Public acceptance of interventions

Besides differences in expected cost-effectiveness, alternative policy interventions are also likely to differ in terms of their acceptance by the general public. Some interventions may be better received than others and different population groups may have different attitudes towards healthy eating and the role of policy in intervening to influence their food choices. Research on these differences and the factors associated with different perceptions can provide valuable information to policy-makers.

The objective is to compare public acceptance for alternative interventions, across countries and individuals, focusing on different sub-groups of the population (e.g. parents vs. non-parents, education level, etc.). This allows an indirect evaluation of the cost and benefits of alternative actions as they are perceived by the public.

This involves:

• An evaluation of public concern towards nutrition-related issues compared to other policy priorities, including the production of preference maps towards policies.
• An assessment of the level of support for alternative nutrition-targeted policies. 
• An evaluation of public preparedness to respond to alternative nutrition-targeted interventions. 
• An evaluation of public attitudes towards obesity and its determinants. A comparison with similar surveys carried out in the US.