The misuse and overconsumption of certain consumer products have become significant global health risks, leading to premature deaths and costing trillions of dollars. A recent study published in PLOS Global Public Health by Jonathan Quick from Duke University School of Medicine and colleagues sheds light on how to tackle these market-driven epidemics. The study focuses on three major products: cigarettes, sugar, and prescription opioids.
Market-driven epidemics arise when companies aggressively market harmful products while denying their risks and resisting mitigation efforts. To illustrate this concept, the researchers examined the histories of cigarette, sugar, and opioid consumption in the U.S. They identified five phases of MDEs: market expansion, evidence of harm, corporate resistance, mitigation, and market adaptation.
The study reveals significant reductions in the consumption of these harmful products. From their peak to the most recent data, U.S. cigarette sales fell by 82%, sugar consumption decreased by 15%, and prescription opioid prescriptions dropped by 62%. These declines occurred when compelling evidence of harm, professional alarm, and authoritative public health voices or public mobilization overcame corporate marketing and resistance.
The researchers highlight the time lag between the suspicion of harm and the tipping point in consumption, which ranged from one to five decades. This delay was largely due to the time required to generate sufficient evidence of harm. Despite these challenges, the study shows that effective public health interventions can significantly reduce the consumption of harmful products and mitigate their adverse health impacts.
Market adaptation to reduced consumption had both negative and positive effects. On the negative side, companies shifted their marketing efforts geographically. On the positive side, consumers moved away from sugar-sweetened beverages, showing a shift towards healthier alternatives. This dual impact underscores the complexity of addressing MDEs and the need for sustained public health efforts.
This study is the first comparative analysis of three successful efforts to change the consumption patterns of millions of people. It provides a new epidemiological approach to addressing existing and emerging harmful products. By shortening the latent time between the phases of MDEs, public health leaders can more effectively combat these epidemics and reduce their health, social, and economic impacts.
Understanding the epidemiology of consumption and health impacts, as well as the milestones of these epidemics, is crucial for public health leaders. The study's findings suggest that recognizing and acting on MDEs earlier can save lives and lessen the impact of these harmful products. Public health leaders, researchers, civil society, and others can apply the mitigation strategies presented in the study to address current and future MDEs more effectively.
The authors emphasize the importance of early and decisive action by public health leaders, researchers, and public mobilization. They conclude that the use of unhealthy products like cigarettes often follows patterns similar to infectious disease epidemics, causing widespread harm before any public health response. Recognizing these market-driven epidemics earlier and acting more decisively can save lives and reduce their impact.
