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The purpose of this paper is to focus on food consumption as part of the wicked problem of obesity. Specifically, the authors seek to explore the complex interplay between stakeholders such as food producers, marketers, health and medical practitioners and policymakers and their influence on the ways in which individuals consume food and also chart a course forward using a systems approach, social marketing techniques and social enterprise to develop solutions to effect change.

This is a conceptual paper that proposes the food system compass to understand the complex interplay between stakeholders.

This new tool will provide social marketers with an improved understanding of the complexity of interactions between stakeholders and outcomes and integrating the necessity for coordination within and across micro, meso, exo and macro levels of the system as well as across sectors, institutions and stakeholders.

This is a conceptual paper and proposes the food system compass which offers a foundation for future research to expand upon.

This paper seeks to advance the theoretical base of social marketing by providing new insights into the trans-disciplinary and dynamic circumstances surrounding food consumption and obesity and highlights leverage points where joint actions can be facilitated with actors across and between micro, meso, exo and macro levels.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the practice of hiding vegetables among low socioeconomic parents.

A qualitative longitudinal study involving 37 low socioeconomic Australian parents with at least one overweight or obese child aged five to nine years. Data were obtained with the use of interviews, focus groups, and self-introspections.

Identified issues relating to the practice of hiding vegetables included: how parents manage hiding vegetables, children's presence in the kitchen during vegetable preparation, the employment of deception when hiding vegetables, the use of cookbooks and blogs, and the alternative views of parents not strongly in favour of hiding vegetables.

Hiding vegetables is a practice used by some parents to increase their children's vegetable intake. Children who are unaware of hidden vegetables in their meals are potentially missing the opportunity to develop an appreciation for vegetables and learn about vegetable preparation and cooking.

The findings are relevant to dietitians, general practitioners, and other health professionals providing advice to parents on appropriate child-feeding strategies.

This appears to be the first study to provide an in-depth account of low socioeconomic parents’ use of hiding vegetables to facilitate higher levels of vegetable consumption.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of parents and other adults in preventing and facilitating teen binge drinking.

Teens' discussions on internet websites were accessed to examine their opinions of their alcohol‐related interactions with adults.

The results show that in the context of a western society such as Australia, the role of adults in endorsing a culture of excessive alcohol consumption may be considerable.

Social marketing campaigns are needed to sensitise adults to this situation and outline strategies that can be used by adults to reduce negative impacts and enhance their potential to reduce alcohol consumption among young people.

Previous research into teenagers' alcohol consumption behaviours has focused on self‐reports obtained via surveys or focus groups. Such data collection processes are likely to be subject to considerable social desirability bias. The present study demonstrates that the internet can constitute a valuable alternative source of data relating to young people's engagement in unhealthy behaviours and the factors impacting their decisions to enact these behaviours.

In response to a call for greater attention to the mental health promotion needs of older people, this study aims to identify those aspects of mental health messages that may be particularly effective with older audiences.

Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with 111 Australians aged 40 years and older.

A low level of knowledge relating to mental health issues and the confounding of mental health with mental illness resulted in participants stating a preference for health experts, government officials, and high‐profile and “everyday” individuals who have successfully recovered from mental illness as spokespeople for mental health messages. A common theme was that spokespersons should have evident and extensive knowledge of .mental illness, either through qualifications, occupation, or personal experience.

The findings demonstrate the highly negative connotations surrounding mental illness and the lack of familiarity with the concept of positive mental health. There is much scope to educate the public about the importance of staying mentally healthy and how this outcome may be achieved.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ability of a social marketing intervention to provide families with specific nutrition information, stimulate family discussions on the topic of nutrition, and encourage parents to make changes in their child‐feeding practices.

A postcard intervention was administered to families with children aged five to 12 years at three primary schools in Western Australia. Approximately two months later, an evaluation questionnaire was administered to the three intervention schools and a control school.

In total, 229 usable questionnaires were returned, representing a 22 percent response rate. In the intervention schools, almost half of the respondents reported discussing the contents of the postcards with their children and a third reported giving the cards to their children to read. The intervention was successful in encouraging a majority (60 percent) of respondents to make at least one favourable change to their child‐feeding practices, in line with the recommendations provided.

The study demonstrated that a simple and cost‐effective social marketing intervention can encourage family discussions on the topic of nutrition and favourably influence parents' child‐feeding practices.