Why  Aren’t  Counsellors  the  Heavy  Weights  in  Meeting  Consumer  Demand  in  

the  Weight  Loss  Industry?

Presented  by  

Philip  Armstrong  FACACEO  of  ACA

Snap Shot of the Counselling Industry

inAustralia

• Self-­‐regulated• Multiple  professional  bodies• No  rebates  against  National  Health  System  (Medicare)

• Some  recognition  by  Private  Health  Funds• Some  recognition  by  State  Governments• Counselling  is  seen  as  an  Adjunctive  skill  by  the  Federal  Government

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• Public/Employer/Government  are  confused  • Employment  potential  is  good• Low  paying  profession• Private  Practice  is  extremely  competitive• Training  comes  from  both  Vocational  and  Higher  Education  sectors

• Registration  is  seen  as  necessary  by  public  and  employment  sectors

EXPECTATIONS OF ACA MEMBERS

Top 5 in order of demand:

1. Government recognition2. Increase employment opportunities3. Increase market potential and consumer

demand for Private Practice4. Standards5. Ethics and Code of Practice

Snap  Shot  of  the  Weight  Loss  Industry

Three Primary Commercial Providers in Australia

What do they offer?

Commercial  Value�Global  Weight  Management  Market  is  estimated  to  be  worth  USD  385.1  billion  

�Canada  approx 6  Billion  annually

�USA  over  $310  Billion  per  year�Australia  over  $1  Billion  is  annually  spent

How  have  they  positioned  themselves  to  dominate  the  market  with  products  that  

simply  do  not  work?

Marketing  -­‐ ExpenditureFood  manufacturers  are  reported  to  spend  a  significantamounts  of  money  on  advertising

In  1999  food  manufacturers  in  the  US  spent  almost  $7.3  billion  on  direct  consumer  advertising.

In  Australia  spending  was  reported  to  be  estimated  at  $400  million  on  advertising  (2003)  and  food  ranked  number  five  in  the  top  ten  product  categories  advertised.  

Food  companies  which  produced  high-­‐fat  andhigh  sugar  foods  that  were  highly  processed  and  packagedspent  most  of  this  money  in  both  the  US  and  Australia.

Media  InfluenceThe  media  has  been  identified  by  consumers  as  an  important  source  of  nutrition  information  (1,2)  and  this  has  important  implications,  as  many  consumers  rely  on  this  information  to  make  their  food  decisions(3).

Studies  have  found  that  processed  foods  are  the  most  commonly  advertised  food  form  among  those  advertisements  identified  as  containing  a  healthy  eating  message.

Canned  and  bottle  foods  were  the  most  commonly  advertised  products(4).1.    Australia  New  Zealand  Food  Authority.  Food  labelling  issues  -­‐ consumer  qualitative  research.  Canberra:  AustraliaNew  Zealand  Food  Authority;  2001.2.  .  Goldberg  J.  Nutrition  and  health  communication:  the  message  and  the  media  over  half  a  century.  Nutr Rev.1992;50:71-­‐7.3. Lohmann J,  Kant  AK.  Effect  of  the  food  guide  pyramid  on  advertising.  J  Nutr Educ.  1998;30(1):23-­‐8.4.    Pratt  CA,  Pratt  CB.  Comparative  content  analysis  of  food  and  nutrition  advertisements  in  Ebony,  Essence,  and  Ladies'Home  Journal.  J  Nutr Educ.  1995;27(1):11-­‐7.

Priming  Effects  of  Television  Food  Advertising  on  Eating  Behavior

Jennifer  L.  Harris,  John  A.  Bargh,  and  Kelly  D.  Brownell  Yale  University.  (Health  Psychol 2009)

Health  authorities  believe  that  the  accumulation  of  unhealthy  messages  communicated  to  children  through  food  advertising  is  a  leading  cause  of  unhealthy  consumption  (Brownell  &  Horgen,  2004;  IOM,  2006).  Every  day,  children  view,  on  average,  15  television  food  advertisements  (Federal  Trade  Commission,  2007),  and  an  overwhelming  98%  of  these  ads  promote  products  high  in  fat,  sugar,  and/or  sodium  (Powell,  Szczpka,  Chaloupka,  &  Braunschweig,  2007).  

Moreover,  food  advertising  to  children  portrays  unhealthy  eating  behaviors with  positive  outcomes.

Children  consumed  45%  more  when  exposed  to  food  advertising.  Adults  consumed  more  of  both  healthy  and  unhealthy  snack  foods  following  exposure  to  snack  food  advertising  compared  to  the  other  conditions.

Consumer  Needs

Foundations  of  Theory  in  Health  Promotion  and  Health  Behavior

Not  all  health  programs  and  initiatives  are  equally  successful,  however.  Those  most  likely  to  achieve  desired  outcomes  are  based  on  a  clear  understanding  of  targeted  health  behaviors,  and  the  environmental  context  in  which  they  occur.  

Practitioners  use  strategic  planning  models  to  develop  and  manage  these  programs,  and  continually  improve  them  through  meaningful  evaluation.  

Theory  gives  planners  tools  for  moving  beyond  intuition  to  design  and  evaluate  health  behavior and  health  promotion  interventions  based  on  understanding  of  behavior.

U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH  AND  HUMAN  SERVICES

How  can  health  professionals  meet  consumers’  needs  better?  

Anthony  Worsley  BSc(Hons),  PhD  Department  of  Public  Health,  University  of  Adelaide,  South  Australia

1. Realise  that  there  may  be  more  important  things  in  the  lives  of  consumers  than  the  pursuit  of  health.

2. Recognise  that  people  may  find  it  difficult   to  separate  healthy  eating  from  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Particular  solutions  to  consumers’  lifestyles  will  have  to  be  found.

3. Take  a  flexible  approach   to  education  and  counselling  —there  are  probably  many  healthy  lifestyles  and  food  consumption  patterns.

4. Distinguish  nutrition   science   from  general  beliefs  and  moral  positions  and,  whenever   possible,  seek  sound  scientific  evidence   for  their  advice  and  teaching.

What  does  the  research  say?

ResearchOther interesting examples of research on context suggest:

• Seeing someone eating tends to encourage you to eat more• Obese individuals eat more in the presence of other obese individuals• We consume more when we are served more food regardless of our body size or the food served (portion size has a strong affect) • The easier access is to food the more likely we are to consume it and consume more of it

Research

• A  recent  study  found  that  eating  a  snack  while  watching  TV  results  in  greater  intake  of  the  food  and  also  a  marked  decrease  in  the  ability  to  determine  just  how  much  was  consumed.

• Across  the  board  TV  viewing  affected  the  ability  to  accurately  recall  just  how  much  was  eaten  and  increased  total  intake  

• The  longer  a  meal  is  the  more  we  will  tend  to  consume

Research

� We spend more money on food when appealing music is played

� The more people we are with during a meal increases consumption (not to mention the impact of each individual on our intake)

Impact on Unborn BabiesPREGNANT women who eat junk food program their unborn babies to be addicted toan unhealthy, high-fat and high-sugar diet, research suggests.

University of Adelaide researchers found a diet high in junk food causes children tohave a preference for junk food once they have been weaned - the first time theaddiction has been found to be present at such a young age.

Study leader from the university's FOODplus Research Centre Dr Bev Muhlhauslersaid it was likely the addiction - similar to an opiod habit - was present at birth.

Dr Muhlhausler said this meant children born to a mother who ate a diet high in junkfood would need to eat more fat and sugar to experience the same good feeling, similarto someone addicted to opioids who needs to consume more of the drug to feel thesame sensation.

Research  Review  of  Body  Image  ProgramsPsychology  Department,  University  of  Melbourne  2002

In  the  United  States  a  survey  found  56%  and  43%  of  women  and  men  respectively  reported  body  dissatisfaction.

Body  image  dissatisfaction  and  extreme  dieting  is  associated  with  depression  in  adolescents  and  adults.

Through  its  effects  on  eating  behaviour  and  physical  activity,  body  dissatisfaction  is  likely  to  contribute  to  the  development  of  overweight.  For  example,  high  body  dissatisfaction  and  dieting  predict  binge  eating.

Binge  eating,  especially  when  combined  with  reduced  physical  activity,  can  lead  to  unhealthy  weight  gain.

ResearchScience reveals why you can't eat one potato chip

Do you suffer from hedonic hyperphagia? That means ‘eating to excess for pleasure rather than hunger’ and it plagues millions around the world.

The scientific secrets underpinning that awful reality about potato chips — eat one and you're apt to scarf 'em all down — began coming out of the bag in research presented at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

Tobias Hoch, Ph.D., who conducted the study, said the results shed light on the causes of a condition called "hedonic hyperphagia“.

"That's the scientific term for 'eating to excess for pleasure, rather than hunger,'" Hoch said. "It's recreational over-eating that may occur in almost everyone at some time in life. And the chronic form is a key factor in the epidemic of overweight and obesity that here in the United States threatens health problems for two out of every three people."

Does  Socioeconomic  Status  Count?The  Victorian  Lifestyle  and  Neighbourhood  Study  (2007),   found  a  definite  link  between  where  you  live  and  what  you  eat.  The  study  found  that  compared  to  people  living  in  a  high  SES  (socioeconomic  status)  area,  those  in  low  SES  areas  were  less  likely  to:•  Purchase  groceries  that  were  low  in  fat,    high  in  fibre,  low  in  salt              and  sugar•  Purchase  fruit•  Exercise  at  levels  sufficient  for  health•  Spend  time  walking

Fast food outlets are more common in low-­‐to-­‐mid SES areas,consequently individuals in low SES areas were also more likelyto buy and consume fast foods at home.

Urban  MythsDetox:It  is  difficult  to  find  any  large  and  recent  peer-­‐reviewed  studies  that  have  tested  the  claims  of  detox  kits.  A  group  of  early-­‐career  scientists,  part  of  the  group  the  Voice  of  Young  Science,  published  a  "detox  dossier"  that  reviewed  a  bunch  of  popular  detox  products  in  2009.They  found  none  of  the  product  manufacturers  were  able  to  provide  evidence  for  their  kits'  claims,  or  even  give  a  comprehensive  definition  of  what  they  meant  by  "detox".

Putting it all together

What  should  an  Effective  Program  Include!  

1. Psycho-­‐‑education  (including  marketing  strategies)

2. Nutrition3. Address  Behavioural  Issues,  Habits  and  Emotional  Triggers  

4. How  to  Develop  Exercise  Routines5. Life  Skills6. Support/Counselling7. Meditation

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