Synopses & Reviews
Obesity is one of the most pressing health issues affecting our country. This unique volume is the first to apply behavioral economics-the integration of psychological and economic knowledge-to the study of eating behavior. The text demonstrates how this discipline can be used to understand why it so difficult for individuals to control their eating habits, and helps readers use this knowledge to create and improve public health nutrition programs and policies.
The text examines dietary choices and obesity through a multidisciplinary lens of biological, psychological, and social factors, and draws from the disciplines of behavioral economics, nutrition, public health, and health promotion. Based on the premise that humans are hardwired to make judgment errors and need a nudge to make decisions in their best interests, the book argues that increasing consumer well-being requires changing an individual's personal environment. It describes the power of irrational forces that compete with sensible judgment in regard to food choices, and provides strategies for improving decisions and health habits. Highly accessible, the text will be of interest to students, professors, and practitioners in nutrition-related health programs, as well as to public health policy makers. Key Features:
Assesses the social determinants that affect nutrition choices, including food availability, nutrition education, income, culture, and other key factors Demonstrates how flawed decisions and self-control difficulties can affect eating behavior Provides a valuable framework for improving public health through understanding and changing the way individuals make food decisions Explains the link between obesity rates and economics of food choice (fast food, food marketing, and social factors) Provides strategies and tools to help people improve their decision-making and health habits
Synopsis
As a consequence of the rising cost of medical care and drugs, health care providers and public health policy makers are increasingly looking to diet as a means to decrease the incidence of many chronic and age-related diseases. This unique volume is the first to apply behavioral economics to the field of personal nutrition-and show how these insights can be used to create and improve public health nutrition programs and policies.
This introductory text examines dietary choices and obesity through a multidisciplinary lens of biological, psychological, and social factors. It integrates the basic concepts of behavioral economics, which blends psychological and economic knowledge to understand human behavior, with public health concerns, to increase understanding of how individual choices can be integrated into preventative strategies.Key features:
o Examines the rise of obesity and its impact on public healtho Offers a unique blend of behavioral economics, public health, nutrition, and health promotion policyo Looks at the social determinants that impact nutrition choices, including food availability, nutrition education, income, culture and other key factorso Includes information on why diets don't work, the lure of eating for pleasure, and why we have cravingso Explains how to use behavioral economics to promote healthier food choicesIncludes examples and discussion questions