An examination of public support for 35 nutrition interventions across seven countries

Abstract

Background Public support for evidence-based nutrition interventions can be an important determinant of government willingness to develop and implement such interventions. The aim of this study was to assess support for a broad range of nutrition interventions across seven countries: Australia, Canada, China, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Assessed interventions included those relating to food availability, affordability, reformulation, labelling, and promotion. Methods Approximately 1000 adults per country (total n = 7559) completed an online survey assessing support for 35 nutrition interventions/policies. ANOVA analyses were used to identify differences between countries on overall levels of support and by intervention category. Multiple regression analyses assessed demographic and diet-related factors associated with higher levels of support across the total sample and by country. Results Substantial levels of public support were found for the assessed interventions across the seven countries and five intervention categories. The highest levels were found in India (Mean across all interventions of 4.16 (standard deviation (SD) 0.65) on a 5-point scale) and the lowest in the United States (Mean = 3.48, SD = 0.83). Support was strongest for interventions involving food labelling (Mean = 4.20, SD = 0.79) and food reformulation (Mean = 4.17, SD = 0.87), and weakest for fiscal interventions (Mean = 3.52, SD = 1.06). Consumer characteristics associated with stronger support were higher self-rated health, higher educational attainment, female sex, older age, and perceptions of consuming a healthy diet. Conclusion The results indicate substantial support for a large range of nutrition interventions across the assessed countries, and hence governments could potentially be more proactive in developing and implementing such initiatives.

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