The vast majority of Americans believe it's possible to have a great deal of control over their level of physical activity, the healthfulness of their diet and their weight, yet far fewer are actually taking that control. Those are among the findings of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2013 Food & Health Survey.
According to the Survey, 90% of respondents say it's possible to have 'a great deal of control' or 'complete control' over their level of physical activity, yet only 65% are actually trying to take that same amount of control in their own lives — a 25-point 'control gap'. In terms of the healthfulness of their diet, there is a 20-point gap (88% versus 68%), and regarding their weight, the gap is 16 points (81% versus 65%). This indicates that there are barriers preventing people from taking more control of their physical activity, diet and weight. A lack of willpower (64%), the dislike of exercise (60%), the perceived high cost of healthful food (54%), and slow progress (51%) are barriers that prevent Americans from taking greater control over their weight.
On the other hand, when asked about other factors such as their happiness, physical attractiveness, the amount of money they make, and the safety of the foods and beverages they consume, the gap vanishes, and Americans are taking at least as much or more control in their own lives than they believe is actually possible.
'This year, the Food & Health Survey examined the intersection between consumers' beliefs and their actions, and some of the results are surprising', said Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Senior Vice President, Nutrition and Food Safety, IFIC Foundation. 'Our findings clearly reveal a control gap when it comes to nutrition and health. People think it's quite possible to control their weight, diet and level of physical activity, yet many are falling short in their own lives and recognize that it's easier said than done. It's important for all of us to recognise the gap and work on countering the barriers.'
When asked to assign a letter grade from A to F to their own diet and physical activity, consumers gave their own level of physical activity an average grade of 'C-plus', while they grade their own diets slightly higher at an average grade of 'B-minus'. While Americans acknowledge that there is room for improvement in their diet, they believe they are doing a full letter grade better than other Americans: They rated the diet of the average American at 'C-minus'. In order to improve the grade of their own diets, Americans think they should eat a more balanced diet in general, including eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer sweets and snacks.
The Survey was fielded by Mathew Greenwald & Associates of Washington, D.C., between April 11 and 19 2013, and involved 1,006 Americans ages 18 to 80. Results were weighted to match the U.S. Census based on age, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and region to be nationally reflective.
Additional Findings from the IFIC Foundation's 2013 Food & Health Survey:
- More than half of Americans (56% to 35%) agree that they would rather lose $1,000 than gain an additional 20 pounds. Women are more likely to prefer to lose the money than men (63% to 48%). Not surprisingly, as an individual’s income increases, so too does their likelihood to agree with the statement (47% of individuals who make less than $35,000 per year versus 68% of those who make more than $75,000 per year).
- Taste continues to be the most important factor driving consumers’ decisions to buy foods and beverages, with 89% rating the impact of taste as high, versus 71% who said 'price', 64% who said 'healthfulness', 56% who said 'convenience' and 36% who said 'sustainability'. Those numbers are largely consistent with the findings in the 2012 Food & Health Survey; however, healthfulness and convenience have increased steadily since the initial Survey in 2006.
- People's willingness to believe new information about food and health is impacted most by their own research, with 91% saying it has at least some impact. That number falls to 87% who are impacted by hearing the information from friends or family members, 84% who hear it from someone who has an advanced degree in health or nutrition, 70% who hear it in the news (TV, radio, newspaper or Internet), and just 29% who see the information on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The Survey also indicates that the majority of Americans (78%) agree that they would rather hear what they should eat than what they should not eat, preferring positive messages about how to have a healthful diet.
- Seven in 10 Americans (70%) are somewhat or very confident in the safety of the U.S. food supply, while 29% are not too confident or not at all confident. While this is still a large majority of the US population, it indicates a significant decrease from the 2012 Food & Health Survey, when 78% were somewhat or very confident, while 18% were not too confident or not at all confident.
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