scholarly journals Article Commentary: “R-Rating” for Fast Food: A Novel Weapon in Our Fight against the Expanding Teen Obesity Epidemic

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. CMPed.S881
Author(s):  
Alexander A. Kon
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Teen Obesity

Calories and Cents

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gertner ◽  
Alex K. Gertner ◽  
Denizar Vianna Araujo ◽  
Luciana Bahia ◽  
Isabel Bouzas
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Quantity Discounts ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Global Health Issue ◽  
Value Pricing ◽  
New Consumer

In recent decades, obesity has become a critical global health issue. Experts and laypeople alike attribute high obesity rates to lifestyle choices involving diet and exercise. Following decades of increasing portion sizes and decreasing nutritional value, the food and beverage and fast-food industries have felt intense pressure to answer to new consumer priorities and what some see as their role in fueling the obesity epidemic. This article examines marketing and pricing practices implemented by some of the most popular food and beverage and fast-food industry players in the U.S. market that are involved in this response. Although marketers claim they are offering healthier choices and supporting the fight against obesity, our analysis reveals common industry strategies, including value pricing, psychological pricing, quantity discounts, and combo deals that undermine healthy food choices. We argue that in order to truly encourage healthy eating, these industries must revise not only their products but also their fundamental approach to creating customer value. It is also imperative that consumers, legislators, and the media be informed about deceitful strategies used pervasively by food and beverage manufacturers and fast-food restaurant chains that ultimately aggravate the obesity epidemic.

Fast Food Fighters Fall Flat: Plaintiffs Fail to Establish that McDonalds should be Liable for Obesity-related Illnesses

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-729
Author(s):  
Ben Falit
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Direct Compensation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Year 2000

This nation’s obesity epidemic is hardly a laughing matter. Approximately 300,000 Americans die from obesity-related causes each year, and without corrective measures, obesity may soon be responsible for as many deaths as cigarette smoking. Sixty-one percent of adults are overweight or obese, and the cost of obesity for the year 2000 was estimated to be 117 billion dollars.In Pelman v. McDmalds, a case decided in September 2003, a federal judge dismissed an amended complaint that attempted to hold McDonalds liable for its customers’ obesity-related illnesses. While many argue that such litigation is frivolous and that the plaintiffs did not deserve direct compensation for their injuries, the debate has largely overlooked the important question raised by these cases - who should pay for the enormous financial strain that obesity places on America’s health care system? Although the courtroom may not be the appropriate forum to deal with this issue, the litigation has undoubtedly brought a great deal of much-needed attention to a vexatious social problem.

scholarly journals Local Context Influence, Activity Space, and Foodscape Exposure in Two Canadian Metropolitan Settings: Is Daily Mobility Exposure Associated with Overweight?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Lebel ◽  
Yan Kestens ◽  
Robert Pampalon ◽  
Marius Thériault ◽  
Mark Daniel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Activity Space ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Contextual Risk ◽  
Contextual Indicators

It has become increasingly common to attribute part of the obesity epidemic to changes in the environment. Identification of a clear and obvious role for contextual risk factors has not yet been demonstrated. The objectives of this study were to explain differences in local overweight risk in two different urban settings and to explore sex-specific associations with estimated mobility patterns. Overweight was modeled within a multilevel framework using built environmental and socioeconomic contextual indicators and individual-level estimates of activity space exposure to fast-food restaurants (or exposure to visited places). Significant variations in local levels in overweight risk were observed. Physical and socioeconomic contexts explained more area-level differences in overweight among men than among women and among inhabitants of Montreal than among inhabitants of Quebec City. Estimated activity space exposure to fast-food outlets was significantly associated with overweight for men in Montreal. Local-level analyses are required to improve our understanding of contextual influences on obesity, including multiple influences in people's daily geographies.

The Good Scientist and the Good Multinational

2020 ◽  
pp. 139-162
Author(s):  
Susan Greenhalgh
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
State Funding ◽  
World Health ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Disease Specialist

This chapter examines the practice of ethics in the making of Chinese obesity science. A disease in itself and a risk factor for many other diseases, obesity's prevalence is rising rapidly around the world, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to label it one of the greatest public health threats of the century. Obesity is also a pressing concern because the private industry is intensely interested in the condition. Companies in the soda and fast food industries, widely seen as major contributors to the obesity epidemic, have sought to protect their profits from core foods and beverages by reshaping the scientific narrative about the causes of and solutions to the epidemic. The chapter considers the case of a prominent nutritionist and chronic disease specialist, Chen Chunming, who, after decades as a government health researcher and official and facing limited state funding for chronic disease work, in the early 1990s established an NGO-type organization that took the lead in naming and addressing the obesity epidemic in China.

scholarly journals Use of Restaurant Nutrition Information and Body Mass Index Among U.S. Adults Based on NHANES 2013–2014 Data (P04-182-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Martin ◽  
Katherine Alonso ◽  
Cristina Palacios
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Buying Decisions

Abstract Objectives Energy-dense meals consumed in restaurants may be contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic. To help Americans make healthier food choices at restaurants, the display of nutrition information on menus has emerged as a nationwide initiative. A large percentage of Americans consume foods from either fast-food or full-service restaurants daily, therefore, a strategy to address the obesity epidemic is to look for trends among adults between the use of nutrition information in restaurants and their body mass index (BMI). Therefore, the objective of this analysis was to evaluate the association between use of nutrition information in restaurants and BMI in the US. Methods Data collected from the 2013–2014 NHANES survey was used for this analysis. We used responses to the question on use of nutrition information in restaurants to make purchasing decision. This was associated with BMI, categorized as healthy weight (18.5 to less than 25 kg/m2) or as overweight/obese (equal or greater than 25 kg/m2), using multiple logistic regression, crude and adjusting for age and gender. Results A total of 1238 individuals ages 18–65 responded the question about using nutrition information on menu for deciding which foods to purchase in a restaurant. A total of 44.5% reported using menu for making such decisions. Overweight/obese was found in 69% of participants. Use of the nutrition information for buying decisions in restaurants was not associated with lower risk of obesity (OR: 1.208, 95% CI: 0.947, 1.541). Similar results were seen when we adjusted for age and gender (OR: 1.148, 95% CI: 0.892, 1.473). Conclusions Use of the nutrition information to make buying decisions in a restaurant was not associated with obesity in this cross-sectional analysis using NHANES data. This could be explained by the fact that the individuals who are using the nutrition information to make purchasing decisions are overweight/obese at the time of the survey and are actively trying to make healthier choices. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results. Funding Sources Florida International University internal funds.

scholarly journals Exploring the extent of digital food and beverage related content associated with a family-friendly event: a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Amson ◽  
Lauren Remedios ◽  
Adena Pinto ◽  
Monique Potvin Kent
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Marketing ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Coding Manual

Abstract Background Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage content is a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Youth are susceptible to unhealthy digital food marketing including content shared by their peers, which can be as influential as commercial marketing. Current Canadian regulations do not consider the threat digital food marketing poses to health. No research to date has examined the prevalence of food related posts on social media surrounding family-friendly events. The aim of this study was to explore the frequency of food related content (including food marketing) and the marketing techniques employed in social media posts related to a family-friendly event in Canada. Methods In this case study, a content analysis of social media posts related to a family-friendly event on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram was conducted between January to February 2019. Each post containing food related content was identified and categorized by source and food category using a coding manual. Marketing techniques found in each food related post were also assessed. Results A total of 732 food and beverage related posts were assessed. These posts were most commonly promoted through Instagram (n = 561, 76.6%) with significantly more individual users (61.5%; p < 0.05) generating food and beverage related content (n = 198, 27%) than other post sources. The top most featured food category was fast food (n = 328, 44.8%) followed by dine-in restaurants (n = 126, 17.2%). The most frequently observed marketing techniques included predominantly featuring a child in the post (n = 124, 16.9%; p < 0.0001), followed by products intended for children (n = 118, 16.1%; p < 0.05), and the presence of family (n = 57, 7.8%; p < 0.0001). Conclusions The present study highlights the proliferation of unhealthy food and beverage content by individuals at a family-friendly event as well as the presence of food marketing. Due to the unfettered advertising found in digital spaces, and that they are largely unregulated, it is important for future policies looking to combat childhood obesity to consider incorporating social media into their regulations to safeguard family-friendly events. General awareness on the implications of peer to peer sharing of unhealthy food and beverage posts should also be considered.

Nutrient Demand in Food Away from Home

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Richards ◽  
Lisa Mancino ◽  
William Nganje
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Food Away From Home ◽  
Nutrient Demand ◽  
Positive Health Outcomes

Food away from home (FAFH) and, specifically fast food, has been targeted by academics and public policy officials alike as a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. Criticized as high in energy, fat and sugars, the implication is that consumers demand the combination of nutrients in FAFH in excess. If market-based policies intended to correct the perceived market failure in nutrient demand are to be successful, information on nutrient elasticities is required. Moreover, co-dependent relationships between nutrient intake and bioeconomic outcomes – obesity, physical activity and health status – are found to be important in the public health literature, but are not typically included in econometric studies of FAFH demand. Nutrients, however, do not have market prices. This study derives a set of implicit nutrient prices and estimates the elasticities of demand for nutrients in FAFH that takes into account the endogeneity of bioeconomic outcomes. Our estimation results show that fat is the only macro-nutrient that is elastic in demand, and all cross-price elasticities are small, so nutrient-based price policies may indeed be effective in modifying FAFH choices. Simulation results confirm this hypothesis, and also support the use of policies that subsidize positive health outcomes.

scholarly journals Size matters: exploring the links between food portion sizes and diet quality in Irish children

2011 ◽  
pp. 112-117
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Adult Obesity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Portion Sizes ◽  
Food Portion ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
The Relationship

Food portions have increased over the last 20 years. This has been shown to be true for the foods we eat at home, those consumed at restaurants and fast-food outlets, and for foods sold in packages. Along with this increase in food portion sizes has been an increase in both child and adult obesity, leading to the obvious question: could larger food portion sizes be contributing to the obesity epidemic? The World Health Organisation (WHO) has cited large portion sizes as a ‘possible’ dietary risk factor for obesity, which according to their definition means that ‘more trials are needed to support the tentative associations’. Their caution is based on the fact that the evidence comes mainly from cross-sectional studies, which typically include a large number of individuals but are essentially observational, and therefore cannot conclude that the relationship between large portion sizes and obesity is a causative one. The WHO ...

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