Awareness and Use of MyPlate Among US Adults With Young Children

Objective: To examine awareness, information-seeking, and use of MyPlate among US adults with young children.

Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Participants: US adults aged 18-45 years with children ≤5 years.

Variables measured: Adults reported sociodemographic characteristics and whether they had heard of MyPlate, looked online for MyPlate information, or tried to follow the MyPlate plan.

Analysis: Logistic regression models estimated MyPlate awareness, information-seeking, and use by sociodemographic characteristics. Analyses were weighted to represent adults with young children nationally.

Results: Twenty-nine percent of US adults with young children were aware of MyPlate. MyPlate awareness was lower among men, racial/ethnic minorities, adults with less education, adults who speak a language other than English, and SNAP/WIC recipients. Among those who knew of MyPlate, 39% sought MyPlate information online, and 33% had tried to use the MyPlate plan. Men were less likely to look online for or follow the MyPlate plan than women. Mexican-American adults and WIC recipients were more likely to have tried to follow the MyPlate plan.

Conclusions: MyPlate is an underutilized resource among families with young children. Efforts are needed to disseminate and encourage the use of MyPlate, particularly among marginalized groups.