MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 99 Berkeley Square, Glasgow, G3 7HR, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 9;23(1):1951. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16821-2.
There has been a lack of progress in reducing obesity in the United Kingdom (UK) despite Government strategies released over the last 30 years. These strategies, including the most recent publication from July 2020, have focused on childhood obesity and high fat, sugar and/or salt (HFSS) marketing restrictions, particularly broadcast advertising. In this study, we aimed to examine a range of expert views on the potential impact and the relative importance of such policies.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 experts in policy (n = 19), industry (n = 10), and advocacy (n = 13) with an interest in obesity. The UK Government's 2020 obesity strategy was used as a prompt to guide discussion on policy options. Qualitative thematic analysis was employed to answer the three research questions and themes were inductively coded within each research question. Data were also cross compared using matrix coding and a form of framework analysis to examine the views expressed by the different types of stakeholders.
Reactions to the July 2020 proposal were mixed among policy and advocacy stakeholders, while commercial stakeholders expressed disappointment. A main theme emerging in all groups was frustration with the policy process and wishing to see more clarity regarding restrictions and their implementation. There was an overall lack of trust that the government would carry out their proposed plan and agreement that a more comprehensive, multi-sector approach aimed at the underlying drivers of obesity would be most effective, with some stakeholders indicating that some of the proposed policies could make a difference if implemented robustly. On the theme of promoting healthier options, some stakeholders suggested lowering the prices of 'healthy' products and making them more accessible to combat regressivity. There was a potentially surprising level of agreement between policy/advocacy stakeholders and commercial stakeholders, although commercial stakeholders were more likely to advocate for collaboration between government and industry as well as voluntary industry measures.
While HFSS marketing restrictions have a role to play and send a strong signal - provided they are implemented comprehensively - investment in these policies needs to be part of wider efforts to tackle the underlying drivers of obesity.
尽管英国政府在过去 30 年发布了多项战略，但肥胖问题仍未见改善。这些战略，包括 2020 年 7 月发布的最新战略，主要关注儿童肥胖问题以及高脂肪、高糖和/或高盐（HFSS）食品营销限制，特别是广播广告。在这项研究中，我们旨在研究一系列专家对这些政策的潜在影响和相对重要性的看法。
对 42 名对肥胖问题有兴趣的政策（n=19）、行业（n=10）和倡导（n=13）专家进行了半结构化访谈。英国政府 2020 年肥胖战略被用作指导讨论政策选择的提示。采用定性主题分析来回答三个研究问题，并且在每个研究问题中对主题进行归纳编码。还通过矩阵编码和一种框架分析形式对数据进行交叉比较，以检查不同类型利益相关者表达的观点。
政策和倡导利益相关者对 2020 年 7 月的提议反应不一，而商业利益相关者则表示失望。所有群体中出现的一个主要主题是对政策过程感到沮丧，并希望对限制及其实施有更清晰的认识。总体上缺乏对政府实施拟议计划的信任，并且一致认为，更全面、多部门的方法针对肥胖的根本驱动因素将是最有效的，一些利益相关者表示，如果这些政策得到有力实施，其中一些政策可能会产生影响。在促进更健康选择的主题上，一些利益相关者建议降低“健康”产品的价格，并使它们更容易获得，以克服倒退。政策/倡导利益相关者和商业利益相关者之间存在令人惊讶的一致性，尽管商业利益相关者更有可能主张政府和行业之间的合作以及行业的自愿措施。
尽管 HFSS 食品营销限制有一定的作用，并发出了强烈的信号——只要它们得到全面实施——但投资于这些政策需要成为解决肥胖根本驱动因素的更广泛努力的一部分。
