Attitudes Towards Healthy Eating - UK-
The Consumer – Healthy Eating Behaviour
Mintel went on to
examine behaviour towards healthy eating, as opposed to the attitudes held.
Respondents were asked their agreement with a range of statements. The topline
findings are presented below, with detailed demographics in the following
section.
“Which one of these statements, if any, best describes
your eating habits?”
FIGURE 71: Agreement with
statements on food, September 2005
Base:
1,542 adults aged 15+
|
|
2005
|
|
|
%
|
|
Beneficial habits:
|
|
|
I eat fresh
fruit and vegetables regularly/most days
|
63
|
|
I normally get
a sandwich or a light meal at lunchtime
|
58
|
|
My diet is
varied
|
52
|
|
I eat five
portions of fresh fruit/vegetables every day
|
25
|
|
I have at least
two courses for my evening meal
|
21
|
|
I normally eat
a cooked meal at lunchtime
|
14
|
|
|
|
|
Less favourable habits:
|
|
|
I often skip
breakfast
|
34
|
|
I snack between
meals
|
22
|
|
I often have a
snack instead of a meal
|
15
|
|
I often skip
lunch
|
13
|
|
I never bother
to cook a meal just for myself
|
9
|
|
I usually eat a
ready meal for dinner
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
I don't eat
meat
|
4
|
SOURCE:
BMRB/Mintel
Benefiting from lifestyle
Across all the
‘beneficial habits’ statements, positive response rates are skewed towards
affluent adults and those living in the third age lifestage. The division in
affluence is stark, and gives some credence the saying ’only the rich can
afford to be healthy‘, although this is less relevant than it once was.
Furthermore, there are a range of other factors that are relevant here
(education, discipline etc) that also have a significant impact on this. The
third age lifestage is characterised by adults living with older children, or
perhaps their children have left home. Without the child-rearing
responsibilities, these adults have more time to consider and adopt healthier
lifestyle habits. Having children in the house makes it more difficult to
adhere to a particular diet or a consistently high standard of healthy eating.
Working is bad for your health (or your diet)!
Across the less
favourable habit statements, another trend emerges. Full-time working adults
routinely skip meals in favour of snacking and under-25s have little regard for
any healthy eating behaviour. Working full-time clearly places a great demand
on an individual’s ability to create time for breakfast and lunch. As commuting
journey times increase, the squeeze continues to tighten, leaving time-strapped
employees missing mealtimes and having to ‘grab’ food to fulfil their needs.
Mintel went onto
ask:
“Which, if any, of these would you say were 'your
weakness'?”
FIGURE 72: Agreement with
statements on food, September 2005
Base:
1,542 adults aged 15+
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
Crisps &
snacks
|
33
|
|
Chocolate/chocolate
bars like Mars bar/Twix
|
32
|
|
Cakes/buns/sweet
pastries, etc
|
24
|
|
Sweet biscuits
(eg chocolate digestive, etc)
|
23
|
|
Bread
|
22
|
|
Ice cream
|
21
|
|
Cheese
|
21
|
|
Wine
|
18
|
|
The local
takeaway (eg Chinese, Indian, kebab, fish & chips)
|
17
|
|
Sugar in
tea/coffee
|
17
|
|
Beer
|
17
|
|
Pasta
|
16
|
|
Chips
|
14
|
|
Pizza
|
13
|
|
Savoury
biscuits/crackers
|
12
|
|
Butter
|
11
|
|
Spirits
|
9
|
|
Other
desserts
|
8
|
|
Pies, sausage
rolls, pasties etc
|
8
|
|
Ordinary
non-diet soft drinks (eg Coke/Pepsi)
|
8
|
|
Boxes of
chocolates
|
7
|
|
Fast food such
as burger & chips from McDonald’s, Burger King or KFC
|
6
|
|
Other fried
foods
|
4
|
|
None of these
|
7
|
SOURCE:
BMRB/Mintel
Gender differences emerge
The adage that
women have a sweet tooth whilst men prefer savoury is verified by these data.
This highlights the need for a different approach to each of these groups in
communicating how to eat healthily and how to lose weight, as men are tempted
by different foods to women.
Men get savoury
●
Chips
and pizza are similarly preferred by men – these products are preferred by
younger consumers and again, appeal to the less affluent.
●
Takeaways
are more of a weakness for men, with one in five admitting their love of
takeaways compared to one in seven of women.
●
Men
are five times more likely than women to drink beer.
●
Nearly
four in ten women eat chocolate compared to a quarter of men.
Girls are sweet
Chocolate meets a
variety of ‘needs’ for women so it is unsurprising that a higher proportion of
them to men admit it is a ‘weakness’. Chocolate bars are preferred by
under-45s, whereas cakes are preferred by over-65s.
Mintel went on to
examine the impact of food control by asking which foods were being avoided in
the drive for healthy eating. The results are presented in Figure 80, with
detailed demographic analysis available in the following section.
“Still thinking about your eating habits, have you
changed your diet by cutting down on any of the following?”
FIGURE 73: Agreement with
statements on food, September 2005
Base:
1,542 adults aged 15+
|
|
2005
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
Fried food
|
45
|
|
Sugar
|
35
|
|
Salt
|
33
|
|
Saturate fats
eg butter/cream etc
|
31
|
|
Sweets/chocolate
|
31
|
|
Crisps/snacks
|
28
|
|
Ready meals
|
24
|
|
Processed foods
|
22
|
|
Alcohol
|
18
|
|
Portion sizes
|
18
|
|
Red meat
|
14
|
|
Carbohydrates
like bread, pasta etc
|
11
|
|
None of these
|
19
|
SOURCE:
BMRB/Mintel
The age issue
Across all the
foods listed (with the exception of alcohol), the youngest adults are the least
concerned with reducing their intake. Many of the healthy eating drives seem to
be passing these consumers by, and it is clear that bad habits are formed at this
young age when exercise and metabolism help to prevent weight being affected
too dramatically. It is difficult for younger adults to feel that it matters
what they eat. The issue for people (and the government) is that problems arise
with age when weight gain tends to accelerate.
Across the
lifestages, respondents in the third age lifestage are the most likely to be
reducing consumption of all the named foods, which is in part driven by a
reduction in eating capacity, but also an acceptance that many of these foods
are not good for your health.
Education, education, education
ABC1s are most
likely to be cutting down on salt, sweets, crisps and processed foods. However,
there is one exception; alcohol. Just 13% of ABs are cutting down on alcohol
intake compared to 25% of those in the D classification. This compares to 43%
of ABs cutting down on salt.
The influence of media
Those respondents
watching the most TV show a skew towards reducing portion sizes and cutting
down on consumption of sugar, salt, crisps and snacks. This might suggest that
media messages relating to ‘boredom grazing’ are beginning to make an impact.
Respondents would seem to have a heightened awareness of the times during the
day when sweets and snacks are consumed and they would seem to be reducing
these and their portion size in an attempt to be healthier. But they are still
less likely to reduce saturated fats, processed foods and red meat.
Broadsheet
readers show high levels of agreement with cutting down across the entire list
of stated foods. Broadsheet readers are almost three times as likely (31%) as
popular tabloid readers (12%) to be cutting down on processed foods. However,
popular tabloid readers are more likely than broadsheet readers to be cutting
down on fried foods and sweets.
Lifestage influences
Across the
lifestages there is a clear evolution of different attitudes and therefore
behaviour which emerges. This presents a picture of a consumer journey through
age, but it is unlikely that today’s youngest adults will adopt the same
attitudes and behaviour as their elders; they have not been exposed to the same
solid foundation of three meals a day and two courses per meal.
The party child?
The pre-/no
family adult is likely to value socialising needs above those for routine
healthy eating, with only a third of these respondents agreeing that their diet
is healthy. These adults may be living alone for the first time, or in a shared
household where food shopping might feature as part of their lives for the
first time. Consequently, more than half of these adults (58%) think it is hard
to know what is healthy because expert opinion keeps changing, and a similar
proportion (53%) find it hard to interpret food labels. As a consequence, over
a third (36%) eat whatever food they like in the belief that they do sufficient
exercise to counterbalance any adverse effects.
In behaviour,
these consumers have the most erratic food habits although almost half consider
their diet to be varied (48%); just 12% eat a daily two-course meal, a third
(33%) snack between meals and almost half (45%) skip breakfast, with 16%
snacking instead of eating a meal.
A picture emerges
of lack of time and lack of forethought in the provision of food. Perhaps as a
consequence, only 17% of these consumers manage to achieve the 5-a-day target
for fruit and vegetable consumption although 57% eat fruit and vegetables most
days.
Awareness exists but is knowledge lacking?
These young
adults are not as carefree as might be expected. Almost all of them (80%)
believe that a balanced diet is the only way to be healthy, although fewer make
the connection that ‘you are what you eat’ (68%). As such, these adults
understand the importance of eating healthily and the personal responsibility
to do so. Perhaps it is lack of interest, confidence or education that leads
40% of these adults to consider that they don’t pay sufficient attention to
what they eat, more than any other lifestage group. For these consumers, life
and freedom may seem too precious to spend time reading supermarket labels and
planning sensible two-course daily meals.
Are culinary skills an issue?
Pre-/no family
consumers also show the strongest interaction with fast food, as well as snack
foods such as crisps, takeaways, pasta, pizza, beer and soft drinks. A picture
emerges of convenience foods that can be eaten quickly, shared with friends or
eaten whilst ‘out and about’.
Some confusion evident
Pre-/no family
adults are the most likely to believe that chilled ready meals are better than
frozen (23%) although this might be related to the premium price charged for
chilled food. These respondents are the least likely to seek functional foods
(offering positive health benefits), because they cannot relate to long-term
dietary health problems that tend to afflict older adults.
Evidence suggests
that some government campaigns may be striking a chord; these respondents are
the most likely to be cutting down on the amount of alcohol consumed, and
trying to avoid ready meals. The ready meal avoidance might be in response to
raised awareness of ‘hidden’ salt used in recipes, but if these adults are
moving away from ready meals towards snack foods and fast food, this
development will have an adverse effect on overall health.
The time-strapped parent
In many ways,
parents are similar to the pre-/no family adult in their attitude and
behaviour, although they have even less time to exercise and be organised with
food shopping and preparation. The responsibility of rearing children seems to
have some impact on healthy eating beliefs. Some 83% of parents believe a
balanced diet is the only way to be healthy, with almost as many recognising
that ‘you are what you eat’. The link between the food that is eaten and health
has been made. However, the understanding of what constitutes healthy food
would appear to be unclear.
Confused, is this because of lack of time?
There does appear
to be widespread confusion. A third of parents believe they do not pay
sufficient attention to their diet, two thirds (62%) get muddled by experts
changing their opinion on what foods are healthy and a similar number find it
hard to interpret food labels (60%). Despite having the responsibility of
feeding children, only 29% of parents check the nutritional content of food.
Scare stories add to confusion
Some parents are
more concerned about the chemicals and additives used in foods rather than the
efficacy of the food itself. Media stories focusing on the cancer-causing
properties of food additives cause some degree of panic amongst parents, who
may become more concerned about the remote possibility of ‘chemical abuse’ than
the real certainty of weight gain for their children. This translates into
parents looking for additive-free foods, rather than low-fat or healthy foods
for their children.
Time pressures dictate behaviour
In actual
behaviour, parents’ eating habits are similar to those of pre-/no family
adults. Only 14% of parents eat a two-course meal, 17% snack instead of eating
a meal, almost a quarter (24%) snack between meals and two fifths skip
breakfast (43%). This apparent reliance on erratic eating habits would seem to
be closely linked to a lack of time and forethought to eat more traditionally
at mealtimes. As many parents also work, the impact of employment adds to the
time-starvation problem.
The problem is passed down
This has
significant consequences for future generations who are learning bad eating
habits from their parents. This has been recognised by government and led to
the development of the Healthy Living Blueprint for Schools, which seeks to
educate children in healthy eating principles in the hope that they will in
turn educate their parents.
The government
has an uphill task. Parental influence is considerable. With just 23% of
parents achieving the 5-a-day target for consuming fruit and vegetables, and
just under a third of parents (31%) believing that they exercise regularly, the
context of healthy living is not apparent at home. How much can a child
influence its parents to exercise, after a long day at work? The burden of
responsibility placed on children to influence their parents’ health might be
viewed as unacceptable.
Parents are the
most likely of all consumers to be cutting down on crisps and sweets,
presumably as a response to media coverage of snack foods, and the passive
grazing that occurs amongst parents when children’s snacks are in the house, or
a product is left partially eaten. However, the family diet shows a preference
for time-saving foods such as pizza, pasta and takeaways, which can be shared
and enjoyed by all the family members.
Eating habits alter
Once the children
have left home, parents are given the chance to adapt their diet to their own
taste preferences. Portion sizes are reduced and fried food, processed foods
and sugar are restricted in an attempt to eat more healthily. Fresh fruit and
vegetables increase in importance, perhaps as a consequence of having a little
more time to consider food choices; 71% of third age adults eat fruit and
vegetables on a daily basis, with more than a third (35%) achieving the 5-a-day
target. More than two thirds of adults (68%) seek positively healthy food,
perhaps in response to a ‘sticking plaster’ mentality, wishing to consume foods
that can correct decades of sub-optimal eating habits.
Adults in the
third age lifestage are closely associated with the attitudes and behaviours of
retired adults.
The freedom of retirement
Retired adults
are the most likely to have had a conventional food upbringing, and as a result
are likely to have the most balanced diets. This means that as children they
will have enjoyed three meals a day, and two-course meals, snacking between
meals being infrequent and uncommon.
●
Just
12% snack between meals, nearly two fifths eat a two-course dinner (39%) and
just 10% skip breakfast.
●
Almost
sever in ten (69%) eat fruit and vegetables regularly, and a quarter of
respondents (26%) achieve the 5-a-day target.
●
Nearly
all of retired adults (90%) believe that a balanced diet is the best way to
achieve health, and 84% believe that ‘you are what you eat’.
These consumers
seem a world away in mindset to the younger population; where did it go wrong?
A diverse group
There is a small
proportion of consumers that enjoy a high degree of affluence, from pensions
and a lifetime of prudent savings. This has given freedom to explore different
cultures and cuisines through travel, and allowed these consumers to trade up
into premium and indulgent sectors which may not have previously been
affordable. With this comes a broader repertoire of food choices and fewer healthy
options. These respondents are most likely to be eating cakes, desserts and
pies with relatively few attempting to cut down on their intake of these
favourite foods.
However, on the
other hand, many retired adults are also pensioners who may be living on
extremely limited income. Poor health and a lack of interest in cooking for
themselves paint a picture of reliance on cheap and prepared foods, some of
which may not be particularly healthy.
The balance concept is understood, but is it being
undermined?
This knowledge
may be eroded by complex and conflicting health messages. Three quarters of
retired respondents (73%) agree that it is difficult to know what is healthy
amid changing expert opinion. Two thirds (66%) say that it is hard to
understand food labels, and this is only going to get worse with the
introduction of new Guideline Daily Amount labels. Some of the complex
information is being assimilated; retired adults are the most likely of all
consumers to seek foods offering positive health benefits (61%).
Proof that weight is a separate issue
The data for
obesity and overweight adults show that over-55s are the most likely to have a
weight issue. Against a backdrop of relatively healthy eating habits the
conclusion is clear. The need to lose weight is a distinct and separate
activity to that of healthy eating. It would seen that healthy eating maintains
existing weight (particularly if little exercise is done) whilst dieting
clearly removes weight.
Retired adults
face a number of lifestyle changes which may aggravate weight gain; such as
increased amount of leisure time to enjoy eating out or socialising; health
issues may prevent the ability to exercise; hormonal and metabolic changes may
cause weight to be gained and appetite altered. It is necessary for retired
adults to alter their food portions to counteract these changes, and it would
appear that this is not happening which results in long-term weight gain.
