Exploring views of members of the public and policymakers on the acceptability of population level dietary and active-travel policies: a qualitative study

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Research

Z Toumpakari¹  S. Valerino-Perea¹  R. Jago²  J. Watson³  J. Brown⁴  A Majeed⁵  M. P. Kelly⁶  S. Cummins⁷  C. Bonell⁷  I. Soulsby⁸  S. Anderson⁹  M. Vasiljevic⁹  V. Araujo-Soares^1,10  L. Ternent^1,11  F. F. Sniehotta^1,12  T. Robinson^1,13  M. White^1,14  J. Adams^1,14  D. Green^1,15  K. Willis^1,16 

[1] Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, BS8 1TZ, Bristol, UK;Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, BS8 1TZ, Bristol, UK;Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, BS8 2PS, Bristol, UK;Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), The National Institute for Health Research, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, BS1 2NT, Bristol, UK;Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, BS8 1TZ, Bristol, UK;South Gloucestershire Council, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF, Bristol, UK;Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK;SPECTRUM Consortium, London, UK;Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, W6 8RP, London, UK;Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, Department of Health Technology and Services Research, University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK;Department for Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany;Fuse – Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Newcastle, UK;Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK;The National Institute for Health Research, Applied Research Collaboration Northeast and North Cumbria (NIHR ARC NENC), St Nicholas’ Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Jubilee Road, NE3 3XT, Gosforth, UK;MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK;Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, BS8 2PS, Bristol, UK;

关键词: Acceptability;    Effectiveness;    Fairness;    Policy communication;    Policy;    Public health;    Active travel;    Diet;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12966-023-01465-7

 received in 2022-11-14, accepted in 2023-05-06,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThere is limited evidence on what shapes the acceptability of population level dietary and active-travel policies in England. This information would be useful in the decision-making process about which policies should be implemented and how to increase their effectiveness and sustainability. To fill this gap, we explored public and policymakers’ views about factors that influence public acceptability of dietary and active-travel policies and how to increase public acceptability for these policies.MethodsWe conducted online, semi-structured interviews with 20 members of the public and 20 policymakers in England. A purposive sampling frame was used to recruit members of the public via a recruitment agency, based on age, sex, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Policymakers were recruited from existing contacts within our research collaborations and via snowball sampling. We explored different dietary and active-travel policies that varied in their scope and focus. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic reflexive analysis with both inductive and deductive coding.ResultsWe identified four themes that informed public acceptability of dietary and active-travel policies: (1) perceived policy effectiveness, i.e., policies that included believable mechanisms of action, addressed valued co-benefits and barriers to engage in the behaviour; (2) perceived policy fairness, i.e., policies that provided everyone with an opportunity to benefit (mentioned only by the public), equally considered the needs of various population subgroups and rewarded ‘healthy’ behaviours rather than only penalising ‘unhealthy’ behaviours; (3) communication of policies, i.e., policies that were visible and had consistent and positive messages from the media (mentioned only by policymakers) and (4) how to improve policy support, with the main suggestion being an integrated strategy addressing multiple aspects of these behaviours, inclusive policies that consider everyone’s needs and use of appropriate channels and messages in policy communication.ConclusionsOur findings highlight that members’ of the public and policymakers’ support for dietary and active-travel policies can be shaped by the perceived effectiveness, fairness and communication of policies and provide suggestions on how to improve policy support. This information can inform the design of acceptable policies but can also be used to help communicate existing and future policies to maximise their adoption and sustainability.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Crown 2023

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