Business neglects overweight men

Businesses are missing the opportunity to target their products and services to men struggling with weight problems, the author of a new study of male dieting habits says.

According to a survey of more than 1000 adult Australians conducted by social research firm The Leading Edge, 47% of women have incorporated some form of diet or weight monitoring into their lives, compared to just 33% of men.

This finding is particularly stark in light of the fact that, according to the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics from 2004-05, men are much more likely then women to be both overweight and obese.

It’s not that men don’t care about their weight – across men and women, weight problems rank only behind environmental degradation as an issue of concern.

According to The Leading Edge senior consultant Chris Meredith, the flow of products and services targeted at weight conscious men has yet to move beyond a trickle.

“There is a large (and potentially even larger) market here that businesses should be actively looking at targeting. Marketers could start by thinking about the occasions that men would be consuming food and drinks products and then be engaging with men in a relevant way with a healthier product. It could be a potential gold mine,” Meredith says.

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