Monitoring changes in community support for policies on obesity prevention

Public Opinion on Food Policies to Combat Obesity in Spain

“…Hence, promoting education campaigns about the harm caused by UF&B might increase public support for food policies [ 36 ]. In our study, less support was observed for provision and sale policies among groups of middle and lower socioeconomic status, in line with other studies conducted elsewhere [ 18 , 22 , 37 , 38 ] and in Spain [ 25 ] that report lower support for food policies in this segment, especially where taxes are involved. A systematic review shows scant concordance in support for policies related with diet and physical activity according to socioeconomic status: Of a total of seven studies analyzed, there were two in which groups of a low socioeconomic level felt favorable toward the interventions and three in which this group felt less favorable, and in the remainder, no differences were observed [ 19 ].…”

“…Moreover, women are more exposed to the social consequences of food-related diseases, such as obesity, which is a cause of discrimination in the workplace among European women in general and Spanish women in particular [ 33 ]. Diseases related to unhealthy eating habits tend to present in adult ages and are more prevalent among older adults [ 2 , 4 ], thus leading to greater motivation to follow a healthy diet and, in turn, perhaps accounting for the higher support for food policies observed in older age groups, as shown in other studies [ 18 , 19 ].…”

“…In our study, support for the proposed measures under the four food-policy headings was higher among women, a finding in line with what has repeatedly been observed in the literature [ 15 , 29 , 30 ]. This could be due to the fact that in recent years, there has been growing concern among consumers about the nutritional quality of the products they consume, with this phenomenon being more marked among women, who are more deeply involved in following good dietary habits and maintaining healthy lifestyles [ 18 , 19 , 31 ]. Indeed, the European Health Interview Survey shows that Spanish women register a higher intake of fruit and vegetables and do more low-to-moderate intensity physical activity than men [ 32 ].…”

“…When the news media reflect certain industries’ influence on and responsibility for population eating habits, the public tends to support the government regulation of these sectors, e.g., Spain’s support for tobacco control policies grew as public opinion shifted from a predominant view of tobacco use as a free choice to the notion of tobacco as an addictive product aggressively marketed and manipulated by the tobacco industry [ 16 ]. Support for food policies not only increases when the population is aware of the harmful effects of unhealthy diets and the environmental causes of obesity [ 17 ] but also depends on sociodemographic factors, with older adults, women, and persons with university or higher education being more favorable toward the implementation of such policies [ 18 , 19 ]. Population support for food policies is also conditioned by what the policy deals with: labeling policies and restrictions on unhealthy food advertising to children, more related to informing and educating the population or protecting vulnerable groups, receive stronger support than policies involving price raising [ 15 , 17 ].…”

An ecological study of obesity-related cancer incidence trends in Australia from 1983 to 2017

“…Public policy can support obesity control and create environments that promote health lifestyle behaviours. 7 In Australia, such policies have a high level of community support, 58 but more limited political support. Governments have previously developed frameworks for action, 59 which included initiatives such as reductions in children's exposure to unhealthy food advertising and clear nutrition labelling.…”