Marc Joseph Nutrition - Blog

Couple of new studies out that highlight what many likely intuitively know: Many Americans want to eat better and be more healthy, but they want it to be easier and more convenient to do so.

ACNielsen - LifeChoices

NPD Group - Eating Patterns in America

The AC Nielsen study notes that most people (82%) acknowledge that the responsibility for weight gain lies with the individual. And yet, despite the fact that approximately 6 out of 10 people perceive as effective some of the important steps they can take to control weight, such as:

• Reducing frequency of eating junk food
• Taking up a sport, hobby, or exercise program
• Substituting water for sugary drinks
• Reducing meal sizes
• Increasing exercise intensity or amount of exercise

even smaller percentages of people actually take action.

(The fact that approximately 4 out of 10 people don’t perceive the steps above as potentially helpful is a separate, slightly scary issue. But let’s focus on the other 6 out of 10 first.)

For example, 65% of people perceive reducing junk food consumption as effective in losing weight. Yet, only 64% of those people have actually tried that. And what’s really interesting is that 86% of those who tried it found it to be effective.

Likewise, 62% of people thought taking up a sport or exercise program would be effective, but only 32% of them actually tried it. Of those who tried it, 88% found it to be effective!

Easier, But Better?

Clearly, something is holding people back. And that ‘thing’ seems to be convenience. When asked why consumers don’t follow through on healthy lifestyle changes, the top three responses were lack of exercise (29%), easy availability of junk food (19%), and the ease of modern life (18%).

According to the NPD study,

“The driving force in our eating habits has always been convenience. The only surprise is how that will manifest in our behavior.”

For example: The top 5 reasons people chose a dish for dinner

1. Required little effort or easy to make = 53%
2. Took little/no planning = 50%
3. Made with foods that are on-hand = 39%
4. Everyone would like = 35%
5. Easily cleaned up = 34%

It’s true a healthy lifestyle can require more effort. Exercise take time. Healthy food alternatives aren’t always easily available, especially when eating out. Nor are fresh foods as quick and easy to prepare as packaged foods.

Life is busy for many Americans. It’s often just easier to go for the convenient alternatives.

Yet, the health of many Americans continues to decline, in large part because of their own dietary and lifestyle choices. My guess is that behavior changes won’t really take hold until the health care costs resulting from these dietary and lifestyle choices are more directly borne by the individuals making the decisions. That’s certainly beginning to happen today and will only accelerate going forward as the health care system changes. It’s a topic that we’ll revisit often.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 26th, 2006 at 10:56 pm and is filed under Diets, Food Industry, Health Care Costs, Obesity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.