Dr. Jared McGuirt thinks we should pay more attention to billboards.
“Advertisements in our environment have simple messaging; the graphics are very intentional. These companies know what they’re doing,” says the assistant professor of nutrition. “We should take our cues from the business sector.”
His research focuses on our food environment and interventions to nudge people toward healthier choices, like billboards nudge consumers to buy products.
“We know that the environment influences choices,” says McGuirt, who has a master’s in public health and a PhD in nutrition intervention and policy. “So how can we modify the environment or the way people interact with it, to influence their eating behaviors?”