Adults perceive similar ultra-processed and minimally processed foods as having different levels of healthfulness: Development of stimuli for an ultra-processed food-related implicit association task

Abstract

Background: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is excessive across the United States (US). Understanding perceptions of food based on processing is critical to elucidate reasons for UPF intake and inform tool development for measuring related cognition. Aim: Design and evaluate perceptions of UPF and non-UPF food among general US adults. Hypothesis: Significant differences exist in perceived healthfulness across similar UPF and non-UPF foods. Methods: Photographs of foods were taken to represent eight pairs of similar UPFs and non-UPFs and presented in a Qualtrics survey with questions to gauge healthfulness from 0 to 10 (0 = completely unhealthy, 10 = completely healthy). Paired-samples sign tests were used to detect differences in ratings within pairs. Results: Participants (n = 100) rated stimuli within all pairs significantly differently (P < 0.001), indicating different perceptions of UPF and non-UPF. Conclusion: Adults perceive similar UPF and non-UPF as having different levels of healthfulness. Reasons for these differences warrant investigation.