NEW YORK – A new ACNielsen study reveals that most Americans know how to manage their weight and eat healthy, but don’t practice what they preach.

According to the study on “habitual out-of-home eating and drinking behaviors,” 82 percent of respondents acknowledge personal responsibility for weight gain. However, despite “this focus on personal responsibility,” consumers aren’t likely to follow their own good advice, notes a press release announcing the study.

“While 62 percent of U.S. consumers see the value in taking up a sport, hobby or exercise regime as a weight control strategy, only 32 percent of those surveyed have actually tried it. Those who haven’t tied on their jogging shoes or hit the basketball court are missing out: 88 percent of consumers who tried this strategy found it to be effective,” notes the release.

The study found that the “disconnect between advice and action” carries over when consumers are faced with food choices. “Though Americans acknowledge that certain activities would be effective for weight control, such as reducing how often they eat junk food (65 percent) and substituting water for sugary drinks or juices (61 percent), the rate at which they try these strategies does not always match their perceived effectiveness.”

The modern “convenience culture,” according to the study, is a major factor in “consumers’ unwillingness to follow through with healthy lifestyle changes.”

“Messages about healthy eating and exercise are sinking in, yet consumers aren’t taking enough action," said ACNielsen CMO Tom Markert in the release, adding, "This study shows that many consumers consider the lifestyle changes they associate with weight control to be too inconvenient to follow. There is a huge opportunity for restaurants and food companies to approach consumers with products branded as healthy to make their decisions that much easier."

The study also suggests the food industry could do more to help consumers learn “the basics about weight control,” as most respondents overestimated the number of calories in a variety of snack foods they were shown.

“This is why you see the recent explosion of foods being sold in ‘100 calorie packs,’” Markert added. “While consumers know the basic facts about healthy eating and exercise, they don’t always want to research the finer nutritional points. The easier food companies can make these choices for consumers, the more consumers will respond.”