Causal frames and contextualized values may effectively produce support for new obesity policies

Former RWJF Health & Society Scholar Selena Ortiz has published a paper in Social Science and Medicine titled “Increasing public support for food-industry related, obesity prevention policies: The role of a taste-engineering frame and contextualized values.” The Taste-Engineering Frame (TEF) highlights the techniques used by the food industry to increase the availability and over-consumption of processed foods and sugary beverages. Ortiz’s work shows that when people are exposed to the TEF, i.e. made aware of the food industry’s misdeeds, they are more likely to support food-industry related obesity prevention policies.