Mapping how responsibility for poor diets is framed in the United Kingdom: a scoping review

To identify and present (i) how responsibility for poor diets in the UK is framed across the public, mass media and the government and (ii) how groups experiencing socio-economic disadvantage are presented within this framing. A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted using six data...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health nutrition Vol. 28; no. 1; p. e167
Main Authors: Serrano-Fuentes, Nestor, Ellett, Lyn, Vogel, Christina, Baird, Janis, Tavares, Nuno, Portillo, Mari Carmen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 22.09.2025
Subjects:
At risk populations
Behavioural nutrition
Content analysis
Decision making
Diet
Diet-related diseases
Disadvantaged groups
Food industry
Food Preferences
Humans
Influence
Lifestyles
Mass Media
Narratives
News media
Nutrition Policy
Nutrition research
Obesity
Poor diet
Processed foods
Public health
Public policy
Qualitative analysis
Responsibility
Scoping Review
Social Responsibility
Socioeconomic Factors
Subject heading schemes
Tobacco
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom > UK
Poor diet
Disadvantaged groups
Responsibility
Diet-related diseases
ISSN:1368-9800, 1475-2727, 1475-2727
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:To identify and present (i) how responsibility for poor diets in the UK is framed across the public, mass media and the government and (ii) how groups experiencing socio-economic disadvantage are presented within this framing. A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted using six databases. A systematic narrative synthesis guided by qualitative content analysis was applied to summarise the findings. Thirty-six articles were included. Studies exploring public perceptions of poor diets acknowledged personal and broader systems drivers, with individual responsibility predominating across studies. Research analysing media portrayals showed similar patterns of individual responsibility among right-leaning newspapers, which focused on individual lifestyle changes. However, left-wing newspapers highlighted the role of the food industry and the government. Studies analysing government policies identified citizens as the primary agents of change through rational decision-making. Framing from socio-economically disadvantaged groups showed a preference for prioritising their own choice, but were limited by household income, food prices and family food preferences. Policies and media portrayals provided limited emphasis on these populations, with individual responsibility narratives prevailing. The framing of responsibility for poor diets in the UK centred on the individual, obscuring the powerful influence of food manufacturers and retailers and the role of government in providing safe, healthy environments for all. This review highlights the urgent need to challenge this narrative, with the public health nutrition community working collectively to force a radical shift in public, media and policy framing and incite strong regulatory action by governments.
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ISSN:1368-9800
1475-2727
1475-2727
DOI:10.1017/S1368980025101079