Use of Food Labels as a Weight Loss Behavior

This study investigates the use of food labels as a weight loss behavior compared to regular exercise among middle-aged Americans. After controlling for unobserved heterogeneity women were more likely to read food labels than men and also more successful in losing weight. Label users who did not exercise displayed a slightly greater likelihood of weight loss than those who exercised but did not read food labels. Additionally, those who only read labels were more likely to improve their chances of weight loss by adding exercise to their routines rather than abandoning label usage in favor of exercise. ********** Strong evidence of a relationship between obesity and being overweight in middle age and increased risk of future cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and dementia invokes significant attention to strategies for weight loss (Wannamethee, Shaper, and Walker 2005; Whitmer et al. 2005). Past research in this area suggests that changes in both diet and physical activity are important to attain weight loss and to achieve long-term weight control success (Franz et al. 2007; Pritchard, Nowson, and Wark 1997; Pronk and Wing 1994; Serdula et al. 1999). Long-term dietary information is less readily available from large nationally representative surveys; however, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth has been asking respondents about their food label usage since 2002. This allows examination of the actual use of nutritional labels by middle-aged individuals who are trying to lose weight. Almost all packaged foods today carry labels that provide essential nutrient and ingredient information. This is a result of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) passed by the US Congress in 1990 and enacted in 1994, which requires all food manufacturers to present standardized nutrition facts on the package. These facts include nutrient-related information such as highlighting the percentages of fat and cholesterol, serving size and percentage daily value. The mandate has since led to a series of economic, dietetic and behavioral research studies that investigated the various welfare aspects of food labels and the impact on US dietary intakes (Brown and Schrader 1990; Ippolito and Mathios 1990; Kim, Nayga, and Capps 2000, 2001; Mazis and Raymond 1997; Nayga, Lipinski, and Savur 1998; Neuhouser, Kristal, and Patterson 1999; Teisl, Bockstael, and Levy 2001; Zarkin et al. 1993). The total monetary benefit due to lower mortality, reduced medical expenditures, declining absenteeism and increased productivity associated with the reduction in body weight since the enactment of NLEA is estimated to be about $166 billion (1,991 dollars) over a 20-year period compared with the $1.4-2.3 billion estimated cost of implementing NLEA (Variyam and Cawley 2006). Various recent studies have also examined the association between use of nutrition labels and demographic, behavioral and psychosocial factors, household purchasing decisions and food intake patterns (Blitstein and Evans 2006; Driskell, Schake, and Detter 2008; Fitzgerald et al. 2008; Kolodinsky et al. 2007; Lin, Lee, and Yen 2004; Misra 2007; Satia, Galanko, and Neuhouser 2005). Additionally, the growing importance of food labels is reflected by the inclusion of educational materials that illustrate how to use food labels in making purchasing decisions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (previously called Food Stamp Program) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (Hoover, Martin, and Litchfield 2009). METHOD Sample Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), which was first fielded in 1979 and has since followed a nationally representative cohort of 12,686 men and women born between 1957 and 1964. In this study, data from the three latest biennial surveys (2002-2006) were analyzed. During this time frame, participants' ages ranged from 37 to 50. Although demographics, household income and body weight data are regularly collected in the surveys, three new questions have been asked since 2002: 1. …