Spice and Herb Use with Vegetables: Liking, Frequency, and Self-efficacy among US Adults.

OBJECTIVES: To inform future initiatives to encourage vegetable intake, we explored how spice and herb (S/H) use with vegetables was related to consumer characteristics.

METHODS: A questionnaire collected information on S/H liking and use frequency, whether S/Hs were used when cooking vegetables, and belief that consumers could use S/Hs when cooking vegetables. The questionnaire was distributed to members of an online panel of US consumers.

RESULTS: Younger respondents (18-29 years) and respondents who identified as Asian/ Pacific Islander or other racial group used 19 of the 20 S/Hs more frequently than their older and white/Caucasian, African-American or Hispanic counterparts, respectively. S/H use when cooking vegetables at home was significantly higher for women. Self-efficacy was higher for women, 18-29 year-olds, and 30-49 year-olds, and lower for respondents who identified as white/Caucasian race and those with annual incomes below 50,000.

CONCLUSIONS: Low-income, male, older ( 50 years), and white/ Caucasian respondents were identified as target audiences that may benefit the most from interventions encouraging S/H use with vegetables to increase consumption. It is critical to account for socio-demographic characteristics of the audience when designing interventions.