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Nearly 60% of Americans Don't Control Their Diet

Nearly 60% of Americans say they don’t control their diet - virtually unchanged from the same survey a year earlier, according to Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI). Among those controlling their diet, health and weight loss are the primary reasons, MRI found.

Health considerations, such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, were cited as a motive by the highest number of dieters, at 38%. Health as an impetus for dieting is prominent among men: 40.8% of male dieters cite a health factor as a driver to dieting - the most popular motive among male dieters.

The second-most popular motivation for all dieters - cited by 34.9% of them - is the perennial New Year’s resolution: weight loss. For females who are dieting, however, weight loss is the top motivation.

Both age and income play a role in a person’s motivation for dieting:

• The older the dieting consumer, the more likely it is that health factors are cited as a motive for controlling food intake.
• While only 19.2% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who control their diet cite health reasons as a driver, 59% of adults age 65+ who control their diet do so for their health.
• Moreover, the top motivation cited among dieters with household incomes of less than $50,000 is health, whereas the greatest impetus among dieters with household incomes of $75,000 and greater is weight loss.

“Only four in ten American adults actively control their diet,” said Anne Marie Kelly, vice-president of marketing and strategic planning at MRI. “While some of them might not need to - perhaps, for instance, they are blessed with a high metabolism - this is nonetheless a disquieting metric. It makes sense, however, in light of the fact that 35% of American adults are considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.”

“When targeting those adults who do control their diets, food, restaurant, OTC drug and other diet-related advertisers will do well to understand the different motivations among dieting consumer segments and incorporate that into their messaging,” she added.