Obesity metaphors: how beliefs about the causes of obesity affect support for public policy.
BACKGROUND
Relatively little is known about the factors shaping public attitudes toward obesity as a policy concern. This study examines whether individuals' beliefs about the causes of obesity affect their support for policies aimed at stemming obesity rates. This article identifies a unique role of metaphor-based beliefs, as distinct from conventional political attitudes, in explaining support for obesity policies.


METHODS
This article used the Yale Rudd Center Public Opinion on Obesity Survey, a nationally representative web sample surveyed from the Knowledge Networks panel in 2006/07 (N = 1,009). The study examines how respondents' demographic and health characteristics, political attitudes, and agreement with seven obesity metaphors affect support for sixteen policies to reduce obesity rates.


RESULTS
Including obesity metaphors in regression models helps explain public support for policies to curb obesity beyond levels attributable solely to demographic, health, and political characteristics. The metaphors that people use to understand rising obesity rates are strong predictors of support for public policy, and their influence varies across different types of policy interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
Over the last five years, the United States has begun to grapple with the implications of dramatically escalating rates of obesity. Individuals use metaphors to better understand increasing rates of obesity, and obesity metaphors are independent and powerful predictors of support for public policies to curb obesity. Metaphorical reasoning also offers a potential framework for using strategic issue framing to shift support for obesity policies.
Barry
Colleen L
CL
Yale University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. colleen.barry@yale.edu
Brescoll
Victoria L
VL
Brownell
Kelly D
KD
Schlesinger
Mark
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D019365:Metaphor; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000209:etiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult