Oliver has campaigned to increase healthy eating among young people

Oliver has campaigned to increase healthy eating among young people

Cooking shows and documentaries are more influential than government healthy eating campaigns, according to new research.

YouGov SixthSense data has shed light on the recent spat between health minister Andrew Lansley and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Comments made by Lansley at a conference in Brighton were critical of “the Jamie Oliver approach” to increasing public awareness of health and fitness.

Instead, the minister advocated an ‘evidence-based’ solution to the nation’s health problems.

Commenting on current methods of addressing obesity and public health generally, the Lansley said: “If we are constantly lecturing people and trying to tell them what to do, we will actually find that we undermine and are counterproductive in the results that we achieve."

YouGov SixthSense research provides food for thought for those on both sides of the debate. At present, only 10 per cent of UK adults claim that they are influenced in what they eat by government healthy eating campaigns; this figure drops to eight per cent for the less affluent members of society.

Celebrity and media influence is more considerable, with almost a quarter of respondents influenced in their food choices by TV documentaries, while 31 per cent look to cookery programs for ideas on what to eat. The overriding factor in UK dietary habits appears to be friends and family with 39 per cent citing the advice of a friend or loved one as having the most influence on what they eat.

There is more evidence throughout the report that the government’s influence is often less than it might have hoped. For example, only 13 per cent currently meet the government’s 5 A DAY quota for fruit and vegetable consumption.

YouGov SixthSense research director James McCoy said: “If the government wishes to provide a viable alternative to Jamie Oliver, then it would be wise to re-examine its own record thus far. There is considerable evidence in our report which suggests government influence is often marginal.”

Reading deeper into the report it appears that the minister’s protestations carry some weight. Many complain that the society-wide drive to be healthier can be overbearing, with one in three saying that there is a lot of fuss about what you can and can’t eat these days, while 15 per cent of UK adults say that they feel that they are on a perpetual diet.

McCoy added: “It is difficult to strike the right balance. Although it is important to inform the public about the benefits of healthy eating, it is equally important that both government and media refrain from badgering unnecessarily.”