August 06, 2007
Research project selected for annual meeting
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Siva K. Balasubramanian, Henry J. Rehn Professor of Marketing, worked in collaboration with Mark Fishbein, pediatric gastroenterologist at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital and formerly with SIU School of Medicine, on a research paper entitled, "Food consumer characteristics: A role in the obesity epidemic?"
The paper concluded that obese food consumers perceive themselves as less healthy, possess less control of behaviors pertaining to healthy lifestyles, and buy foods more impulsively than their non-obese counterparts. Interventions to promote healthy eating at points of purchase are necessary to combat unhealthy consumer habits and the obesity epidemic.
"The research should help individuals who seek to improve their health, in particular via weight management. Our research proposes practical and effective behavioral approaches to alleviate the problem of obesity," Balasubramanian said. "I believe this only marks the beginning. My co-author and I expect more exciting research results and impactful outcomes in the near future."
Balasubramanian researches new types of marketing messages such as product placement, customer relationship management, new product diffusion, and the impact of strategic business decisions on shareholders' wealth.
Balasubramanian has been teaching at SIUC for more than 15 years. Balasubramanian earned a bachelor of science and a master's of business administration degrees from Osmania University in India. He received a doctorate in marketing from The State University of New York at Buffalo.
U.S. News & World Report ranks SIUC's College of Business and Administration among the top 100 public business colleges nationwide.