Project description DEENESFRITPL Improving nutritional choices to combat obesity Obesity rates in developed countries are reaching alarming levels, and the associated health risks threaten equity and markets. Governments are implementing policies to combat diet related diseases but often fail to achieve their targets. Research has shown that individuals who have experienced deprivation are more likely to choose less healthy options when shopping for food. Funded by the European Research Council, the FOODHABITS project seeks to improve current policies by conducting research that provides empirical evidence on the development of food habits, self-control, and consistency in individual food choices when purchasing groceries. Using data from the food market, the study aims to understand different nutritional attitudes and inform policymakers on specific targets and needs for effective public interventions. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The proposed research aims to improve our understanding of individual choices over which foods to purchase. The research aims to make fundamental contributions to models of choice and preference formation, and the outputs will inform the development of policy interventions that seek to improve nutritional outcomes. Our particular interest will be to better understand: (i) the importance of the foods available at home in childhood in influencing choices that young adults make over which foods to eat, (ii) the relevance of temptation and self-control in explaining poor nutritional food choices, and the ways that advertising might influence these behaviours, and (iii) the important interactions that exist between the ways that people spend their time (for example work and physical activity) and the food choices that they make and how this determines nutritional outcomes. A proper understanding of the way that preferences are formed, and the ways that they might be influenced, is key to the design of effective public policy. The food market is a good place to study these questions for a number of reasons. First, people make decisions with high frequency and in different economic conditions, which helps provide variation needed for identification of key parameters of interest. Second, we observe the same individuals making choices both for immediate consumption and for future consumption, which will also help us with identification. Third, the food industry is of considerable policy interest. People in developed countries are getting fatter at an alarming rate. To the extent that people do not take account of the effects of this on themselves in the future and on others then they are making suboptimal decisions; they and society could potentially be made better off by policy intervention, but it is important that we have a good understanding of what impact these interventions are likely to have. Fields of science social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiespublic policiessocial scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssocial sciencessociologysocial issuessocial inequalitiessocial sciencessociologygovernancetaxationmedical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutritionobesity Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-ADG-2015 - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2015-AdG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution Institute for Fiscal Studies Net EU contribution € 994 772,00 Address Ridgmount Street 7 WC1E 7AE London United Kingdom See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 994 772,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Institute for Fiscal Studies United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 994 772,00 Address Ridgmount Street 7 WC1E 7AE London See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 994 772,00
