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@article{172389,
        author = {CHITTRANJAN YADAV},
        title = {FOOD LABEL BLINDNESS AMONG PATIENTS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {11},
        number = {8},
        pages = {2919-2924},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=172389},
        abstract = {Background: Metabolic syndrome is a silent health threat that can lead to serious conditions like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It's characterized by a combination of factors such as excess belly fat, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels. To manage metabolic syndrome, it's crucial to pay close attention to diet. Reading food labels carefully is essential when choosing packaged foods. Checking for hidden sources of unhealthy fats like trans fats and excessive amounts of added sugars and opting for products with lower calorie and higher nutrient content. Food label blindness is a term used to describe the tendency of consumers to overlook or misunderstand information on food labels. This can lead to unhealthy choices, the high levels of unhealthy fats, sugars, or sodium in processed foods. To combat this, it's important to read labels carefully, understand serving sizes, and look for hidden additives. By making informed dietary choices, one takes control of eating habits and improve overall well-being.
Rationale & Objective: This study is an attempt to check the habit of food label reading and its ignorance among subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Method: Total of 100 subjects diagnosed as patients of metabolic syndrome were selected for the study, from various cities of Chhattisgarh state, both male and female of age group 18- 45 years participated in the study. Their anthropometric data and demographic data were recorded and a modified questionnaire was used to check the habit of food label reading, the recorded data was analyzed using SPSS, Chi square test and Fisher exact test.
Results: The analysis of collected data revealed a concerning trend among patients with metabolic syndrome: a significant disregard for food label information, which is termed as "Food Label Blindness." A vast majority (94%) prioritize price over nutritional content when selecting food items. Furthermore, over half (51%) of these patients completely disregard any information provided on food labels.
Conclusion: Individuals with metabolic syndrome often exhibit poor food label reading habits. Despite acknowledging the importance of nutritional information, they prioritize taste, flavor, and price when selecting packaged foods, leading to suboptimal dietary choices and a phenomenon we term "food label blindness."},
        keywords = {Food Label Blind, Metabolic Syndrome, FASSI},
        month = {January},
        }