'Choice': what we mean by it, and what that means for preventing childhood obesity

(i) To map how US adults value 'choice' in the context of obesity policy and (ii) to discuss implications for obesity prevention in children.

Semi-structured interviews (n =105) were conducted between 2006 and 2009 about causes of and solutions to childhood obesity. Quotes captured in field notes from community meetings (n = 6) on childhood obesity prevention were also analysed. Each use of the word 'choice' and its variants was identified in these texts. Content and discourse were analysed to identify the implied values and meaning in each use.

North-eastern USA.

One hundred and five adults, some involved in childhood obesity prevention initiatives.

Three distinct frames of 'choice' emerged: (i) having choices (choice as freedom), (ii) making choices (choice as responsibility) and (iii) influencing choices (contextual constraints and impacts on choice). Many speakers used more than one frame over the course of an interview. Most people using the third frame seemed to share the values behind the first two frames, but focused on conditions required to enable people to be accountable for their choices and to make truly free choices. A small subset thought outside the frame of individual choice, valuing, as one person put it, a 'social contract'.

Public debate in the USA about responsibility for and solutions to rising obesity rates often hinges on notions of 'choice'. These frames, and the values underlying them, are not mutually exclusive. Respecting the values behind each 'choice' frame when crafting obesity prevention policy and employing all three in public communications about such policy may facilitate greater consensus on prevention measures.