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13 October 2006
New York, NY
As obesity rates in the U.S. continue to rise, a new ACNielsen study finds that Americans know how to manage their weight—but often don’t follow their own good advice.
According to LifeChoices, a global ACNielsen study of how habitual out-of-home eating and drinking behaviors are established, 82 percent of consumers acknowledge that individuals are the most responsible for weight gain in the U.S. population, a far higher percentage than place the biggest blame on fast food restaurants (six percent) or food companies (two percent).
Despite this focus on personal responsibility, consumers tend not to follow their own advice. While 62 percent of U.S. consumers see the value in taking up a sport, hobby or exercise regime as a weight control strategy, only 32 percent of those surveyed have actually tried it. Those who haven’t tied on their jogging shoes or hit the basketball court are missing out: 88 percent of consumers who tried this strategy found it to be effective.
The disconnect between advice and action continues when looking at consumers’ food choices. Though Americans acknowledge that certain activities would be effective for weight control, such as reducing how often they eat junk food (65 percent) and substituting water for sugary drinks or juices (61 percent), the rate at which they try these strategies does not always match their perceived effectiveness. Only the two most commonly tried weight control activities, eating junk food less frequently and reducing meal size, tried by 64 percent and 58 percent of consumers, have trial rates that come close to matching perceived effectiveness.
Effectiveness and Trial Rates of Weight Control Activities
Activity |
Perceived effectiveness (whether tried
or not)
|
Have tried |
Effectiveness
for those who
have tried
|
| Reducing frequency of eating junk food |
65% |
64% |
86% |
| Taking up a sport, hobby or exercise regime |
62% |
32% |
88% |
| Substituting water for sugared drinks and juices |
61% |
54% |
85% |
| Reducing meal sizes |
60% |
58% |
86% |
| Increasing exercise intensity or amount |
57% |
46% |
84% |
A major factor in consumers’ unwillingness to follow through with healthy lifestyle changes could be our modern ‘convenience culture’. Nearly one-fifth (18 percent) of U.S. consumers surveyed said that the main factor leading to weight gain is that modern life is too easy for people to make an effort toward healthy living. This cause was beaten out only by lack of exercise (29 percent) and the vast availability of junk food (19 percent).
“Messages about healthy eating and exercise are sinking in, yet consumers aren’t taking enough action,” said Tom Markert, Chief Marketing Officer, ACNielsen. “This study shows that many consumers consider the lifestyle changes they associate with weight control to be too inconvenient to follow. There is a huge opportunity for restaurants and food companies to approach consumers with products branded as healthy to make their decisions that much easier.”
Though consumers know the basics about weight control, more guidance from the food industry could go a long way. When shown a variety of snack foods in the LifeChoices study, respondents overestimated the number of calories in every one, and they overestimated the calorie count in 14 of 15 fast food meals.
“This is why you see the recent explosion of foods being sold in ‘100 calorie packs’,” explained Markert. “While consumers know the basic facts about healthy eating and exercise, they don’t always want to research the finer nutritional points. The easier food companies can make these choices for consumers, the more consumers will respond.”
About ACNielsen LifeChoices
LifeChoices is a global ACNielsen study of how habitual out-of-home eating and drinking behavior becomes established; the heuristics underlying them, and the impact of weight gain concerns in modifying choice.
ACNielsen LifeChoices provides unparalleled insight for marketers interested in the broader dynamics of out-of-home food and drinks choice today, and in the context of obesity. In-house research is usually narrowly focused in an area of choice or moment of time - why product A at time B - whereas LifeChoices allows clients to ‘zoom-out’ for a bigger picture of out of home consumption behavior.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world’s leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 markets, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen’s market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns.
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