Download this document

Americans' Awareness, Knowledge and Behaviors Regarding Fats: 2006-2007

-- Consumer Survey¹ Highlights --

The American Heart Association conducts an annual consumer survey to gauge awareness, perceptions and behaviors toward fats. The following summarizes highlights of the 2007 survey, including comparisons to the baseline survey in 2006.

Concern about Fats Is Up

• Americans are increasingly concerned about both the amount and types of fat they consume. In 2007, 62 percent were concerned about the amount of fat consumed, up from 55 percent in 2006. Likewise, in 2007, 62 percent reported concern about the types of fat consumed, up from 52 percent in 2006.

Awareness of Fats Is Mixed

• Consumer awareness of trans fat is up significantly since 2006, from 84 to 92 percent, and now on par with awareness of the other already-known "bad" fat, saturated fat, which is at 93 percent.
• Sixty-six percent had heard of monounsaturated fat in 2007, compared to 70 percent in 2006. Seventy-three percent had heard of polyunsaturated fat in 2007, compared to 76 percent awareness in 2006.

Fat Type and Heart Disease: Consumers Know the Bad, Fewer Know the Better

• Regardless of the awareness level, more consumers today associate saturated and trans fats with an increased risk of heart disease, 72 percent of the population made this connection with saturated fat, up from 67 percent in 2006, and trans fat now at 68 percent, up from 52 percent.
• In comparison, significantly fewer Americans (41 percent for monounsaturated fats and 44 percent for polyunsaturated fats) are aware of the positive effects of the "better" fats on the risk of heart disease. These lower levels are relatively similar to corresponding data from 2006. Forty-three percent associated monounsaturated fats with a decreased risk of heart disease and 47 percent associated polyunsaturated fats with a decreased risk of heart disease.

General Fats Confusion Still an Issue

• Only 19 percent of consumers know that all fats — the bad fats (saturated and trans) and the better fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated) alike — have the same number of calories per gram.
• Only 20 percent correctly believe they should consume some fat for good health.
• Only 11 percent correctly understand that eating "good" fats instead of "bad" fats cannot help them lose weight.

¹ Proprietary national survey conducted for the American Heart Association by Cogent Research. This Web-based survey is made up of two data collection phases, with the baseline conducted March 27-April 7, 2006 and the one-year follow-up conducted May 10-25, 2007 among a representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults 18-65 years of age. The margin of error is +/-3.1 percentage points.