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According to the 2012 National Nutritional Survey, Australian adults are opting for diets low in fruits and vegetables, and consuming energy-dense foods high in fat, salt and sugar(1). Long-term consumption of energy-dense foods is a major contributor to a range of chronic diseases including obesity(2–5). The Australia’s Health 2018 report identified a range of diseases resulting from overweight and obesity, examples include various cancers, cardiovascular conditions, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dementia, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and asthma(6). It is estimated that 64 % of Australian adults are currently either overweight or obese, and it is predicted that by 2025, 34 % of Australian adults will be obese(1,7). Optimal nutrition and regular exercise are known preventive measures against obesity(8). Improving an individual’s knowledge of healthy eating has been a central component in many interventions aiming to improve an individual’s nutritional intake(8–17).
While there are many closely related and intertwined factors which contribute to the aetiology and maintenance of obesity, associations have been identified of improved nutritional knowledge with increased fruit and vegetable intake and lower intake of energy-dense foods(8,18–20). Nutrition knowledge has been identified as influencing not only food choice and consumption, but also how individuals perceive and define healthy eating(3,18,19). Various studies conducted during the late 1980s and 1990s explored definitions of healthy eating(21–25). Most recently, a Canadian qualitative study explored perceptions and definitions of healthy eating and eating pleasure(25). Responses from twelve focus groups suggested that healthy eating was described in accordance with characteristics related to the nutritional quality of food(25), thus further supporting previous definitions from studies that categorised healthy eating by factors that were perceived to be important, for example ‘freshness’, ‘natural’, ‘fruits and vegetables’(21–24,26). Furthermore, many reasons may influence an individual’s perception of what factors are important when defining a healthy food choice, including current popular diet trends, health...