Глобальный форум по продовольственной безопасности и питанию (Форум FSN)
>> Spanish translation below <<
While most countries in Latin America have successfully tackled under-nutrition, obesity has rapidly become an epidemic in the continent. The sharp increase in prevalence and the associated health risks, co-morbidities and costs have made it a major public health challenge. In Brazil, for example, while undernutrition affects a small proportion of the population, the last estimates of the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicate that most citizens (>50%) are overweight. Among children the situation is not much better, with approximately one in every three children 5-9 years of age are now overweight or obese.
As in other low- and middle-income countries, dietary changes in Latin America have been characterized by an increase in the consumption of refined grains, sugar and animal fat and protein, with diets often lacking in vegetables, fruits and fiber. The higher consumption of livestock products, in particular, has been also shown to be an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, further adding to the burden of malnutrition.
Combating this nutritional crisis will be an arduous task. As recently reported by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative, no national success stories in the combat of obesity has been reported in the past 30 years (Lancet 2013; 384:766-781). In Latin America, the nutritional transition has been largely driven by the widespread offer of cheaper food products low in nutritional value and high in energy, sugar, animal fats and proteins, as well as by unregulated advertising practices to which poorer populations are particularly vulnerable. Currently, these food products are often more accessible than healthy items such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Effective prevention and mitigation strategies aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable diets are therefore paramount. Traditional education efforts are often inadequate, in part because many programs focus on fact-heavy information campaigns, while neglecting strategies that can foster behavioral change. We believe that the success of any policies and programs in the long-term will require sustained and coordinated population-wide efforts on two main fronts: (1) the implementation of effective interventions aimed at promoting behavioral change in dietary choices and (2) ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of such changes in the long-term.
Research on behavioral change underscores the importance of understanding the drivers of unhealthy choices and overeating. Studies with highly diverse populations have shown repeatedly that consumers are frequently aware of their unhealthy dietary choices: they wish they did not overeat, were not overweight, that they ate healthier and that were able to sustain healthier choices in the long term. Awareness campaigns focused exclusively on information are therefore likely to have a small reach.
Evidence from marketing and behavioral economics can be an effective ally in promoting behavioral change by taking into account the specific mechanisms through which people make decisions in the design of interventions. To this end, three elements are essential: motivation, (very specific) directions and the proper (environmental) conditions. Motivation can be achieved not only through information about the health benefits of dietary choices, but also by use of other strategies, such as the desire of people to fit into social norms. For example, people agree to change habits more easily when they believe peers – or people who they admire – are also adopting these habits. In terms of direction, campaigns promoting general “healthy eating” are less likely to meet with success than interventions for the implementation of very specific behaviors, such as “consume 5 portions of fruits and veggies per day”, or “replace whole milk by vegetable milk”, or “replace meat by beans one meal per day”. Several other examples and effects have been widely demonstrated, and could be used to foster change. For instance, a number of studies have shown that adding more of tasty vegetables to meals can result in smaller portions of meat and other less healthy options, thus contributing (intentionally or not) to the choice of smaller portions. Choices for consumption experiences in the future have been also shown to be healthier than for consumption experiences in the present, opening opportunities through pre-commitment of food choices in several settings.
Lasting behavioral change often begins with small, moderate steps. Meatless Mondays campaigns - which invite people to quit the consumption of animal products at least once a week and replace them with healthier, plant-based alternatives - is one such example of effective step. These campaigns were designed by considering the observation that consumers are more likely to be introduced to, and accept, healthy behaviors on Mondays, as they are often associated with the notion of a fresh start. Meatless Mondays have been introduced in several countries, promoting policies to reduce meat consumption and establishing the logistics, capacity and training for similar initiatives. They have also been successful in braking the barrier of reluctance towards acceptance of plant-based meals, by showing consumers that such meals can be not only healthy but also tasty and affordable. And they are in line with evidence showing that consumers who commit to small changes are more likely to accept more substantial changes in the future. In Brazil, the initiative has met with success in the implementation of exclusively vegetarian meals once a week every other week for over 1 million children enrolled in publicly financed schools. There is, however, much room for expansion to more schools, cities and settings and to other countries in Latin America.
Ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of dietary changes in the long-term is also essential. Healthier choices will be only sustained if they are at least as easy and convenient, affordable and tasty as their unhealthy alternatives. Policies on labelling, taxation and the adjustment of subsidies that incentivize tasty healthy choices while inhibiting unhealthy ones are essential, and should be strongly promoted concomitantly with other interventions.
While most countries in Latin America have successfully tackled under-nutrition, obesity has rapidly become an epidemic in the continent. The sharp increase in prevalence and the associated health risks, co-morbidities and costs have made it a major public health challenge. In Brazil, for example, while undernutrition affects a small proportion of the population, the last estimates of the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicate that most citizens (>50%) are overweight. Among children the situation is not much better, with approximately one in every three children 5-9 years of age are now overweight or obese.
As in other low- and middle-income countries, dietary changes in Latin America have been characterized by an increase in the consumption of refined grains, sugar and animal fat and protein, with diets often lacking in vegetables, fruits and fiber. The higher consumption of livestock products, in particular, has been also shown to be an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, further adding to the burden of malnutrition.
Combating this nutritional crisis will be an arduous task. As recently reported by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative, no national success stories in the combat of obesity has been reported in the past 30 years (Lancet 2013; 384:766-781). In Latin America, the nutritional transition has been largely driven by the widespread offer of cheaper food products low in nutritional value and high in energy, sugar, animal fats and proteins, as well as by unregulated advertising practices to which poorer populations are particularly vulnerable. Currently, these food products are often more accessible than healthy items such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Effective prevention and mitigation strategies aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable diets are therefore paramount. Traditional education efforts are often inadequate, in part because many programs focus on fact-heavy information campaigns, while neglecting strategies that can foster behavioral change. We believe that the success of any policies and programs in the long-term will require sustained and coordinated population-wide efforts on two main fronts: (1) the implementation of effective interventions aimed at promoting behavioral change in dietary choices and (2) ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of such changes in the long-term.
Research on behavioral change underscores the importance of understanding the drivers of unhealthy choices and overeating. Studies with highly diverse populations have shown repeatedly that consumers are frequently aware of their unhealthy dietary choices: they wish they did not overeat, were not overweight, that they ate healthier and that were able to sustain healthier choices in the long term. Awareness campaigns focused exclusively on information are therefore likely to have a small reach.
Evidence from marketing and behavioral economics can be an effective ally in promoting behavioral change by taking into account the specific mechanisms through which people make decisions in the design of interventions. To this end, three elements are essential: motivation, (very specific) directions and the proper (environmental) conditions. Motivation can be achieved not only through information about the health benefits of dietary choices, but also by use of other strategies, such as the desire of people to fit into social norms. For example, people agree to change habits more easily when they believe peers – or people who they admire – are also adopting these habits. In terms of direction, campaigns promoting general “healthy eating” are less likely to meet with success than interventions for the implementation of very specific behaviors, such as “consume 5 portions of fruits and veggies per day”, or “replace whole milk by vegetable milk”, or “replace meat by beans one meal per day”. Several other examples and effects have been widely demonstrated, and could be used to foster change. For instance, a number of studies have shown that adding more of tasty vegetables to meals can result in smaller portions of meat and other less healthy options, thus contributing (intentionally or not) to the choice of smaller portions. Choices for consumption experiences in the future have been also shown to be healthier than for consumption experiences in the present, opening opportunities through pre-commitment of food choices in several settings.
Lasting behavioral change often begins with small, moderate steps. Meatless Mondays campaigns - which invite people to quit the consumption of animal products at least once a week and replace them with healthier, plant-based alternatives - is one such example of effective step. These campaigns were designed by considering the observation that consumers are more likely to be introduced to, and accept, healthy behaviors on Mondays, as they are often associated with the notion of a fresh start. Meatless Mondays have been introduced in several countries, promoting policies to reduce meat consumption and establishing the logistics, capacity and training for similar initiatives. They have also been successful in braking the barrier of reluctance towards acceptance of plant-based meals, by showing consumers that such meals can be not only healthy but also tasty and affordable. And they are in line with evidence showing that consumers who commit to small changes are more likely to accept more substantial changes in the future. In Brazil, the initiative has met with success in the implementation of exclusively vegetarian meals once a week every other week for over 1 million children enrolled in publicly financed schools. There is, however, much room for expansion to more schools, cities and settings and to other countries in Latin America.
Ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of dietary changes in the long-term is also essential. Healthier choices will be only sustained if they are at least as easy and convenient, affordable and tasty as their unhealthy alternatives. Policies on labelling, taxation and the adjustment of subsidies that incentivize tasty healthy choices while inhibiting unhealthy ones are essential, and should be strongly promoted concomitantly with other interventions.
>> Spanish translation below <<
While most countries in Latin America have successfully tackled under-nutrition, obesity has rapidly become an epidemic in the continent. The sharp increase in prevalence and the associated health risks, co-morbidities and costs have made it a major public health challenge. In Brazil, for example, while undernutrition affects a small proportion of the population, the last estimates of the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicate that most citizens (>50%) are overweight. Among children the situation is not much better, with approximately one in every three children 5-9 years of age are now overweight or obese.
As in other low- and middle-income countries, dietary changes in Latin America have been characterized by an increase in the consumption of refined grains, sugar and animal fat and protein, with diets often lacking in vegetables, fruits and fiber. The higher consumption of livestock products, in particular, has been also shown to be an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, further adding to the burden of malnutrition.
Combating this nutritional crisis will be an arduous task. As recently reported by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative, no national success stories in the combat of obesity has been reported in the past 30 years (Lancet 2013; 384:766-781). In Latin America, the nutritional transition has been largely driven by the widespread offer of cheaper food products low in nutritional value and high in energy, sugar, animal fats and proteins, as well as by unregulated advertising practices to which poorer populations are particularly vulnerable. Currently, these food products are often more accessible than healthy items such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Effective prevention and mitigation strategies aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable diets are therefore paramount. Traditional education efforts are often inadequate, in part because many programs focus on fact-heavy information campaigns, while neglecting strategies that can foster behavioral change. We believe that the success of any policies and programs in the long-term will require sustained and coordinated population-wide efforts on two main fronts: (1) the implementation of effective interventions aimed at promoting behavioral change in dietary choices and (2) ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of such changes in the long-term.
Research on behavioral change underscores the importance of understanding the drivers of unhealthy choices and overeating. Studies with highly diverse populations have shown repeatedly that consumers are frequently aware of their unhealthy dietary choices: they wish they did not overeat, were not overweight, that they ate healthier and that were able to sustain healthier choices in the long term. Awareness campaigns focused exclusively on information are therefore likely to have a small reach.
Evidence from marketing and behavioral economics can be an effective ally in promoting behavioral change by taking into account the specific mechanisms through which people make decisions in the design of interventions. To this end, three elements are essential: motivation, (very specific) directions and the proper (environmental) conditions. Motivation can be achieved not only through information about the health benefits of dietary choices, but also by use of other strategies, such as the desire of people to fit into social norms. For example, people agree to change habits more easily when they believe peers – or people who they admire – are also adopting these habits. In terms of direction, campaigns promoting general “healthy eating” are less likely to meet with success than interventions for the implementation of very specific behaviors, such as “consume 5 portions of fruits and veggies per day”, or “replace whole milk by vegetable milk”, or “replace meat by beans one meal per day”. Several other examples and effects have been widely demonstrated, and could be used to foster change. For instance, a number of studies have shown that adding more of tasty vegetables to meals can result in smaller portions of meat and other less healthy options, thus contributing (intentionally or not) to the choice of smaller portions. Choices for consumption experiences in the future have been also shown to be healthier than for consumption experiences in the present, opening opportunities through pre-commitment of food choices in several settings.
Lasting behavioral change often begins with small, moderate steps. Meatless Mondays campaigns - which invite people to quit the consumption of animal products at least once a week and replace them with healthier, plant-based alternatives - is one such example of effective step. These campaigns were designed by considering the observation that consumers are more likely to be introduced to, and accept, healthy behaviors on Mondays, as they are often associated with the notion of a fresh start. Meatless Mondays have been introduced in several countries, promoting policies to reduce meat consumption and establishing the logistics, capacity and training for similar initiatives. They have also been successful in braking the barrier of reluctance towards acceptance of plant-based meals, by showing consumers that such meals can be not only healthy but also tasty and affordable. And they are in line with evidence showing that consumers who commit to small changes are more likely to accept more substantial changes in the future. In Brazil, the initiative has met with success in the implementation of exclusively vegetarian meals once a week every other week for over 1 million children enrolled in publicly financed schools. There is, however, much room for expansion to more schools, cities and settings and to other countries in Latin America.
Ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of dietary changes in the long-term is also essential. Healthier choices will be only sustained if they are at least as easy and convenient, affordable and tasty as their unhealthy alternatives. Policies on labelling, taxation and the adjustment of subsidies that incentivize tasty healthy choices while inhibiting unhealthy ones are essential, and should be strongly promoted concomitantly with other interventions.
Dr. Cynthia Schuck
Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira – SVB
http://www.svb.orb.br
While most countries in Latin America have successfully tackled under-nutrition, obesity has rapidly become an epidemic in the continent. The sharp increase in prevalence and the associated health risks, co-morbidities and costs have made it a major public health challenge. In Brazil, for example, while undernutrition affects a small proportion of the population, the last estimates of the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicate that most citizens (>50%) are overweight. Among children the situation is not much better, with approximately one in every three children 5-9 years of age are now overweight or obese.
As in other low- and middle-income countries, dietary changes in Latin America have been characterized by an increase in the consumption of refined grains, sugar and animal fat and protein, with diets often lacking in vegetables, fruits and fiber. The higher consumption of livestock products, in particular, has been also shown to be an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, further adding to the burden of malnutrition.
Combating this nutritional crisis will be an arduous task. As recently reported by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative, no national success stories in the combat of obesity has been reported in the past 30 years (Lancet 2013; 384:766-781). In Latin America, the nutritional transition has been largely driven by the widespread offer of cheaper food products low in nutritional value and high in energy, sugar, animal fats and proteins, as well as by unregulated advertising practices to which poorer populations are particularly vulnerable. Currently, these food products are often more accessible than healthy items such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Effective prevention and mitigation strategies aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable diets are therefore paramount. Traditional education efforts are often inadequate, in part because many programs focus on fact-heavy information campaigns, while neglecting strategies that can foster behavioral change. We believe that the success of any policies and programs in the long-term will require sustained and coordinated population-wide efforts on two main fronts: (1) the implementation of effective interventions aimed at promoting behavioral change in dietary choices and (2) ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of such changes in the long-term.
Research on behavioral change underscores the importance of understanding the drivers of unhealthy choices and overeating. Studies with highly diverse populations have shown repeatedly that consumers are frequently aware of their unhealthy dietary choices: they wish they did not overeat, were not overweight, that they ate healthier and that were able to sustain healthier choices in the long term. Awareness campaigns focused exclusively on information are therefore likely to have a small reach.
Evidence from marketing and behavioral economics can be an effective ally in promoting behavioral change by taking into account the specific mechanisms through which people make decisions in the design of interventions. To this end, three elements are essential: motivation, (very specific) directions and the proper (environmental) conditions. Motivation can be achieved not only through information about the health benefits of dietary choices, but also by use of other strategies, such as the desire of people to fit into social norms. For example, people agree to change habits more easily when they believe peers – or people who they admire – are also adopting these habits. In terms of direction, campaigns promoting general “healthy eating” are less likely to meet with success than interventions for the implementation of very specific behaviors, such as “consume 5 portions of fruits and veggies per day”, or “replace whole milk by vegetable milk”, or “replace meat by beans one meal per day”. Several other examples and effects have been widely demonstrated, and could be used to foster change. For instance, a number of studies have shown that adding more of tasty vegetables to meals can result in smaller portions of meat and other less healthy options, thus contributing (intentionally or not) to the choice of smaller portions. Choices for consumption experiences in the future have been also shown to be healthier than for consumption experiences in the present, opening opportunities through pre-commitment of food choices in several settings.
Lasting behavioral change often begins with small, moderate steps. Meatless Mondays campaigns - which invite people to quit the consumption of animal products at least once a week and replace them with healthier, plant-based alternatives - is one such example of effective step. These campaigns were designed by considering the observation that consumers are more likely to be introduced to, and accept, healthy behaviors on Mondays, as they are often associated with the notion of a fresh start. Meatless Mondays have been introduced in several countries, promoting policies to reduce meat consumption and establishing the logistics, capacity and training for similar initiatives. They have also been successful in braking the barrier of reluctance towards acceptance of plant-based meals, by showing consumers that such meals can be not only healthy but also tasty and affordable. And they are in line with evidence showing that consumers who commit to small changes are more likely to accept more substantial changes in the future. In Brazil, the initiative has met with success in the implementation of exclusively vegetarian meals once a week every other week for over 1 million children enrolled in publicly financed schools. There is, however, much room for expansion to more schools, cities and settings and to other countries in Latin America.
Ensuring the conditions for the sustainability of dietary changes in the long-term is also essential. Healthier choices will be only sustained if they are at least as easy and convenient, affordable and tasty as their unhealthy alternatives. Policies on labelling, taxation and the adjustment of subsidies that incentivize tasty healthy choices while inhibiting unhealthy ones are essential, and should be strongly promoted concomitantly with other interventions.
Dr. Cynthia Schuck
Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira – SVB