Transcript Slide 1

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