Title: Creating an Environment in Which Young People are Encouraged to Eat a Healthier Diet
1Creating an Environment in Which Young People are
Encouraged to Eat a Healthier Diet
- Marvin E. GoldbergBard Professor of Marketing
- Penn State University
- Kunter Gunasti
- Ph.D. StudentPenn State University
- International Economic Forum
- of the Americas
- Montreal
- June 6, 2006
2The problem
- In the U.S., obesity rates for 2-19 year olds
have tripled since 1963. - 33.6 are obese or at risk of obesity
- (CDC 2006)
- At current rates, the lifetime risk of type 2
diabetes is 30 for boys and 40 for
girls. (IOM 2006)
3Legislative solution Quebec law eliminating
advertising to children
- Goal
- reduce the level of expenditures on
non-nutritious foods - improve the health of Quebec children
4Assessing the effects of the law
- Number of sugared/childrens cereals in each home
- Study Design
- Francophone Anglophone
- children children
5Assessing the effects of the law
Childrens Cereals Capn Crunch Honey Nut
Cheerios Sugar Crisp Frosted Flakes Honey
Combs Count Chocula Cocoa Pebbles Frankenberry
Fruity Pebbles Mr. T Pac Man Lucky
Charms Strawberry Shortcake Corn
Pops Cheerios C-3 POs Marshmallow Krispies
6Average number of sugared/childrens cereals in
each home
Francophone Anglophone Group children
children
- High income/education 1.4 1.3
- Low income/education
7Average number of sugared/childrens cereals in
each home
Francophone Anglophone Group children
children
- High income/education 1.4 1.3
- Low income/education 1.4 3.6
8U.S.A. 2006
- Proposed legislative remedies
- Key aspects of young peoples environment
- Parents
- In-school interventions
- Promotion/media influence
- In-store/restaurant influence
9Proposed legislative remedies potential of
legislative threat
- Labeling guidelines
- Advertising restrictions
- School-based restrictions
10Labeling
- Restaurants
- Pending federal menu and labeling bill.
- McDonalds nutritional information on wrappers
-
11Labeling
- Packaged foods
- Pending federal legislation
- required full-package (real serving)
information - to supplement single serving information.
- 100 Calorie portion control packages
- PG Pringles Kraft Chips Ahoy
- Pepsicos green symbol Smart SpotT.
12Advertising restrictions
- Federal bills restricting childrens advertising
- Voluntary restrictions
- Kraft
- will continue to advertise only a very few
(healthier) foods to children. - Channel One Kraft, Kellogg withdraw ads
13School-based remedies
- Vending Machines
- Sweetened sodas account for 45 of all sales
- Legislative/school district initiatives to
eliminate vending machines - Recent agreement to eliminate sugared sodas by
2009-2010 school year. -
-
14Parents
- Mothers and grown daughters share brand
preferences. - Product Leading Brand
- Soup..76 Campbells..84
- Catsup..65 Heinz..80
- Peanut Butter53 Peter Pan..67
- Mayonnaise51 Miracle Whip59
- Pasta.47 Mueller.63
- Spaghetti sauce..46 Newmans Own...86
- Tuna..41 Bumble Bee..50
- (Moore, Wilkie Lutz 2002)
15Parents
- Parental obesity is strongly associated with
youth obesity (Carriere 2003) - By age 5, childrens food intake is influenced by
the size of the portion served to them
(Rolls et al. 2000) - Weight reduction intervention
- targeting parents of obese children
- vs. targeting the children themselves
(Golan Crow 2004)
16In-school interventions
- Changing the food environment through the 4 Ps
product place promotion price - Price (in cafeteria) study
- 50 reduction in price of fresh fruit, baby
carrots, salads (two high schools) -
- Sales increases
- Fruit..4X
- Baby carrots..2X
- Saladsno change
- (French et al.1997)
17In-school interventions
- In-class interventions targeting young people
- Nutritional Education
- Media Literacy
18In-school interventions
- In-class interventions
- Nutritional education
- Relies on new food pyramid
- non-controversial
- unlikely to change behavior
- (Ellen et al. 1998)
19(No Transcript)
20In-school interventions
- In class educational interventions
- necessary but not sufficient.
- Five a day is an overly cognitive approach
- Singing/animating Five a Day is not marketing
21In-school interventions
- In class interventions media literacy
- Goal teach young people about advertisers
tactics and motives - theyll become more vigilant in considering ads.
- Goal demonstrate adolescents loss of freedom of
choice - theyll demonstrate reactance/pushback
- Experimental intervention with 6th graders
alcohol advertising - Results reduced intentions to drink
(Goldberg et al. 2006)
22Promotion food industry advertising to young
people
- 10-12 billion is spent annually by the food
industry on advertising targeted to children. - Children watch up to 40,000 commercials per year
- More than 50 of commercials directed to children
promote less healthy foods and beverages. - (Institute of Medicine IOM 2005)
- Consequence absence of balance in the media--
key risk factor (examples from alcohol and
tobacco).
23Food Promotions altering the balance
- Tapping into key motives
- (1) Taste or (2) nutrition?
- perceived as inversely related
- nutritious foods are likely to taste bad.
-
- (3) Fitting in/being accepted by ones peers
- Foods as props/symbols the right food/drink
(e.g. water) (Solomon 1983) -
24Tapping into key motives
- (4) The desire to grow up
- Theres nothing a 15 year-old would rather be
than 18. - Advertising tactic use slightly older models
(tobacco industry strategy).
25Tapping into key motives
- (5) Having fun
- Tony the Tiger Ronald McDonald
26Tapping into key motives
- (5) Having fun
- Tony the Tiger Ronald McDonald
- Zoup-Ah Max on Snacks Gaspergoo Gusto
cooking shows
27Tapping into key motives
- (6) Saving time
- Adolescents sleeping in or breakfast?
- Strategy provide convenient, time saving,
accessible healthy choices
28Out of home fast food restaurants
convenience stores
- Percent of calories consumed by young people from
fast foods - 1970s 2
- 1990s 10 (Guthrie et al. 2002)
- 3 out of 4 teens shop at least once a week at
convenience stores for an average of 10 minutes
twice as long as adults -
29Supermarkets efforts to stimulate fruit
vegetable sales
- 1988-91 CA macro-experiment
- 5 a Dayfor Better Health! campaign
- 85 of all CA grocery stores participated
- In-store signage at front of each store
- 2,000 color brochures at front of each store
- Full-page color newspaper ads
30Supermarkets efforts to stimulate fruit
vegetable sales
- 1988-91 CA macro-experiment
- 5 a Dayfor Better Health! campaign
- 85 of all CA grocery stores participated
- In-store signage at front of each store
- 2,000 color brochures at front of each store
- Full-page color newspaper ads
- Results
- no change in fruit and vegetable consumption
beyond secular trend a 1.3 increase. - (Foerster et al. 1995)
31In sum supermarkets
- Why no change?
- Consumers make choices product by product aisle
by aisle (not at the front of the store) - The food and beverage industry spends
- 80 billion annually on in-store advertising and
promotion--54 of their marketing budget.
(Thompson 2005) - Conclusion food industry support is essential
- in providing healthy options aisle by aisle
- in promoting these options
32Slim Chance in a Fat World (Stunkard 1976)
- A critical role for every institution
- food industry at retail media
- government carrot stick
- family parents child/adolescent
- schools
- medical profession
- Church (gluttony)