Study shows females who read labels weigh less than those who don’t

As reported by this blog, a product’s label can have an incredible effect on the behavior of customers. This can be from purchasing the item to even motivating the customer to make healthier choices. With McDonald’s now posting its calories on in-store menus, this may cause more consumers to read labels than before – a behavior that can have a major impact on the customer, according to a new study.

Reported by PsychCentral, a recent study by a group of universities found that females who read food labels often weigh at least nine pounds less than those who do not. The study was conducted as a means to find more effective ways to curb obesity.

“Obesity is one of the most serious health problems in the modern-day USA,” Maria Loureiro, Ph.D., the leading author of the study, told the source. “The number of overweight or obese adults has risen over the years. From 2009 to 2010, more than a third [nearly 37 percent] of the adult population in this country were obese and in children and adolescents this figure rises to 17 percent.”

The study also found that smokers showed less interest in reading product labels whereas urban residents as well as those with a high school or university education showed higher interest in the labels.

The researchers also found that while fewer men read labels than women, the weight differences wasn’t as drastic. According to the source, the body mass index of women varied by almost 1.5 points between the two groups but, with men, that difference was only 0.12 points.

It’s clear that reading labels can result in more positive benefits for the consumer. Companies may want to use this to their advantage by producing custom labels that provide information to aid the customer in their purchases. This can be done most effectively by purchasing a Primera LX900 color label printer.