This study, funded by Health Canada's Population Health Fund, focuses on the issue of nutritional information for people aged 50 to 65 suffering from cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels, is the leading cause of death in Canada for both men and women. They account for 36% of all deaths, or 79,457 per year. Statistics show that there is a significant increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease around the age of 45 for men and 55 for women.
There are a multitude of forms of cardiovascular disease, varying enormously in severity. A cardiac arrhythmia, i.e. an irregular heartbeat, can be considered one of the milder forms of cardiovascular disease, whereas cardiac arrest is obviously much more serious, causing a number of complications and even death.
Cardiovascular disease can develop in the blood circulation system, the heart itself or the lungs. Cardiovascular disease is caused by many factors, including genetic predisposition, smoking, lack of physical activity, high blood pressure, excess weight, diabetes and excessive alcohol consumption.
Many of these risk factors can be minimized by a healthy, enriched diet, regular exercise and smoking cessation, all of which help to delay the onset and control cardiovascular disease. Diet is an important variable in cardiovascular disease. Saturated, trans and hydrogenated fats, sugar and sodium are the nutrients that damage cardiovascular health and increase the risk of disease.
On the other hand, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as fiber, promote better cardiovascular condition. People with cardiovascular disease who wish to make healthy food choices need to be aware of this information, and be able to identify which nutrients are harmful or beneficial to their health through appropriate nutritional information. Nutrition labelling is the principal means of communicating nutritional information to consumers.
At present, a project is underway to amend the regulations, which we hope will correct some of the shortcomings revealed by the literature consulted, the project partners and the focus group participants. The main problems relating to current labelling for the population targeted by the study are difficulty in understanding the content of the nutritional information table, difficulty in reading the list of ingredients (characters too small), difficulty in understanding certain terms in the list of ingredients and lack of credibility of nutritional claims (low in fat, low in salt, etc.).
In addition to nutrition labelling on food packaging, there are a number of other ways of conveying nutritional information, with varying degrees of effectiveness. According to a review of the literature on the subject, the opinions of study partners and participants in focus groups and information sessions, some means of communication are little or not at all effective. Manufacturer information centers (1-800 lines), in-store leaflets and information, in-store tastings and demonstrations, video or audio cassettes, advertising by food companies and the Internet are not effective information strategies.
On the other hand, certain complementary strategies to nutrition labelling are proving particularly effective, and we recommend that Health Canada promote them. The most effective strategy would be to place a logo on all food products promoting cardiovascular health.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec has set up a voluntary Health Check program, whereby companies wishing to join submit their products to the Foundation for nutritional review. If the product is deemed to be beneficial to cardiovascular health, the Foundation affixes a logo. Such a labeling system is both simple and reliable, since the review is carried out by nutrition experts.
However, this program has the disadvantage of requiring a fee for manufacturers, and only companies with high sales volumes can join. We suggest that Health Canada set up its own program to review the nutritional value of foods, but that this be applied universally and at no cost to manufacturers.
Health Canada-sponsored advertising on nutrients and label interpretation is another effective way of complementing the information provided by nutrition labelling. Such advertising must be sustained to be effective. Healthy cookbooks, customized menus offered by caterers and healthy cooking courses are also effective means.
Finally, awareness and information campaigns are both effective and appreciated by the project's target population. This method of information fills many of the gaps in the current labelling system, and dispels many myths about food.
We had the opportunity to test the effectiveness of this means of communication by organizing ten information sessions. Based on the results of the questionnaire and survey completed by the participants, we found that the knowledge of nutritional information among the target population was average, and that the sessions were much appreciated and helped them learn a lot about the subject.
