Case study: Promoting Obesity Awareness
Section 1: The challenge
Obesity has emerged as a major epidemic globally and the case is the same in the UK as well (Jane, et al., 2018). As reported by Fenton (2017), over 63% of the adult population in the UK were classified as being overweight or obese which is a serious concern. While this number has not dramatically increased in the recent years, the number of people classified as obese or overweight still remain at 64% even until the latest Health Survey for England (Baker, 2022). Therefore, given the scope of the disease, the socio-economic and lifestyle factors that affect its manifestation and the degree of chronic impact it can have in individuals and society as a whole, greater awareness regarding the precautionary practices and management of this disease needs to be done.
Section 2: Objectives
- Who is the campaign aimed at (target audience) and why?
- The main target of this campaign is the youth of the country, between the ages of 25-40. While according to the surveys, it is between the ages of 45-74 that most people are found to be overweight or obese, it is also true that an intervention for lifestyle choices need to be made earlier so as to provide ample opportunity to make behavioural changes.
- What did you want people to do as a result of the campaign?
- The goal of the campaign will be to encourage the people to be more aware of the nutritional facts of the food items they consume. In the fast moving consumer driven world, it is not always feasible for a lot of the people to manage their shopping sources, however, being aware of the nutrition details of the products would create a greater degree of awareness regarding their own health and help in better managing their eating habits.
Section 3: The solution
- Provide a brief description of what you would do: where and how would the campaign run?
- The campaign will focus on creating awareness through social media postings regarding the matter and organising community events on social media to create greater awareness about the need to be vigilant about the food that one consumes and the dangers that an unhealthy and unaware eating habit can cause. This campaign will be run through targeted ads on social media depicting posters and pamphlets regarding factoids under the campaign heading “Watch What You Eat!” The campaign will also create online events to garner greater engagement from the target demographic.
- What are the main messages?
- The main message of the campaign will be the need to be vigilant about the food that one consumes and the dangers that an unhealthy and unaware eating habit can cause. Therefore, we will run targeted ads on social media depicting posters and pamphlets regarding factoids under the campaign heading “Watch What You Eat!” Through this campaign, we wish to ensure that those on the go are able to carefully understand the contents of the packaged foods that they are eating and those with a little bit of time are able to understand the ingredients of the main foods that they eat. This will create greater awareness regarding the type of food that they are eating and hopefully help them in making small pre-emptive steps to control the chances of obesity surfacing later in their lives.
- Which communication tools did you use and why? (E.g. website, leaflets, events)
- Website and poster on social media websites would be the main channels that will be used for the campaign. The target demographic is well acquainted with the medium and it is a much better way to target specific messages to the target demographic. The website will be the home where all the engagement from the social media activity will be directed. However, the social media posts will also be able to depict the messages in isolation in a concise manner.
Section 4: Supporting theory
- Explain the theoretical base for the campaign
There are a variety of factors that affect obesity from genetics and hormones to different social and environmental factors and therefore undertaking the task of managing it simply from a public health policy perspective is not possible (Chan and Woo, 2010). Instilling the sense of individual responsibility, based on individual needs, is also a crucial element especially in the prevention of obesity in adults. Creating a greater degree of awareness regarding the prospects and dangers of obesity can help in creating more willingness to seek medical help early as well (Pearce, et al., 2019) which could lead to a healthier lifestyle later in life. The crux of the public messaging has to be to create greater awareness regarding the lifestyle changes needed to prevent the materialisation of obesity later in life and in this case, making small changes could help. Even small changes like checking the ingredient list before buying something, checking the nutrient content, enquiring about the ingredients at a restaurant are all small adjustments that can help the individuals in better managing the issue.
Further, a study by Bonsmann & Wills (2012) had shown that despite the policy steps taken to provide access to more relevant information on the nutritional facts, it is effective in making lifestyle changes in only those people who are already looking for healthier alternatives. The aim of this project, therefore, is to create a environment where people are aware and pre-emptive about living a healthy lifestyle and thus would make use of the nutrition labels in a better way.
Section 5: Reflection
- Strengths and limitations of the campaign to meet the objective
The campaign has several strong points. One of the first is the use of medium and channel of communication. Based on the behaviour and proclivities of the target demographic the channel of communication and the medium of communication are very apt. This will allow the message to be delivered to the greatest number of people while ensuring that they are engaging with the message. Based on relevant academic literature, this will improve the prospects of managing obesity from a public health perspective. This also will be able to improve the efficiency of food labelling policies in managing obesity in adults. On the other hand, the limitations of the campaign would stem from the passivity of the activities where in we are focussed on informing consumers regarding why and how to make better choices rather than taking concrete steps to ensure a healthier lifestyle.
Section 6: The artefact
- Upload the artefact to the VLE
Reference list
Baker, C., 2022. Obesity statistics – House of Commons Library. Obesity Statistics. Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn03336/ [Accessed March 21, 2022].
Chan, R.S.M. & Woo, J., 2010. Prevention of overweight and obesity: How effective is the current public health approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), pp.765–783.
Fenton, K., 2017. Health matters: Obesity and the Food Environment. UK Health Security Agency. Available at: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2017/03/31/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment/ [Accessed March 21, 2022].
gov.uk, 2017. Health matters: Obesity and the Food Environment. Health matters: obesity and the food environment. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment–2#:~:text=Nearly%20two%2Dthirds%20of%20adults,1993%20to%2026.8%25%20in%202015. [Accessed March 21, 2022].
Holmes, J., 2021. Tackling obesity: The role of the NHS in a whole-system … Available at: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-07/Tackling%20obesity.pdf [Accessed March 21, 2022].
Jane, M. et al., 2018. Social Media for Health Promotion and Weight Management: A critical debate. BMC Public Health, 18(1).
Pearce, C. et al., 2019. Obesity prevention and the role of Hospital and community-based health services: A scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1).
Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann, S. & Wills, J.M., 2012. Nutrition labeling to prevent obesity: Reviewing the evidence from Europe. Current Obesity Reports, 1(3), pp.134–140.
