Throughout the year we conduct research as part of our Original Insights series. These are projects we commission ourselves, to explore interesting questions and showcase social listening research as a tool for making better decisions. Our starting point for this work was the realisation that food advice has become deafening. It feels like everyday there’s a new diet, new scare or a new miracle cure. But, we all know it’s more complicated than the headlines make out. Helping your family eat well and be healthy is a life-long, every day mission, one with many twists and turns. So we decided to explore: how mums in the UK talk about being healthy, how and who they’re influenced by, and see what this means for brands. And so our starting point became: how do UK mums decide what’s healthy?

2. MUM, HOW DO YOU
KNOW WHAT’S
HEALTHY?

3. Copyright © 2015
Throughout the year we conduct research as part of our Original Insights series.
These are projects we commission ourselves, to explore interesting questions and
showcase social listening research as a tool for making better decisions.
Our starting point for this work was the realisation that food advice has become
deafening. It feels like everyday there’s a new diet, new scare or a new miracle cure.
But, we all know it’s more complicated than the headlines make out.
Helping your family eat well and be healthy is a life-long, every day mission, one
with many twists and turns.
So we decided to explore: how mums in the UK talk about being healthy, how and who
they’re influenced by, and see what this means for brands.
And so our starting point became: how do UK mums decide what’s healthy?
OUR STARTING POINT
Copyright © 2015

4. SCOPE
We listened to what
UK mums are
saying about
healthy eating.
SEARCH
We then selected a
random sample of
3,000 social media
comments.
SORT
Next up, we read
every single
comment to
organise and find
the meaning in
them.
SENSE
We then made
sense of these to
get to why and how
mums are
influenced and
make decisions.
4
Social listening research allows us to go beyond traditional research and media
coverage, to gain a deeper understanding of how mums think, talk and feel about
being healthy.
It also lets us track and analyse changes in public opinion.
We use qualitative techniques to fully explore the meaning behind thousands of social
media conversations. More detailed and sophisticated than automated text analytics,
we combine discourse and thematic analysis to help us really understand how mums
decide what’s healthy.
OUR APPROACH
Copyright © 2015

5. OUR SOURCES
5
Sample size Sites
Sources
= 763
69%
22%
7%
2%
1%
Forums
Twitter
Blog
General
Review
30%
22%
11%
9%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
18%
mumsnet.com
twitter.com
forums.moneysavingexpert.…
netmums.com
babywhispererforums.com
babycentre.co.uk
patient.co.uk
forums.digitalspy.co.uk
fertilityfriends.co.uk
diabetes.co.uk
Other
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6. 6
Sample size: 760
Mums talk a lot about their children’s attitudes to food. They
share experiences, raise concerns and look for better ways
of feeding their young ones.
This covers family eating habits – both of the household
(e.g. children and husband or partner) and, increasingly, of
the extended family (e.g. parents or in-laws).
Mums are sharing their experiences and feelings about their
diets and plans for healthy eating. They also talk about how
these are affected by what else is going on in their lives.
33%
32%
28%
6%
4%
Children
Family
Themselves
Husband or
partner
Other
Mums talk about the different experiences they have with
their husbands or partners. Some are an asset to healthy
eating, others not so much…
A handful of mums are also sharing experiences about
people outside the family, such as friends or their children’s
friends.
WHO ARE MUMS TALKING ABOUT?
Who is the main focus of the conversation?
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7. 51%
33%
15%
WHY ARE THEY TALKING?
When people use social media, there’s usually some form of emotional trigger. This
tends to be the need to either share, ask for help or give advice. When mums are
trying to decide what’s healthy we found a relatively high degree of uncertainty, with
lots of questions going unanswered.
7
Sample size: 760
Sharing…their expectations,
experiences and opinions.
“So I am walking the twins to school
today ☺ and they're having a healthy
breakfast while I'm sitting here eating
crisps. I should put them away now.”
Asking… about what to eat,
how to provide for better, and
how to improve eating habits.
“So today is my first day of doing
slimming world, I've got 3.5 stone to
lose. Any quick lunch ideas would be
welcome.”
Giving… advice about
healthy eating.
“Letting children help prepare
food goes a long way toward
making them more likely to
eat it. My son isn't picky at
all, part of that is natural and
I truly believe part of it
comes from having him help
me prepare food since he
could stand up.”
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8. 8
Most mums (76%) are talking about a specific food event in their online conversations.
With dinner being the most frequently discussed (31%).
Sample size: 760
The conversation about dinner
is usually linked with mums not
being sure about how well their
children have eaten during the
day and feeling responsible for
providing them a substantial
evening meal.
There are various discussions
among mums around how to
snack healthily and how to
provide healthy and appealing
snacks to their children.
The lunch conversation is dominated
by school lunches, both home and
school prepared. Some mums share
tips and experiences about school
lunches, while others ask for advice.
Breakfast is seen as a very important
meal, particularly for school age
children. Some mums are concerned
about breakfasts based on sugary
items (e.g. biscuits).
Breakfast
19%
Lunch
24%
Dinner
31%
Snacks
26%
WHEN ARE THEY TALKING?
Copyright © 2015

9. Despite what it can feel like, mums are still their own selves. They use social media to
help them (try to) eat healthily. This conversation tends to focus on the following main
areas:
Choosing what to eat:
The discussion happens around meal planning, healthy
and unhealthy food choices at specific meals (e.g.
breakfast), and the importance of not skipping meals and
of cooking when alone.
“I think any type of ready meal isn’t going to be the
healthiest but I would pick the best of a bad bunch!”
Diet choices:
Mums worry about how many calories they are consuming
and how this affects their diet. Food that’s seen as ‘good’
or ‘healthy’ can soon become ‘traitors’ when they contain
more calories than expected.
“I thought I was eating 'healthy' rice cakes for breakfast
but just seen that and they are 6 freaking points!
Yummy Bastards!!”
Health concerns:
Mum’s feel confused about how to make healthy food
choices when dealing with medical conditions.
“I’m a very recently diagnosed type 2, which of the
following are regarded as good or bad? There is so
much conflicting opinion!”
Technology
Apps help; they let mums get better control of what they
eat, for example through calorie counting. Some mums
are blogging about food and their health habits, to help
and inspire other mums to make better choices.
“My app told me I hadn't eaten enough fat, so I had
lamb chops for dinner followed by cheesecake.”
HOW DO MUMS TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES?
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10. 10
Wellbeing
Mums are driven by the assumption that ‘well’ fed children are more productive at school. This
starts the debate about how healthy school lunches are, how good are the choices children make
for themselves (e.g. do they chose cake instead of fruit for dessert), and what to feed children at
different times of the day. It also covers definitions of what’s healthy.
The grocery shop is an important part of any family’s routine and the healthy choice debate is an
important aspect of this everyday conversation. Both for those for who it’s a way of life and for
those on the first steps of a new diet.
Some see a link between ‘unhealthy’ food and children getting sick. However, some mums find
themselves challenged when they provide healthy food for their children and they still get sick.
Frozen and pre-cooked meals, sweets and fast food are considered “junk food” by mums when it
comes to children eating healthy. Some mums want to see these replaced by fruit and
vegetables. The main debate is on how to define ‘healthy’ and ‘balanced’.
Routine
Health
Food
choices
Relationships
Mums are concerned with providing healthy food for their children, partners and parents, which
can clash with some family members’ ideas, causing arguments about what it is best.
HOW DO THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR FAMILY?
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11. 11
Mums seem to be in constant
search for recipes, particularly
recipes that are healthy, fast
and cheap. Recipe sharing is
also an important feature of a
mums community.
Budget concerns are raised by
some mums, who value cheaper
options and ways of saving
money and who develop budget
plans for their meals.
Mums share how enjoyable it is to
provide healthy food to their families,
to cook with children and to enjoy
family meals.
Mums talk about different weight
loss diets and how a diet shouldn’t
be temporary, but a way of life,
that sometimes they adapt to all
the family (e.g. Paleo diet)
Diet Enjoyment
Recipes Weaning Budgeting
First time mums are,
especially, concerned with
the weaning process and
find themselves in the
middle of GP, relatives and
friends advice, turning to
other mums online for
answers and reassurance.
WHAT ELSE DO THEY TALK ABOUT?
Copyright © 2015

12. 12
Nearly half (46%) of the conversations we looked at mentioned some form of influence
on their opinions. With ‘other mums’ the biggest source (38%).
Sample size: 760
38%
22%
12%
10%
10%
8%
Other mums
Internet
Friends and family
Health care
professional
Traditional media
Other
46%
54%
Yes No
Mention a direct influence? Source of influence
Sample size: 350
SO, WHO DECIDES WHAT’S HEALTHY?
Copyright © 2015

13. 13
YABU
(You are being
unreasonable)
YANBU
(You are not being
unreasonable)
Many mums use forums to help validate their actions or emotions. It’s a form of
peer review / democracy, where other mums contribute to a debate which can
quickly expand to include many different speakers. It helps mums decide how to act
and how to feel and often takes the following form:
AIBU?
(Am I being
unreasonable?)
Question Validation
WHY DO OTHER MUMS MATTER?
Copyright © 2015
Event
Trigger

14. 14
Wrong
Right
An example of this dynamic can be seen in the following conversation:
McDonalds
Right or wrong?
I find it really disgusting that when I go
my shopping, there's a Macdonalds IN
the supermarket or next to one, and see
families gobbling down utter c**p at all
hours of the day. We got breakfast,
dinner and tea. At home.
What a really nasty thing to say. You’ve
absolutely no idea how often these people go
to Macdonalds, or what they eat the rest of
the time. 'Gobbling down their c**p' is such
an unpleasantly judgmental way of
describing people who may be out for a very
special treat at one of the very, very few
places people on low incomes can afford to
go and take their children for a meal out.
CONVERSATION BECOMES DEBATE…
Copyright © 2015

15. 15
Many of these conversations show high levels of influence, where people are
changing their opinions or actions based on what’s been said. However, this is
highly localised and tends not to go beyond the people involved (e.g. little or no
sharing to wider network).
“I’m feeling sick because I haven't
eaten enough but it's not worth eating
because I know it'll hurt. Had some
Complan and Omeprazole which
helps. Is there anything else I could
do that I don't know about? Any IBS
tips the GP doesn't know?”
“You should try gluten free for a
week. My friend was like this and the
omoprazole didn't even touch it
...cured now.”
“I've been thinking about doing a green tea
detox for a while now, but read very mixed
reviews online about the effectiveness so
though I would ask if anyone has actually
done it, and their experience. Would this help
clear out my system and stop from feeling so
sluggish?”
“I haven’t tried it, but a good friend did and it
worked for her, she lost 8 pounds. She just
used normal green tea, and said it also
made her feel really good. It’s made her
change her food habits now.”
“That's what I'm hoping for, that it'll kick start a
generally healthier lifestyle and make me think
about the c**p I'm actually putting into my
body.”
DEEP, BUT NARROW INFLUENCE
Copyright © 2015
“I might try that then. It doesn't affect
me all the time though so it can't be an
intolerance, or at least not a bad one.”

16. 16
When it comes to deciding how to be healthy, social media has become an
important tool for mums. It lets them find and connect with a broad influential peer
group - linked by common experience.
It also reveals a need that’s not being met through traditional media, friends, family,
celebrity or health care professionals.
This matters to brands as it poses two questions:
SO WHAT?
Copyright © 2015
Why?
Are mums being
influenced
How?
Are mums being
influenced

17. 17
• They feel responsible and increasingly
empowered.
• But ensuring a healthy family is a life-
long, everyday challenge.
• There’s also changing /conflicting advice:
salt, fat, sugar, labels, fashions, diets.
• And conflicting opinions from media,
family and health care professionals.
• So knowing what’s ‘right’ is hard. Mums
need help to know what’s the right thing
to do for their family and, also what’s the
right way to feel about it.
WHY ARE MUMS BEING INFLUENCED?
Copyright © 2015
Why?
Are mums being
influenced

18. 18
HOW ARE MUMS BEING INFLUENCED?
Copyright © 2015
• The sheer volume of content about food
leaves mums feeling overloaded.
• We found mums escape this by turning
to other mums (the most common
influence, 38%), due to the profound
sense of commonality – linked by social
media.
• Internet-enabled tools came next (22%),
where mums are turning to online
experts, destination sites (Pinterest),
search and apps to help them decide
and act.
• Friends, family and HCPs are there, but
their influence is muted.
How?
Are mums being
influenced

19. 19
WHAT NEXT?
Copyright © 2015
This search for how to be healthy provides brands with a number of opportunities:
• Ensuring your family is healthy is not easy and the struggle can take place each
time you cook, plan a week’s meals or go shopping. It can also be disrupted by
family events e.g. lifestyle choices or medical conditions.
• This creates a constant need for advice that understands where mums are
coming from and what they need.
• Brands need to be aware that its an emotional question as well as a practical
one. How to feel about something is as important as how to act.

20. 20
Copyright © 2015
THANK YOU

21. GET IN TOUCH…
Jeremy Hollow / Founder
Somerset House, West Wing 3rd Floor T8, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
t: 07799 415829
e: jeremy@listenandlearnresearch.com
w: listenandlearnresearch.com
@LALResearch
Or connect on LinkedIn
21
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