The nutritional health of the nation: diet, exercise and health.
Public health initiatives aimed at changing the nation's diet rely on simple messages to persuade people to eat more from certain food groups and less from others. The underlying rationale of this strategy is that control is located firmly in the hands of the individual who can 'choose' health by following the guidelines. The research reported in this article found high levels of public awareness of nutritional guidelines, and a sense of personal control over health. However, accounts of other health-related agendas showed that being in control may mean choosing to become fitter or slimmer. Within these pursuits, nutritional concerns were prioritized only in so far as they were seen to serve the attainment of a desired body shape. Health professionals need to be aware that nutritional guidelines may be competing with other mediating factors along the chosen route to health.