Abstract

Objectives: To describe the use of food label information for product selection among adults in Chile and examine its association with sociodemographic variables and caregiver status for children. Methods: Cross-sectional study using secondary data from the 2016-2017 Chilean National Health Survey (ENS). Adults aged 18 years or older were included, and primary caregivers of children aged 7 months to 5 years were identified. The use of the following label elements was analyzed: ingredient list, nutritional information, warning labels, health messages, brand, and price in food purchase decisions (YES: always, almost always, sometimes; NO: rarely, never). Associations were assessed using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic variables. Results: The most frequently used information was price (71.3%) and brand (62.2%), followed by warning labels (55.4%). The nutrition facts panel was the least used (43.3%). Frequent use of label information was associated with being female, higher education, higher income, and urban residence. Among participants, 11.2% were caregivers of children, mostly women (85.2%). No significant differences were observed in label use between caregivers and non-caregivers. Conclusions: Following the implementation of the labeling law, warning labels have become a key source of information for food selection. Although the legislation is aimed at protecting children under 14, no differential use of label information was found among caregivers of young children, which may be related to intra-household and social factors influencing purchasing decisions.