The Perils of Marketing Weight-Management Remedies and the Role of Health Literacy. (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bolton, Lisa E.; Bhattacharjee, Amit; Reed, Americus
• Is Part Of: Journal of public policy & marketing. Volume 34:Number 1(2015)
• Page Start: 50
• Page End: 62
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: health marketing -- health literacy -- lay theories -- weight management -- nutrition; Marketing -- Periodicals; Marketing -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 658.802
• DOI: 10.1509/jppm.13.031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0743-9156

Abstract

This research explores the impact of weight-management remedy marketing on healthy lifestyle behaviors. Three studies demonstrate that exposure to drug (but not supplement) marketing for weight management encourages unhealthy consumer behavior as a result of consumers' reliance on erroneous beliefs about health remedies. The authors explore the possible mitigating role of two dimensions of healthy literacy: nutrition knowledge and remedy knowledge. Whether measured or manipulated, the results show remedy knowledge to be more effective than nutrition knowledge at lessening the effect of weight-management drug marketing on unhealthy behavior. The authors close with a discussion of the theoretical and substantive implications of this research for consumer welfare.