Exploring the link between food purchasing behaviour and obesity
in the West Midlands
David Elliott
Public Health Manager
Department of Health West Midlands
Background
• Contact with AWM (RIP) co-funded PhDs at Kent Business School with access to dunhunby database and daily data provided by 1.2m shoppers
• DHWM provide research project funding from DH obesity programme after discussing feasibility and agreeing methodology
• Project managed through steering group of Prof Fearne, David Elliott, Catherine Goodridge and Harjit Kooner
Model of Community Nutrition Environments
Model of community nutritional environments cont’d
• Model taken from K Glanz et al (2005)• Identifies four distinct environmental
variables that can have a direct or indirect influence on eating patterns
• These are part of an overall ‘nutrition environment’
• This research project focuses on the community, organisational and consumer environments
Public Health Responsibility Deal
• Launched 15 March 2011• Food Networks: Scope and collective pledges
– Out of home calorie labelling– Salt reduction– Artificial trans fats
• Next phase:– Supporting people to reduce calorie intake– Improving access to fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy
diet
• Note pledge (30 March) by Association of Convenience Stores (Spar, Costcutter, Londis and NISA-Todays) to fund 1,000 stores across country by 2012 to use C4L branding to promote fruit &
vegetables
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink…
• Cabinet Office Report: ‘Applying Behavioural Insights to Health’ (2010)
• Public Health is a priority for Cabinet Office Behavioural Insight Team
• One suggestion is to reinforce social norms about other people’s behaviour/the average shopper to spur greater consumption of fruit and vegetables – note recent C4L and Asda collaboration
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