Public opinions on societal measures to prevent obesity – a population-based study from Finland

Abstract Background Modifying obesogenic environment to be more health-promoting is crucial in preventing obesity. Effective societal measures e.g. health-related taxes, improved nutritional labelling, and restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods were examined in terms of public support. Methods Data (n = 4,543) consisted of participants aged 20+ years from the nationally representative Healthy Finland Survey conducted in 2023. Participants were asked “In your opinion, what should society do to prevent obesity from becoming more common in Finland?” and could select multiple options from a predefined list of 12 measures. Population-weighted prevalence of support for each measure was analyzed using logistic regression. Results The most widely supported measures were limiting marketing of unhealthy foods (53% of women, 51% of men), improving the quality of food served in food services even at higher cost (56% of women, 51% of men), and encouraging the food industry to reformulate products into healthier versions (49% of men and women). In contrast, the least supported measure was limiting the availability of fast food, e.g. by regulating the number or opening hours of restaurants (7% of women, 9% of men). Overall, the opinions were similar between sexes. However, women more often supported making participation in weight management groups easier compared to men (45%, 95%CI 42-47, vs. 29%, 95%CI 26-31), as well as reducing the package sizes of unhealthy foods (39%, 95%CI 37-41, vs. 24%, 95%CI 22-26). Support for sugar taxation (38% of women, 42% of men) was notably higher than for fat taxation (27% of women, 26% of men). Conclusions Public support for obesity prevention was strongest for measures that limit individual autonomy less, such as limiting harmful marketing and improving quality of foods and food services. Restrictive measures like regulation of food availability and taxation received comparatively less support, although sugar taxation received fairly strong support. Key messages • The most widely supported societal measures for obesity prevention were those regarding limiting harmful marketing and improving quality of foods and food services. • Men and women had rather similar opinions on obesity prevention measures. Next, we will examine differences in these opinions between population groups based on e.g. age and education.