Weight management is a dynamic process, with a pre-treatment phase, a treatment (including process) phase and post-treatment maintenance, and where relapse is possible during both the treatment and maintenance.Variability in the statistical power of the studies concerned, heterogeneity in the definitions, the complexity of obesity and treatment success, the constructs and measures used to predict weight loss maintenance, and an appreciation of who, and how many people achieve it, make prediction difficult.In models of weight loss or maintenance: (i) predictors explain up to 20-30% of the variance; (ii) many predictors are the sum of several small constituent variables, each accounting for a smaller proportion of the variance; (iii) correlational or predictive relationships differ across study populations; (iv) interindividual variability in predictors and correlates of outcomes is high; (v) most of the variance remains unexplained.Greater standardisation of predictive constructs and outcome measures, in more clearly defined study populations, tracked longitudinally, is needed better to predict who sustains weight loss.Treatments need to develop a more individualised approach that is sensitive to patients' needs and individual differences, which requires measuring and predicting patterns of intra-individual behaviour variations associated weight loss and its maintenance. This information will help people shape behaviour change solutions to their own lifestyle needs.3

Background: Rising levels of obesity coupled with the limited success of currently available weight control methods highlight the need for investigation of novel approaches to obesity treatment. This study aims to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an Internet-based resource for obesity management.

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Following the discovery of horsemeat in beef products in Europe in 2013, restoring consumers' confidence in processed meat products as well as in all the agencies involved – producers, food safety authorities, retailers – soon became a key priority. However, the European public's confidence in processed meat products and their views about government and industry actions to manage fraudulent practices in the wake of this incident are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to identify the core issues affecting consumers' confidence in the food industry, particularly in the meat processing sector, and to explore the impact of the horsemeat incident on consumers' purchasing and eating behaviour. It involved the use of an online deliberation tool VIZZATA™ to collect detailed views of 61 consumers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Many participants reported buying fewer products containing processed meat as a result of the horsemeat incident. These respondents also claimed that their confidence in processed foods containing meat was lower than before the incident. Participants suggested restoring consumer confidence through improved traceability, sourcing local ingredients, providing clearer and correct labelling and stating the origin of meat on pack. Overall, findings indicate that rebuilding consumer confidence in processed meat products following a food adulteration episode is a multifaceted and difficult process. Food authorities and the food industry can benefit from the insights provided by this study to address issues affecting consumer confidence and to improve their communication strategies during future food adulteration incidents

This study investigates parents' ability to correctly classify their child's weight status. The influence of parent and child socio-demographic and lifestyle factors on parental misclassification of their child's weight status is explored. A representative sample of Irish children (aged 5-12 (n = 596) years, aged 13-17 years (n = 441)) and their parents (n = 1885) were recruited to participate in a national dietary survey. Parental perceptions of their child's weight and their own weight were measured. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were objectively measured for parents and children. Body Mass Index (BMI) scores were derived and categorised as normal, overweight or obese using standard references. Over 80% of parents of overweight boys and 79.3% of parents of overweight girls reported their child's weight was fine for his/her height and age. Furthermore, 44.4% of parents of obese boys and 45.3% of parents of obese girls felt their child's weight was fine for their height and age. Parents were significantly less likely to be correct about their sons' weight status and more likely to be correct the older the child. Parents were over 86% less likely to be correct about their child's weight if their child was overweight and approximately 59% less likely to be correct if the child was obese, compared to parents of normal weight children. This research suggests that parents are failing to recognise overweight and obesity in their children with factors such as parental weight status, child's age and gender influencing this.

The world of communication has changed significantly in the last decade as a result of the evolution of social media. Food crisis managers and communicators should be cognizant of the messages presented to the public by all media channels during a crisis. Using the 2008 Irish dioxin contamination incident as an example, a quantitative content analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between social and traditional media. Messages published in printed newspapers (n = 141), blogs and forums (n = 107), and Twitter (n = 68) were analysed to investigate sourcing practice, story topic and use of tone. Results revealed that traditional media relied on diverse offline sources in reporting a wide range of topics. In comparison, social media responded faster and diminished faster, using offline and online media news messages as the primary sources in reporting very limited topics. No significant difference was found in the presence of negative tone across media.

Social media penetrated and brought new opportunities to food organizations' interactions with the public. Given the increasing use of social media by the public, food organizations need to explore such new opportunities for communication and research.