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Cited by 836Global Public Health Policies and EpidemiologyObesity, Physical Activity, DietConsumer Attitudes and Food Labeling

Smart food policies for obesity prevention

Open access
Hawkes, Corinna, Smith, Trenton G, Jewell, Jo, Wardle, Jane, Hammond, Ross A, Friel, Sharon, Thow, Anne Marie, Kain, Juliana·2015·The Lancet
DOI 10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61745-1
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Abstract

Prevention of obesity requires policies that work. In this Series paper, we propose a new way to understand how food policies could be made to work more effectively for obesity prevention. Our approach draws on evidence from a range of disciplines (psychology, economics, and public health nutrition) to develop a theory of change to understand how food policies work. We focus on one of the key determinants of obesity: diet. The evidence we review suggests that the interaction between human food preferences and the environment in which those preferences are learned, expressed, and reassessed has a central role. We identify four mechanisms through which food policies can affect diet: providing an enabling environment for learning of healthy preferences, overcoming barriers to the expression of healthy preferences, encouraging people to reassess existing unhealthy preferences at the point-of-purchase, and stimulating a food-systems response. We explore how actions in three specific policy areas (school settings, economic instruments, and nutrition labelling) work through these mechanisms, and draw implications for more effective policy design. We find that effective food-policy actions are those that lead to positive changes to food, social, and information environments and the systems that underpin them. Effective food-policy actions are tailored to the preference, behavioural, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics of the people they seek to support, are designed to wor…

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Authors
Hawkes, C., Smith, T. G., Jewell, J., Wardle, J., Hammond, R. A., Friel, S., Thow, A. M., & Kain, J.
Affiliations
  • World Cancer Research Fund International (GB)
  • University of Otago (NZ)
  • University College London (GB)
  • Brookings Institution (US)
  • Australian National University (AU)
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
  • University of Chile (CL)
Corresponding author
Hawkes, Corinna
ORCID
Venue
The Lancet
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-06
Volume
385
Issue
9985
Pages
2410-2421
ISSN
  • 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
  • 0140-6736
DOI
10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61745-1
OpenAlex
W2011253761
Cited by
836
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 54 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 109 · 2019: 81 · 2018: 90 · 2017: 88 · 2016: 82 · 2015: 36 · 2013: 1
FWCI
20.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Lancet (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
  • Universidad de Chile (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Cancer Research UK (14133)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL115485)
  • National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (1U48DP001946, U48/DP00064-00S1)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1R01HD08023)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
Keywords
obesity prevention, food policy, theory of change, diet, food preferences, enabling environment, school-based intervention, economic instruments, nutrition labeling, food systems, point of purchase, policy design, policy evaluation, disadvantaged groups
MeSH terms
Food Labeling, Food Preferences, Food Services, Health Policy, Health Priorities, Humans, Obesity, Schools, Social Environment, Taxes, Food Assistance

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