U.S., UK consumers view obesity causes differently

Food & Drink Weekly, July 19, 2004

A significant majority of U.S. adults accept personal responsibility for the nation's obesity epidemic, with 83 percent of American adults saying "it is the responsibility of individuals to get obesity under control," according to a study conducted by Universal McCann. This attitude differs from that of British adults who tended to divide blame between the individual and food companies.

According to the survey, 68 percent of Americans believe that "lack of exercise" is the main cause of obesity, when compared to "eating too much" at 32 percent. A distinct difference was found regarding how Americans and the British view food companies and government agencies' responsibility in the obesity epidemic. In the United States, 26 percent say they blame food companies for obesity problems, compared to 42 percent in the UK. In addition, when asked whether or not the government and health authorities are to blame for the problem, 22 percent of the United States responded "yes" versus 39 percent of the UK.

With regard to attitudes towards advertisers linked to unhealthy foods, especially those targeted to children, 65 percent of American respondents say "advertisers are not to blame; it is the responsibility of the parents" compared to 50 percent of the British respondents. The majority of U.S. adults (60 percent) generally look for the nutritional labeling on food packs, and use the information to help them decide what to buy. And even in the anti-carbohydrate age, fat, sugar, salt and vitamin and mineral content are rated as the most important information to know.