Evaluating Menu Labeling as a Strategy Against Obesity Epidemic

This essay critically evaluates the effectiveness of menu labeling as a strategy to combat the obesity epidemic, referencing a health impact assessment. It questions assumptions made about restaurant patrons' behavior regarding calorie consumption and physical activity, suggesting that calorie reduction from menu information may be insignificant. The essay also critiques the methods used in the assessment, particularly the limited scope of consumer responses and the potential for market adjustments to influence caloric food consumption. Furthermore, it points out the lack of clarity regarding the effects of proposed interventions like nutrition education. The essay concludes by discussing the differential impact of energy intake on weight gain in adults versus children, advocating for reduced energy intake in diets to mitigate obesity.

Running head: HEALTHCARE 1
Healthcare
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Assumptions
From the scenario used, about 10% of restaurant patrons ordered reduced calorie meals. It
was then assumed that these restaurant patrons would not have increased food or beverage intake
at any time of the day. In support of the assumption, the researchers referred to the recent study
which argued that the people who prefer taking reduced calorie meals do not compensate in the
proceeding days.
On the same note, the researchers made an assumption that the restaurant patrons who
ordered meals with reduced calorie would not interfere with their levels of physical activity
hence the rate at which their bodies metabolize would not change. This would mainly be due to
insignificant calorie reduction resulting from their access to calorie information on the menu at
the point of purchase.
According to Kivimaki et al. 2017, such a policy lowers the purchasing power of
consumers especially in restaurants where information on calorie is posted on the menu at the
point of purchase. As a consumer, I can feel the same effect.
My Opinion on the Methods used
The assessment focused mainly on two methods in collecting data during the research
period. One of the methods used was based on consumer responses. In my opinion, the method
was not very effective because it did not involve a variety of consumers. The method only used
restaurant patrons to establish the outcome. The data gathered using this method may not have
been accurate since consumers’ preferences vary and the use of few numbers of consumers does
not give varying data. Again, estimates from market shares and meal prices could not greatly
affect the consumption of caloric food because certain adjustments such as price incentives could

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be made on the same foods to establish whether it could bring different outcomes. Therefore,
their methods were not well explored.
Proposed intervention
The authors of this article do not clearly show the effects of the proposed intervention.
The authors do not show what actually happens when for instance nutrition education is offered
to the people, how it might change their dietary habits and how it can reduce obesity. This show
that they look into bringing intervention without bothering the effects of the same.
Effects of Energy Intake
In my opinion, adding energy intake to a diet does not add weight at the same magnitude
as reducing energy intake in a diet. This is because the energy added may not be the same as the
energy which will be reduced. This does not work the same way in children as in adults.
According to Antoniou et al. 2016 weight gain is more rampant in adults than in children even
when exposed under the same environmental conditions while feeding on the same type of food.
The difference is brought about by body activity and metabolism rate. Therefore, energy intake
should be reduced in diets to reduce obesity cases.

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References
Antoniou, E. E., Roefs, A., Kremers, S. P. J., Jansen, A., Gubbels, J. S., Sleddens, E. F. C., &
Thijs, C. (2016). Picky eating and child weight status development: a longitudinal
study. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 29(3), 298-307.
Kivimäki, M., Kuosma, E., Ferrie, J. E., Luukkonen, R., Nyberg, S. T., Alfredsson, L., ... &
Knutsson, A. (2017). Overweight, obesity, and risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: a
pooled analysis of individual-level data for 120 813 adults from 16 cohort studies from
the USA and Europe. The Lancet Public Health, 2(6), e277-e285.