THE GREEN KEYHOLE NUTRITIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SWEDEN - DO WOMEN WITH MOREKNOWLEDGE HAVE BETTER DIETARY PRACTICES

Introduction: In 1989 the National Food Administration in Sweden intro duced a food-marking symbol called the 'Green Keyhole'. The aim of the campaign is to help consumers make low-fat, high-fibre food choices. Objective: To describe the knowledge of the Green Keyhole symbol in a general female population, and to examine whether knowledge is associa ted with reported intake of dietary fat and fibre. Subjects: 616 rando mly selected women were examined and interviewed. Methods: Intakes of dietary fat and fibre were analysed in relation to knowledge of the Gr een Keyhole symbol. Knowledge was assessed by means of an open-ended q uestion. Results: 62% of the women adequately understood the meaning o f the Green Keyhole. These women were significantly younger (P < 0.000 1). Mean body mass index (kg/m(2) +/- s.e.m.) was significantly higher among the women with more knowledge of the Green Keyhole symbol than those with less knowledge: 26.4 +/- 0.2 vs 25.6 +/- 0.2, (P = 0.002). There were no major differences in total fat intake or total fibre int ake between the women with less and more knowledge. However the ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids and fibre int ake per 4200 kJ (1000 kcal) were higher (P = 0.05 and P = 0.03, respec tively) and intake of saturated fatty acids was lower (P = 0.05) in th e diet among women with better knowledge. Conclusions: The female popu lation described here understands the campaign but their dietary behav iours do not appear to conform to the low-fat message.