2008 Children's Nutritional Survey on Omega-3 DHA[1] - Executive Summary

Commissioned by Stremicks Heritage Foods

Key Findings/Takeaways

A majority of parents[2] don't know that omega-3 DHA is a specific type of omega-3 fatty acid or what it does. Most parents are unaware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA to their child's development, are not familiar with the various source of omega-3 DHA, and do not make an effort to include this important nutrient in their child's diet.

Younger parents (ages 18-34) are more likely than their slightly older counterparts (parents ages 35-44) to know what omega-3 DHA is and what it does. Perhaps not surprisingly, these parents are also more likely to make a conscious effort to include this nutrient in their child's diet, and to report that their child regularly consumes omega-3 DHA-fortified dairy products.

Detailed Findings

Knowledge

• Nearly two in three parents (63%) didn't know that omega-3 DHA is a specific type of omega-3 fatty acid, and a majority (68%) were not sure exactly what omega-3 DHA does.
  • Parents ages 35-44 are less likely than their younger counterparts (ages 18-34) to know that omega-3 DHA is a type of omega-3 fatty acid (31% vs. 44%, respectively) and to be aware of what it does (25% vs. 37%, respectively).

   

• About three in five parents (61%) are not sure about the specific phases of development at which it is especially important to include omega-3 DHA in one's diet.
  • About one in five are aware of the importance of omega-3 DHA before (19%) and during pregnancy (22%). Less than one in five recognize the importance of this nutrient to a newborn (18%) or infant (18%). And even fewer know that omega-3 DHA is also important to the health of toddlers (16%) and preschool-aged children (14%).

     

  • Not surprisingly, women are more likely than men to be aware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA:
    • During the 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters of pregnancy (22% women vs. 15% men);
    • To a newborn (21% women vs. 14% men); and,
    • During infancy (21% women vs. 15% men).
    • More than half of parents (59%) are unaware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA to their child's health and only about one in three (35%) are familiar with various sources of omega-3 DHA.

     

  Behavior

  • Few parents report that their child regularly consumes natural sources of omega-3 DHA such as tuna (24%), salmon (7%) or flaxseed/flaxseed oil (4%), and only one in ten (10%) say their child regularly consumes omega-3 DHA-fortified dairy products such as milk (5%) or eggs (7%).
    • Younger parents (ages 18-34) are more likely than those ages 35-44 to report that their child regularly consumes omega-3 DHA-fortified dairy products including milk (8% vs. 3%, respectively) and eggs (9% vs. 4%, respectively).

  • Nearly three in four (72%) say they make a conscious effort to include certain vitamins and nutrients - such as vitamin C (55%) and calcium (53%) - in their child's diet, but only 7% are including omega-3 DHA. Parents are twice as likely to consider omega-3 fatty acids in general (15%) than they are to include omega-3 DHA in particular (7%).
    • Again, young parents (ages 18-34) are twice as likely as those ages 35-44 to make a conscious effort to include omega-3 DHA in their child's diet (10% vs. 5%, respectively).

    • Additionally, parents in the Midwest are more than twice as likely as those in the Northeast to ensure their child's diet includes omega-3 DHA (10% vs. 4%, respectively).

  • A majority of parents (72%) agree that it would be easier to ensure their child gets the recommended amount of omega-3 DHA if they didn't have to try to get their child to eat foods like salmon and flaxseed oil, and one in three (34%) strongly agree with this sentiment.

   

  Parents Answering about Children Ages 6 and Under

   

  Knowledge

  • More than half of parents[3] (57%) didn't know that omega-3 DHA is a specific type of omega-3 fatty acid, and nearly two in three (63%) are not sure exactly what omega-3 DHA does.
    • Parents ages 35-44 are less likely than their younger counterparts (ages 18-34) to know that omega-3 DHA is a type of omega-3 fatty acid (35% vs. 49%, respectively).

    • More than half of parents (54%) are not sure about the specific phases of development at which it is especially important to include omega-3 DHA in one's diet.

    • About one in three parents are aware of the importance of omega-3 DHA during pregnancy (33%), and for newborns (32%) or infants (30%). However, fewer know that omega-3 DHA is also important to the health of toddlers (25%) and preschool-aged children (19%).

    • Parents in the South are more likely than those in any other region to be aware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA to a newborn (44% South vs. 26% Northeast, 25% Midwest, and 26% West).

    • Not surprisingly, women are more likely than men to be aware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA at any phase of development (51% women vs. 38% men), but also specifically:
      • During the 1^st (36% women vs. 24% men) and 3^rd trimesters of pregnancy (35% women vs. 23% men);
      • To a newborn (38% women vs. 25% men); and,
      During infancy (38% women vs. 21% men).
      • More than half of parents (58%) are unaware of the benefits of omega-3 DHA to their child's health and only about one in three (32%) are familiar with various sources of omega-3 DHA.

   

  Behavior

  • Few parents report that their child regularly consumes natural sources of omega-3 DHA such as tuna (18%), salmon (5%) or flaxseed/flaxseed oil (2%), and only about one in ten (13%) say their child regularly consumes omega-3 DHA-fortified dairy products such as milk (7%) or eggs (8%).
    • Parents in the South are more likely than those in the West to report that their child regularly consumes omega-3 DHA fortified eggs (14% South vs. 3% West).

    • More than three in four (77%) say they make a conscious effort to include certain vitamins and nutrients - such as vitamin C (58%) and calcium (57%) - in their child's diet, but only 9% are including omega-3 DHA. Parents are nearly twice as likely to consider omega-3 fatty acids in general (16%) than they are to include omega-3 DHA in particular (9%).

    • A majority of parents (67%) agree that it would be easier to ensure their child gets the recommended amount of omega-3 DHA if they didn't have to try to get their child to eat foods like salmon and flaxseed oil, and nearly one in three (30%) strongly agree with this sentiment.

  
  

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  [1] For the purposes of the remainder of this analysis, the term "parents" refers to U.S. adults ages 18+ who are parents or legal guardians of a child or children under the age of 18 who were instructed to answer about their child or children ages 6 and under (n= 525).

   

  [2] This omega-3 DHA survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of  Stremicks Heritage Foods between March 20 and March 25, 2008 among 1,244 U.S. adults ages 18+ who are parents/legal guardians of children under the age of 18, of whom, 525 are parents/legal guardians of children under the age of 6. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.  For complete methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Sharon Villanueva Scott, (323) 957-2745.

  [3] For the purposes of this analysis, the term "parents" refers to U.S. adults ages 18+ who are parents or legal guardians of a child or children under the age of 18 (n= 1,244).