title: Leveraging corporate social responsibility to improve consumer safety of dietary supplements sold for weight loss and muscle building.
abstract: The potential dangers associated with dietary supplements sold for weight loss and muscle building are well documented and increasingly garnering the attention of the media, public, and government leaders. Public health professionals have an opportunity to improve population health in the context of dietary supplement use by translating scientific evidence into action. In this commentary, we discuss the potential to motivate corporate social responsibility (CSR) among manufacturers and retailers of dietary supplements sold for weight loss and muscle building. We examine levers available to public health professionals for generating voluntary corporate self-regulation by reviewing examples from successful CSR initiatives in other domains of public health and offering recommendations highlighting effective advocacy strategies. We encourage public health professionals to use one or multiple advocacy strategies to improve consumer protections for dietary supplements sold for weight loss and muscle building.
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Anvita
authors: A
authors: Kulkarni
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Ryan
authors: R
authors: Huerto
authors: Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: Christina A
authors: CA
authors: Roberto
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. bryn.austin@childrens.harvard.edu.|Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 333 Longwood Ave., Room 634, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. bryn.austin@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors: S Bryn
authors: SB
authors: Austin
mesh_terms: D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000502:physiology*; D011634:Public Health; D012941:Social Responsibility; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs / Q000379:methods / Q000600:supply & distribution*
keywords: CSR; Corporate social responsibility; Dietary supplements; Muscle building; Public health campaigns; Weight loss