New Study Shows Only 20% of Americans Follow a Structured Diet Plan

The study "Actionable Solutions for Overweight Segments of the Population" suggests that a better understanding of the obesity crisis lies in a different kind of understanding of the consumer.

26 Jul 2012 --- Despite the amount of information available on weight management, a new study by HealthFocus International finds that 68% of Americans say “drinking more water” is the step they are most likely to take when trying to lose weight. In contrast, only 20% of them follow any structured diet plan! The amount of available information continues to pour out to the mainstream consumer through traditional media, social networks, and websites, to the point where there are almost as many people getting information on weight loss from Facebook as from weightwatchers.com. Yet, the study showed that 76% of consumers still admit that they don’t know how to eat to lose weight!

The just released HealthFocus International (www.healthfocus.com) study Actionable Solutions for Overweight Segments of the Population suggests that a better understanding of the obesity crisis lies in a different kind of understanding of the consumer. This study looked deeply at consumers to understand their emotional and lifestyle needs going well beyond diet and exercise, and focused on understanding how consumers are different from one another.

In the study, five different population segments were derived, each unique and different in their needs and their approach to weight management. And the largest segment of consumers, comprising over one-third of the population, is a very emotional group. More than half of this group claims to be “disgusted with themselves.” This level of disillusionment in the largest segment of the population suggests that for many, increasing knowledge is only part of the challenge, and the focus needs to shift to the psychological side of weight management.

The five unique segments are:

•    Active Maintainers
•    Emotional Seekers
•    Practical Reducers
•    Health Driven
•    Nonchalants