Obesity Prevention: Getting It

What do the private sector marketers know about obesity and ways to encourage it, prevent it, or just play around the edges with it? The Hartman Group gives us the benefit of their years of experience conducting research in this area in a new report. They begin with a clear-eyed perspective on current approaches to obesity management and prevention. Most public policy approaches, they state, fall into one of two buckets: teaching or tinkering. [click on image to enlarge]

Strangely, we find that none of the 10 suggestions listed above begin to directly address the pink elephant hovering in the corner. The root problem, of course, is that we simply consume far, far too many calories for our own good.

They go on to note the trend of more people eating alone and the decline in group or social settings for eating: The rule of thumb is that when others are around, we tend to eat less and when we are eating alone, we tend to eat much more.

Their recommendations include:

• Remove all vending machines in schools and restrict eating to the cafeteria.
• Encourage businesses and public institutions to remove vending machines, commissaries and, most importantly, stocked refrigerators from the workplace.
• Businesses and public institutions should rethink the need for any and all food served at meetings and conferences.
• Work toward policies and values that encourage eating together—both within the household as well as in public.

And herein lies the most significant and important challenge of all, namely, how to change not individual behavior but the parameters within which such behavior resides—how to change our culture.

The report, Understanding Obesity: Beyond Teaching, Tinkering and Blaming, is available from The Hartman Group for free for a limited time only (registration required).

The notion of opportunities as a primary driver for obesity is reinforced by a Unilever scientist in Food Navigator:

"The challenge in relation to weight control remains to improve the quality and attractiveness of lower energy foods, and ensure they are not just "liked", but also "wanted"."

Food marketers should also take responsibility to ensure that they are not unduly adding to the environmental stimulation to eat inappropriately.

Like introducing more competitive foods into the school environment and encouraging responsible use of food vending machines by students (as opposed to changes in school food policies).

On a related note: the McDonald's Corporation has announced that they are introducing cinnamon rolls and fruit snacks 'to expand sales during slow periods of the day.'

McDonald's is developing foods for consumers, including motorists, who want smaller portions between breakfast, lunch and dinner, [said] Ralph Alvarez, president of the company's North American operations.

Smaller portions BETWEEN meals. You can't make this stuff up and it all makes sense when you look at is as a social marketer.

Obesity prevention and control comes back to distribution and opportunities - AKA stimulus control and environmental cues - not knowledge, intentions and attitudes.

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