Obesity in America: Understanding Weight Management from a Consumer Perspective

Key Findings
Weight Perceptions
Self-Assessed Weight Segments
The Obesity “Problem”
Dieting
Information Sources
Daily Habits
Portion Control

Introduction

Chapter I Body Perceptions and Consumer Language
Defining Obesity from a Consumer Perspective
Self-Assessed Consumer Weight Segments
Languaculture Mapping: Language Used to Describe Body Weight
Connections Between Weight, Physical Health and Wellness
Chapter I: Key Findings

Chapter II Body Image and Body Weight
Personal Weight Assessment
Weight Assessment of Others
Body Mass Index
The Self-Assessments of Wellness Consumers
The Body as an Ongoing Site of Self-Improvement
Chapter II: Key Findings

Chapter III Consumers’ Daily Habits, Goals and Barriers
Consumer Explanations for Obesity
Defining Weight Management from a Consumer Perspective
Behaviors Associated with Weight Management
Daily Habits and Perceptions
Relevance of Leading a “Healthy Lifestyle”
Chapter III: Key Findings

Chapter IV Media and Other Information Sources
Trustworthiness and Credibility
The Usefulness and Impact of Specific Information Sources
Trends in the Use of Information Sources
The Internet as a Contemporary Information Source
Perceived Impact of Obesity
Chapter IV: Key Findings

Chapter V Social Networks
Informal Social Networks
Intervention
Interaction with Healthcare Practitioners
Chapter V: Key Findings

Chapter VI Food Habits, Occasions and Settings
Eating Within the Household
Eating Out
Indulgence
Snacking
A Comparative Analysis of Situations, Contexts and Dimensions
Chapter VI: Key Findings

Chapter VII Portion Size
Challenges
Portion Size and Restaurants
When Science Backfires
Chapter VII: Key Findings

Recommendations

Appendix I . Methodology
Quantitative
Qualitative

Appendix II . The World of Wellness
The Hartman Model

Appendix III . Additional Charts
Socio-demographic Characteristics and Self-assessed Body Image
The Perceived Need to Lose Weight
Opinions about the “Obesity Problem”
Responsibility for Overweight and Obesity
Attitudes toward Overweigh
General Wellness Attitudes
Attitudes toward “Healthy” Eating
Information and Knowledge Related to Health, Wellness and Weight Management
The Weight Management Routine
Which of the Following Do You Consider a Form of Exercise?
How Often Have You Engaged in the Following Activities in the Past Three Months?
Events that Delay or Interrupt Plans to Gain or Lose Weight
Regulations in the Age of Obesity
Dieting Attitudes and Behaviors
Dieting to Lose Weight
Which of the Following Sources of Weight Management Information Has Been Useful to You?

Figures
Figure 1. “I Need Toning”
Figure 2. “My clothes are too tight”
Figure 3. “I’m big-boned”
Figure 4. “I’m overweight, but I’m healthy”
Figure 5. “They told me I’m obese”
Figure 6. There is nothing wrong with being overweight as long as the person is healthy
Figure 7. “Healthy” Attitudes of Each Wellness Segment
Figure 8. Use of Supplements and Pills by Each Wellness Segment
Figure 9. Idealized Images of Body Weight
Figure 10. Comparison of Self to Others
Figure 11. Distribution of Adult Consumers According to Self-Assessed Body Image
Figure 12. Relative Size of Each Self-Assessed Body Image Segment (Quintile)
Figure 13. Segmentation of Self-Assessed Body Image into Quintiles
Figure 14. Assessing Others: “An Overweight Man”
Figure 15. Assessing Others: “A Normal Weight Woman”
Figure 16. Assessing Others: “A Slightly Overweight Boy”
Figure 17. Self-Assessed Body Image in Comparison to Each of the Portrayed Images
Figure 18. Relative Size of Self-Assessed Body Image Segments within Each Medically Defined (BMI) Weight Group
Figure 19. Perceived Need to Lose Weight: CDC’s Medically Defined (BMI) Weight Groups Compared to Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 20. Percent of Overweight and Obese Who Equate Their Body Image with a Portrayed Image
Figure 21. Percent of Each Wellness Segment in the Heaviest and Lightest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 22. Plans Tried or Considered Trying to Lose Weight
Figure 23. Percent Dieting to Lose Weight
Figure 24. Dropout Rate of Dieters Trying to Lose Weight
Figure 25. Dropout Rate of “Short-Term” Dieters Trying to Lose Weight
Figure 26. Short-Term Dropout Rate of Each Self-Assessed Body Image Segment
Figure 27. Why did you end that
Figure 28. Physical Activities in Which Consumers Report Regular Participation (Over Three Times/Week)
Figure 29. Scope of Credibility for Information Sources
Figure 30. Percent Finding Different Information Sources Useful for Learning about Weight Management
Figure 31. Increase in Number of Media Reports on Obesity, September 1999 - September 2003
Figure 32. Shifting Opinions of America’s Most Urgent Health Problems, February 1999 - November 2003
Figure 33. Individual Responsibility for Weight
Figure 34. Blaming Companies for Obesity
Figure 35. Consumers Say Obesity is the Result of Individual Choice
Figure 36. I talk to my friends and family about health and wellness
Figure 37. “I would like more information about weight management”
Figure 38. “The information I read or hear about weight management is contradictory”
Figure 39. “Which of the following information sources has been useful to you?”
Figure 40. Looking for Healthy Options: Eating Out versus Shopping for Home
Figure 41. Scale Instrument Used to Assess Weight
Figure 42. Percent of Each Age Group in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 43. Percent of Each Race Category in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 44. Percent of Men and Women in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 45. Percent in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments by Selected Heights
Figure 46. Percent of Each Education Level in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 47. Percent of Each Household Income Bracket in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 48. Percent of Each Region in the Two Highest Self-Assessed Body Image Segments
Figure 49. I know someone who should lose 20lbs or more
Figure 50. I should lose 20lbs or more
Figure 51. The media has exaggerated the obesity issue
Figure 52. I am very concerned about childhood obesity
Figure 53. I am very concerned that obesity will increase public health care costs
Figure 54. Overeating is a major cause of obesity
Figure 55. Lack of physical activity is a major cause of obesity
Figure 56. Genetics is a major cause of obesity
Figure 57. Modern advertising is a major cause of obesity
Figure 58. Drinking carbonated soft drinks is a major cause of obesity
Figure 59. I am responsible for choosing the right foods to eat, not manufacturers
Figure 60. Individuals are personally responsible for their own weight condition
Figure 61. Children are less responsible than their parents for their own weight
Figure 62. Parents are not responsible for what their children eat away from home
Figure 63. Advertising food to children is wrong even if the products are healthy
Figure 64. Physically disabled individuals are less responsible than others for their weight
Figure 65. Companies that make high calorie snack foods are more responsible for obesity than companies that do not
Figure 66. "Fast food" restaurants are more responsible than other restaurants for obesity
Figure 67. There is nothing wrong with being overweight as long as the person is healthy
Figure 68. Overweight individuals lack self-control
Figure 69. Overweight individuals face more job discrimination than others
Figure 70. Overweight individuals should pay more for their health insurance than others
Figure 71. Underweight individuals should pay more for their health insurance than others
Figure 72. I am proactive about my health, that is, I do things to lower health risks and prevent disease
Figure 73. I use alternative health care providers (e.g., massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths)
Figure 74. I am willing to pay a premium for organically grown food and beverages
Figure 75. Organic food/beverages are healthier than non-organic food/beverages
Figure 76. Wellness segments
Figure 77. Restaurants should offer more healthy options
Figure 78. I always look for healthy options when eating out
Figure 79. I always look for healthy options when shopping for food
Figure 80. I always look for healthy options when shopping for beverages
Figure 81. It is more important for a beverage to taste good than to be healthy
Figure 82. I don't want companies making my favorite foods healthier if they don't taste as good
Figure 83. There should be a fat tax on snack foods
Figure 84. Healthy meals cost more than unhealthy meals
Figure 85. I limit the amount of "junk" food I eat
Figure 86. Some foods that I routinely eat are purely an indulgence
Figure 87. I am knowledgeable about health and nutrition
Figure 88. I read articles, books, and magazines about health and wellness
Figure 89. I talk to my friends and family about health and wellness
Figure 90. The information I read or hear about weight management is contradictory
Figure 91. I would like more information about weight management
Figure 92. I use herbal or specialty supplements as part of my weight management routine
Figure 93. I use diet pills as part of my weight management
Figure 94. I use prescription medications as part of my weight management routine
Figure 95. I use non-prescription medications as part of my weight management routine
Figure 96. I would consider using non-prescription medications as part of my weight management routine
Figure 97. Non-prescription diet pills are not safe
Figure 98. What I drink is just as important to my weight management routine as what I eat
Figure 99. Jogging
Figure 100. Playing sports
Figure 101. Working out either at a gym or at home
Figure 102. Bicycling
Figure 103. Gardening or working in the yard
Figure 104. Cleaning the house
Figure 105. Using stairs instead of an elevator or escalator
Figure 106. Walking from the farthest parking spot
Figure 107. Eating dessert
Figure 108. Eating breakfast (i.e., more than a cup of coffee)
Figure 109. Eating “fast food” (e.g., McDonald’s, Subway)
Figure 110. Eating in a sit-down restaurant (i.e., not "fast food")
Figure 111. Holiday
Figure 112. Special occasion (e.g., birthday, anniversary)
Figure 113. Illness
Figure 114. Injury
Figure 115. Traveling for vacation
Figure 116. Dining out at an expensive restaurant
Figure 117. A night out with friends
Figure 118. Marriage or personal relationship problems
Figure 119. Friends or family visiting
Figure 120. Moving
Figure 121. Traveling for business
Figure 122. Increase in workload
Figure 123. Trying to "unwind"
Figure 124. Change of job
Figure 125. Obesity lawsuits against "fast food" restaurants
Figure 126. Tightening regulations of claims and advertising for diet pills
Figure 127. Nutrition labeling requirements for restaurants
Figure 128. Additional nutrition labeling requirements for food manufacturers
Figure 129. Regulating food sold at restaurants
Figure 130. Removing beverage vending machines from public schools
Figure 131. Offering only healthy beverages in public school vending machines
Figure 132. Requiring physical education in public schools
Figure 133. Requiring nutrition education in public schools
Figure 134. Dieting Prevalence
Figure 135. Which of the following weight management diets or plans have you tried or considered trying?
Figure 136. For what reason(s) did you go on your most recent diet?
Figure 137. What did you do differently on your most recent diet? - Ingredients
Figure 138. What did you do differently on your most recent diet? - Food/Beverage
Figure 139. What did you do differently on your most recent diet? - Eating/Cooking Habits
Figure 140. What else did you do to augment your most recent diet?
Figure 141. Why did you end your most recent diet?
Figure 142. Reasons for Dieting to Lose Weight
Figure 143. Changes Made to Dietary Components to Lose Weight
Figure 144. Changes Made to Foods & Beverages Consumed to Lose Weight
Figure 145. Changes Made to Eating Habits to Lose Weight
Figure 146. Other Activities Combined with Dieting to Lose Weight
Figure 147. Reasons for Ending Diet to Lose Weight
Figure 148. People as Sources of Information
Figure 149. Non-Human Sources of Information