Awareness of MyPlate Among U.S. Adults with Young Children

MyPlate is a visual representation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help people across the U.S. eat a diet that promotes health. The MyPlate website provides information about each food group, meal plans for different life stages, recipes, and tips for eating healthy on a budget. MyPlate materials are available in English and Spanish.

Adults who recognize the MyPlate icon have higher diet quality on average than those who do not. However, just 1 in 4 U.S. adults are aware of MyPlate, with lower rates of awareness among men and those adults with lower levels of education. Adults born outside the U.S. and those who speak a language other than English at home are also less likely to be aware of MyPlate.

Diet quality among children in the U.S. improved from 1999 to 2016, but many still do not consume diets that support their health and development. Parents can influence their children’s diet and eating habits in many ways, including making nutritious foods available at home, modeling healthy eating, and engaging with their children during family meals. Parents can also help their children develop healthy eating habits by coaching them to make choices about what and how much to eat and involving them in meal planning and cooking. MyPlate is a great resource for parents who want to teach their children healthy dietary habits.

Improving parents’ awareness of MyPlate has the potential to positively impact the health of both children and adults.

Our team conducted a study to understand more about parents of young children who are aware of and use MyPlate resources and, by extension, those who do not, to extend the reach of these important public health resources. We analyzed data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2018, a national survey that assesses the health and nutrition of children and adults across the U.S. We focused on adults aged 18 to 45 who have at least one child younger than 5 years old.

We found that 29% of U.S. adults with young children were aware of MyPlate. MyPlate awareness was lower among men, those with less education, those who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian, and those who primarily spoke Spanish or another language. Additionally, those whose households receive SNAP or WIC benefits were less likely to have heard of this resource than adults not receiving these benefits. Among those who had heard of MyPlate, 39% had looked online for information about MyPlate, and 33% had tried to follow its recommended diet.

Improving parents’ awareness of MyPlate has the potential to positively impact the health of both children and adults. Researchers, nutrition educators, and public health professionals can leverage social media and other digital platforms to disseminate evidence-based nutrition information to families. Strengthening federal funding for public K-12 education, SNAP-Ed, WIC, and childcare programs, such as Head Start, can increase opportunities for both parents and children to learn about nutrition and become aware of resources to support healthy eating. Continued support of federal agencies and federally-funded programs to support food access and nutrition education, including the USDA, SNAP, SNAP-Ed, WIC, and the National School Lunch Program, is crucial to support U.S. families, especially as 18% of U.S. households with children experienced food insecurity in 2023.

Our findings also highlight the importance of continuing to collect high-quality nationally representative public health data about the health of our nation, and to continue to provide federal support for research to improve the health of families across the country.