A recent study suggests that attachment to well-known fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverage brands may be a strong indicator of poor overall diet quality, even among people who recognise that these products are unhealthy.
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An unhealthy diet can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer, as well as increasing the risk of premature death. Intensive fast-food marketing campaigns may play a role in rising rates of diet-related chronic diseases.
Dr Bobbi Watson, the study’s co-lead researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, said: “When people develop psychological loyalty to fast-food brands, that loyalty becomes a strong indicator of how much saturated fat and sugar they consume, regardless of how healthy they believe those brands to be.”
Although it may seem reasonable to assume that eating fast food occasionally does not reflect the quality of an entire diet, the study found that participants who favoured fast-food brands not only consumed more fat and sugar but also tended to perceive these brands as healthier.
Dr Mike Kyne, the study’s co-lead researcher and a senior lecturer in medical science at the University of Technology Sydney, said: “People who like these brands already rate them more highly in terms of health benefits. Nutrition knowledge plays a role, but the strongest factor determining health perceptions is how much a person likes the brand.”
Brand loyalty may influence dietary habits
The findings, recently published in the Journal of Health Communication, suggest that repeated exposure to brands may increase familiarity and generate positive feelings towards them. This, in turn, can shape consumers’ perceptions of how healthy the products are and influence their food choices.
The research involved specialists in medical science, psychology and marketing, including Professor Natalina Zlatevska and Associate Professor Adrian Camilleri from the University of Technology Sydney Business School.
The researchers conducted two separate studies involving adults in Australia and the United States. They assessed participants’ attitudes towards fast-food and beverage brands, their perceptions of how healthy those brands were, and their dietary habits through a comprehensive questionnaire.
Dr Watson said: “Unhealthy food marketing is widespread across retail outlets, the media, sport and other areas. Companies would not invest in these campaigns if they were not highly effective in influencing purchasing decisions.”
She added: “Clearly, these campaigns have an impact, but as consumers, we do not always recognise the extent to which we are influenced by them.”
The study noted that approximately one-third of the calories consumed by adults in Australia and the United States come from foods and beverages classified as discretionary products. These are typically highly processed and calorie-dense items containing high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat, such as potato chips, burgers and ice cream.
Calls to curb unhealthy food marketing
Dr Watson said: “We need to recognise how strongly marketing influences our health perceptions and food choices. There is also a broader responsibility to restrict some of these marketing practices, as evidence indicates that they affect dietary patterns across society.”
She added: “Governments and public health institutions invest substantial amounts in nutrition education, based on the assumption that knowledge helps people make healthier choices. But our research suggests the picture is more complicated.”
The findings indicate that an emotional attachment to a favourite fast-food brand may influence consumers’ food choices even when they are aware of the associated nutritional warnings.
The results support calls for stricter restrictions on advertisements for unhealthy foods, alongside other government policies aimed at limiting the influence of major fast-food companies on consumers’ dietary choices.
Source: Al-Ghad.
