer J, Fulgoni VL, King JC, Leveille GA, MacDonald RS, et al. Processed foods: contributions to nutrition. 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Food Policy. 2018;74:199\u0026ndash;211. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODPOL.2017.12.008\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/J.FOODPOL.2017.12.008\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Food Label, Medical students, Pharmaceutical students, Knowledge, Awareness, Nutrition","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7983302/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7983302/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood labeling is a necessary tool that helps people in monitoring their dietary consumption and making healthy decisions, which eventually aids in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases. Food illiteracy is a huge global problem that causes poor health outcomes and even death. The objective of this study is to assess the awareness, knowledge, and readability of food labels, as well as the factors influencing these aspects among future healthcare professionals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 200 students at the University of Baghdad, including 100 students from the College of Pharmacy and 100 students from the College of Medicine. The study was conducted between December 2024 and March 2025. All participants were asked to fill in a newly developed and validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed based on a thorough literature review, comprising sections on demographics, nutritional awareness, and knowledge related to food labels. The questionnaire's content validity was confirmed by expert review, and its reliability was established through test-retest assessments, showing high correlation coefficients (0.931 for nutritional awareness and 0.688 for nutritional knowledge).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean age of study participants was 22.36\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.83 years. They were predominantly females (71.5%) and all residing in urban areas. Participants mainly focused on taste, expiration date, and product weight when making food purchasing decisions, with less emphasis on organic nature or manufacturing country. Most (\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;50%) highlighted reading sugar, protein, and caloric content on labels, but barriers such as small font and unclear language hindered proper reading. Overall, nutritional knowledge (13%) and awareness (13.5%) were poor, though pharmacy students demonstrated significantly better understanding than medical students.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFuture healthcare students in Iraq show poor knowledge and awareness of food labels, with limited readability due to unclear labeling and time constraints, highlighting the urgent need for improved nutrition education.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTrial registration:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e This study was registered from the ethical committee at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad (RECAUBCP2210202406R) on October 22, 2024.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Deep Dive into Food Label Literacy and Nutritional Awareness among Future Medical and Pharmaceutical Professionals: A cross-sectional study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-23 19:23:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7983302/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"388c006c-4929-44ae-b506-d481d3ef5711","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 23rd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-12T15:53:07+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-23 19:23:43","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7983302","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7983302","identity":"rs-7983302","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}
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