An Ecological Account of Seniors' Attitudes to Physical Activity: Social Marketing Implications

Social marketing has an important role to play in addressing population overweight by encouraging individuals to engage in higher levels of physical activity and assisting policy makers in developing upstream programs to create social and physical environments that are conducive to this behaviour. Older Australians need particular attention as they have been neglected in previous Australian media campaigns designed to encourage increased physical activity and they remain an under-researched group despite their growing segment size and their heightened need for regular exercise to prevent age-related illnesses. The present study adopted the ecological model of behaviour analysis to explore the many and varied factors influencing seniors’ physical activity levels. Specific recommendations for future interventions targeting this group are provided

Why a journal of research for consumers?

This article outlines the rationale behind the introduction of the Journal of Research for Consumers. The potential benefits to be gained from educating consumers are discussed, and arguments are made for the contribution of consumer researchers to the consumer education process. In particular, the deficiencies of the current dependence on research that produces managerial outcomes are discussed in terms of the limitations they place on understanding the relevance of consumption in consumers\u27 lives. The structure of the Journal of Consumer Research is described in terms of the access provided to both academic and consumer audiences

The potential implications of autonomous vehicles in and around the workplace

The advent of autonomous vehicles is forecast to bring enormous changes to the workplace as positions primarily involving driving become progressively redundant. Little is known about public awareness of these impending changes and the potential impacts on society and individuals. This study involved a national survey of Australians and interviews with key stakeholders across multiple countries to identify major potential issues associated with vehicle automation, including in and around the workplace. Most survey respondents had concerns relating to job losses in driving occupations, while almost half anticipated increased employment in technology-related areas. Three primary themes were evident in the data from the stakeholder interviews: (1) the inevitability of the universal use of AVs and hence the immediate need for labour market planning, (2) associated potential effects on occupations that are not primarily structured around driving, and (3) the possibility of increased worker safety and enhanced commuting opportunities

Tick Tock: Time for a Change?

Issue addressed: New developments in front-of-pack nutrition labelling are substantially improving the nutrition information available at the point of purchase. This has led to a need to reconsider the role of health logos such as the National Heart Foundation’s ‘Tick’. Methods: Using a qualitative, exploratory approach involving 10 focus groups with adults and children, this study investigated consumers’ attitudes to the Tick and its relevance to their purchase decisions. Results: Both adults and children exhibited awareness of the Tick and its aim to indicate healthier product alternatives. Views on the effectiveness of the Tick were polarised, with some considering it a useful tool and others querying the basis of its licensing arrangements. Conclusions: While the Tick has in the past played a role in assisting consumers to make more informed decisions and encouraging favourable modification of the food supply, recent questions relating to its role and credibility have resulted in the Heart Foundation deciding to retire it. So what?: After a quarter of a century in the Australian marketplace, the National Heart Foundation’s Tick program has been reviewed. The findings of the present study provide insight into consumers’ views of the Tick and suggest that the emergence of more comprehensive food labelling initiatives may make logo-based nutrition labels redundant

Encouraging Self-Regulation of Children's Food Consumption

The prevalence of childhood obesity and the associated negative health implications highlight the urgent need for interventions to assist families in preventing and treating the condition. This study focused on children’s awareness of the need to regulate their own food intakes. In a sample of over 500 low and medium socioeconomic children, around two-thirds believed they should always finish what is on their plate and that they should not be permitted to determine the quantity of food they consume. They were thus largely unaware of the need to regulate their own appetites, which is an important element of weight control. The reasons provided by the children for their beliefs indicate that both children and parents need to be better informed on this issue. The results have implications for interventions that aim to encourage parents to adopt authoritative parenting styles in their feeding practices

Whetting disadvantaged adults’ appetite for nutrition education

Objective: To identify the features of a nutrition education programme for disadvantaged adults deemed most attractive and useful by participants. Design: A two-year, multi-method, qualitative evaluation of pre and post data collected from programme participants. Data were imported into NVivo10 for coding to facilitate a thematic analysis. Setting: Western Australia. Participants: Individuals attending the Western Australian FOODcents nutrition education programme that is designed to provide knowledge and skills needed to consume a healthy diet on a budget. Focus groups were conducted several weeks after course completion (five groups, forty-seven participants), observations were conducted during FOODcents sessions (thirty-one observation episodes, 237 participants), and open-ended questions were asked in pre–post hard-copy surveys administered in sessions (n 927) and an online survey administered on average six weeks after course completion (n 114). Results: The course attributes that were found to be especially important to participants were: (i) user-friendly, practical information that could be immediately translated to their daily lives; (ii) experiential learning that involved direct contact with food products; and (iii) opportunities for social interaction. These aspects of nutrition education were described as being highly influential in the decision to participate in the course, the application of the information in their subsequent food purchase and preparation activities, and their word-of-mouth communications with others about the course. Conclusions: Incorporating aspects of most importance to participants into nutrition education programme delivery and promotion may increase joining rates, enjoyment, satisfaction with course content and, ultimately, the uptake of recommended behaviours

The Salience of Vomiting in Teenagers Binge Drinking Intentions

Binge drinking among Australian teenagers has been identified as a serious health issue. Unfortunately, efforts to date to address this problem have been largely ineffective. It has been suggested that using images of teenagers vomiting in social marketing campaigns isn’t effective because vomiting is viewed as a positive outcome due its ability to signify a ‘big night’. The present study accessed online information posted by Australian teenagers to explore alcohol-related beliefs and behaviours that are reported online. A thematic analysis of the blogs suggests that for many Australian teenagers vomiting is still a deterrent to heavy drinking, and that they may be turning to illicit drugs to achieve an altered mental state with a lower risk of vomiting

The potential individual- and population-level benefits of encouraging drinkers to count their drinks

Introduction: Cross-sectional studies have established a link between overall engagement in protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) and reduced alcohol consumption. However, there are mixed results on the effectiveness of individual PBSs, with some found to result in increased consumption. A recent study examining the effects of PBS use over time found the ‘Count your drinks’ strategy to be most reliably associated with reduced alcohol consumption among 16 strategies. Given the apparent superior efficacy of this PBS, this exploratory study aimed to extend these results by (i) determining the extent to which increasing the frequency of PBS enactment is associated with alcohol consumption over time and (ii) predicting potential changes in population-level consumption resulting from higher levels of PBS use. Method: 1250 drinkers aged 18–70 years provided data at two time points relating to their drinking practices. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to model the relationship between changes in frequency of enactment of the ‘Count your drinks’ PBS and alcohol consumption. Coefficients were used to predict average reductions in alcohol consumption over one year associated with increased frequency of use of this PBS. Results: Larger increases in the frequency of using the ‘Count your drinks’ PBS were associated with greater reductions in alcohol consumption. Exploratory extrapolation analyses demonstrated the potential for substantial reductions in overall alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The results suggest health promotion efforts designed to increase the frequency with which drinkers count their drinks could produce substantial annual decreases in alcohol consumption at both individual and population levels

Factors influencing overweight children\u27s commencement of and continuation in a resistance training program

Background: In light of the child overweight and obesity problem in Australia, resistance training programs have been trialled as an innovative way of assisting children increase lean body mass and reduce body fat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing overweight children\u27s participation in a resistance training trial program. Method: Parent-child pairs who participated in the trial program were invited to take part in a follow-up individual interview to discuss their program experiences. In total, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parent-child pairs. Results: The factors found to be most relevant to program commencement among parents were a desire for their child to lose weight and gain confidence, the proximity of the venue, and no cost for participation. For children, the most relevant factors were the opportunity to build strength and improve fitness and having supportive parents who facilitated program initiation. The factors most relevant to continuation for parents were the quality of the program management, being able to stay for the sessions, the child\u27s improved weight status, coordination, and confidence, and no cost for participation. Weight loss and improved confidence were also motivators for continuation among the children, along with pleasant social interaction with peers and trainers and ongoing parental support. Conclusion: Different factors variably influence program commencement and program continuation in both parents and children. This has important implications for future interventions that aim to successfully recruit and retain intervention participants

Children's Family Dinner Experiences and Attitudes

Overweight and obesity are a major problem affecting children in many countries. The practice of sharing regular family meals has been shown to improve children's diets and eating habits, which in turn can have favourable outcomes for children's weight status. This study explored children's family mealtime attitudes and experiences to identify themes that may be effective in encouraging families to have regular family meals. Most of the children showed a strong preference to eat together as a family. They reported usually enjoying the interaction with their parents and other family members that occurred during mealtimes. Among the minority who reported that they didn't enjoy family meals, conflict with siblings and parents was a common explanation. The study findings can inform the development of social marketing campaigns aiming to improve children's diets and eating behaviours in an effort to prevent and address child obesity.This study was funded by the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway (#16187))