This week we are taking a listen to Dr. Sallis's comments in an op ed piece from the San Dieog Union Tribune and taking a look at the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Program approach funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As a supplment, there is an animated video re the food "environment".
After looking at these, do you find any of them to be effective health communication examples ? Which do you think is most effective for you (as health professional, as a citizen, as a parent) ? Which approach do you favor - emphasizing personal responsibiltiy or changing the environment as strategy to combat obesity - a growing problem ?
Thanks for your comments. Please post by Tuesday 9 am to get credit. Dr. M
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ReplyDeleteI find all of these approaches to have elements that are effective forms of health communication. Each of these examples attempts to target a population in a different way: Sallis' op ed is particularly salient with me because I love reading editorials of any kind (strange, yes). The injury Free program strikes a chord with me as I am the second oldest of 7 kids (the younger ones are all at least 10 years younger) so I can relate on a personal level. The animated video is the one I least relate with as I don't do well with overstimulation of the senses; though I recognize there is a time and a place for everything.
ReplyDeleteI do not favor one approach over the other. I think that the most effective approach will be a combination of the two. I do not think it is fair to place the concept of personal responsibility with respect to nutrition and fitness on the shoulders of a child. They lack the cognitive tools to understand this - the dependency of a child is partially why we like them so much. They make us feel needed. That being said, children do need their parents to take responsibility for access to food. There is a caveat to that as well - it is much cheaper to live off top ramen (speaking from personal experience) than it is to live off nutritions foods.
This is why I really liked the gardening program form the Injury Free approach. This approach brings gardening to more urban areas where there is possibly less access to fresh produce.
Speaking in the vein of the injury free program, I do not particularly think the physical activities would be as effective in the suburban areas - too many kids are already involved in extra cirricular activities - this program might just seem redundant.
These examples are some reasons that I see as to why one single approach will not work. If there was an easy fix to obesity, I'm sure we would have employed it by now. Obesity is complex - as such, the approach to fix it must be as well.
All examples will have some 'effect' as forms of health communication. The degree of their actual 'effectiveness' remains to be seen. It seems that currently we are content with just slowing the rate of obesity rather than actually reversing it. I fully support the use of all levels of change though and combining them when available. With such diversity and individuality in our present times, it is crucial that we offer a 'buffet' of behavior change. Just like everyone orders a slighty different sandwich at Subway, everyone has a particular soft spot that will initiate change.
ReplyDeleteAs a health professional, citizen, individual, etc. (there is no separation), I find the project with kids and gardening to be most impactful. First of all, I believe it is extremely important that we dedicate much of our resources to childhood obesity. Since they are still young, there is a greater opportunity for behavior change to be accepted. With the older segment of the population, we are up against decades of behavior reinforcement from all levels. I find the gardening component to be most attractive for several reasons. First, it takes the children out of their old environment (living room and video games) and places them in one with limited temptations/influences. Second, it teaches sustainable living (SKILLS) and allows the children to see (KNOWLEDGE) the path of their food from the ground to the plate rather than just being drawn to toy that is in the box. Third, and I think most importantly, it connects the children with the earth, and farming, which has been a staple of living for thousand of years up until just recently. It is amazing how fast we can loose this connection. Although this intangible effect is not really supported by any theories, I think it will be ever more important in the future that we begin to think outside this box that marketing/advertising/goverments have created.
All three examples fall into the category of health communication. The op ed piece and the injury prevention video are particularly appealing to me as a health professional. Utalizing models that i can identify with and respect is powerful to get the message across. I think parents of school aged children would also be drawn to the injury prevention video because it touches on issues close to home for them.
ReplyDeleteThe video from the UK was not very appealing to me. There was a little too much going on (the music and flashing cartoons were aversive) and i also cannot to relate to a mother, grocery shopping with a child, as that is not my reality.
While our American culture predisposes us to favor interventions to improve personal responsibility, strategies that emphasize institutional accountability have greater impact on a vaster audience. Models to address obesity that center on personal responsibility will continue to fail if the environments we live, work, and play in are not set up for success.
Industry is a powerful force in the US. The food industry, the car industry, and our consumer culture have fed the obesity epidemic. To expect that individuals will on their own have the capacity to fight these giants each and every day is tremendous faith. Implimenting policys, adopting strategies, and creating solutions that address the underlying root causes of obesogenic environments is a much more feasible, realistic, and approachable solution than empowering the nation to take personal responsibility.
After reading Dr. Sallis’ editorial opinion, and watching the two videos, from a health communication standpoint, I would have to say that the editorial piece and the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Program were definitely effective campaigns. With regards to Dr. Sallis’ editorial, it was easy to define the goal of the campaign, that being to raise public awareness of the government’s position to make obesity a personal responsibility rather than a social issue. Secondly, the target audience was clearly adults who have a vested interest in the subject matter (parents, healthcare professionals, and concerned citizens). His channel of communication was appropriate for this audience as likely many of these individuals would read the newspaper. Also, the message would be delivered at an appropriate time and place. When people take the time to read the newspaper they are fully attentive, and his systematic approach to the delivery of the message would match the reader’s mode of thinking. Finally, he would be deemed a credible source of information to this target audience.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Program video was also an extremely effective health communication campaign. It borrowed from both the heuristic and systematic approach, perhaps appealing to a wider audience. While the goals and objectives may not have been as focused as specific as the editorial piece, the objectives and goals of the campaign were clearly understandable. I thought the message design was extremely engaging, yet credible using experts to deliver the message in a very visual, appealing manner. The information was easy to understand and required little work on behalf of the receiver. The use of music and graphics added to experience. Overall, I thought it was an extremely effective health communication, however, it did require much more time to than Dr. Sallis’ editorial piece.
Finally, the animated video about the food environment was my least favorite. There was so much going on in the short video that it provided more of a distraction than support for their message. The goals and objectives were not as easily defined, and I am not sure who the message was targeted to. Since most of the nutritional decisions are made by adult women, I am not sure the message design fit well with the intended audience. While it was lively, colorful and novel, the message provided little concrete information. The designers definitely used a very heuristic approach as their strategy to communicate the message which may have had little impact. The message lacked relevance and was so busy, comprehension may have been lost.
Dr. Sallis’ editorial or the Injury Free video would be the most effective campaign depending on the situation. Dr. Sallis’ message, while having no “frills” attached provided some very pertinent information for the reader in a much shorter amount of time. The Injury Free video provided very credible information in a much more entertaining vein, although it did take considerably longer to view.
With regards to an epidemic such as obesity, a socio-ecological approach is required that considers the interaction between the individual and the environment. In order to be effective health professionals must develop multi-level approaches to improve health behavior. Furthermore, environments and public policy must be alignment with the healthy behaviors we are advocating for.
Dr Sallis' op-ed and the injury free prevention video both provide information from reliable sources regarding America's obesity challenge- thus qualifying both to be pieces of health communication. Dr. Sallis piece, since it focuses on a larger population:: news readers-- has the potential to reach more people. However, the the injury free video (which has less potential for wide dispersion since it is an organization made video vs a news video) provides more insight towards prevention by highlighting various intervention strategies. The video includes testimony and modeling behavior.
ReplyDeleteWhile Dr Sallis does an effective job in putting light to the issue of obesity and governmental responsibility (while arousing emotions towards that issue), I feel that the injury prevention video is a more effective piece of health communication since it would be aimed at a more receptive audience that is more apt towards action by advocating similar interventions. Dr Sallis op-ed could ignite various readers in an either positive or negative way, however either response does not indicate any action. Therefore Dr Sallis piece is purely informational while the injury prevention video is more dynamic by mixing information with empowering modeling of behaviors and intervention examples. In my opinion, the injury prevention video is an more effective piece of health communication.
I thought the UK video of combating villains in the grocery store was very interesting. I like how the video uses the same tv media tricks to attract children's attention to desire products to diffuse an opposite message of product and parent responsibility. Their use of bright colors, action sequences, comic villains to defeat, and a hero (the mom) will certainly catch a child's behavior. The interesting part is that the overall message is targeted towards the parent by using media methods to attract children. I'm sure these ads were inserted into children's tv time slots. While it may be obscure to children in which ways the villains were connected to the sugary foods, it is an entertaining piece of health communication.
I agree with the previous posts. Neither a personal responsibility campaign nor a campaign that aims to change the environment can hope to be more effective than the two of them combined. However, I lean more toward the editorial. While it can not be denied that the environment is an important factor for healthy eating and physical activty, at the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the individual to make the right choices for themselves and their families.
ReplyDeleteAs a health professional, I feel the editorial and the injury free video are the most effective. The editorial was easy to read and understand, and was written to sound so logical that it made one want to take action immediately. The injury free video was effective becuase it showed how the program was making progress through clips of the different sites and adding testimonies of both children and parents. As a parent, I felt that I would prefer my child attended a school that participated in the program.
I really liked the UK video, though more from a parents view than a professional view. I was very intertaining and struck a chord with me, as I have experience with a child wanting products because of the character on the package. Even if she has no idea what is inside, my daughter will ask for any product with Dora on it. The noise, activity and colors did not bother me, as it is a fairly accurate portrayl of what it is like to go food shopping with a child.
Obesity seems to be a more complicated issue than perhaps the public health field originally thought. While it's easy to say that if people just ate better foods and exercised more, we would all be in better shape. But everyone can agree that life isn't always that simple. Public Health issues often are multi-faceted and need to be addressed as such. That’s why I think that to address the issue of obesity we need to approach it on different avenues in different venues.
ReplyDeleteSallis' op-ed brings up some good points that seem to re-iterate that life and life’s problems we are trying to affect aren't always that straight forward as we might think. That while personal responsibility is part of the equation it isn’t necessarily the whole.
The UK commercial seems to be addressing young parents who see shopping with their youngster like maneuvering through a video game-complete with all the flashing lights and gizmos! It is aimed at parents to join their campaign but I'm not sure how successful that would be here in the US.
In the clip about obesity, I was really impressed that some used different techniques (other than the usual "exercising" programs). Especially in the program where the schools grew their own food and then used it in prepare the food for the school as well. Who could resist the smell of great food-especially if they smell all the while its cooking?
I think that today many children have no idea how to prepare and eat fresh veggies and fruits offered in the stores. I liked how another program rewarded stores (by visually putting up signs in their windows) for what they offer to the public.
All-in-all I think they all have their merits but like everything, it needs to be tailored to the specific population and addressed at many different levels.
I liked Sallis' piece. As a Public Health student I liked that he touched upon both the environment in influencing people's behavior as well as the people themselves making their own decisions (I was really glad to read that a law was passed preventing people from suing restaurants for becoming obese).
ReplyDeleteThe UK commercial did not do much for me. It was a good message, pointing out how so many advertisements for unhealthy foods are directed at kids and maybe for some people would encourage them to get more information, but I did not find the commercial very entertaining.
After I started watching the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Video, I got very interested in that program. I think the different approaches they are using to teach kids to be healthier are great! The gardening and using that food for their lunches seems like an excellent idea. As someone mentioned before, it teaches them skills, and I think by using it for lunch the children can feel pride for their work. Making healthy school lunches is a good place to start as well since I remember, at least when I was in school, there were so many unhealthy choices to buy for lunch.
I also liked that they had the high-school students teaching the younger students. It helps to make sure the high-school students understand and know what they have been taught, since they need to relay that information. It may also be effective for the younger students since the information is coming from someone closer to their age, people they may look up to, or may look on as being "cool". They may pay attention and care more about the information being taught to them.
I enjoyed Dr. Sallis’ op ed, which gave salient examples of how, although from afar individuals seem to have a choice on whether to engage in physical activity or eat mindfully, it is oftentimes a more complicated issue. Dr. Sallis is intensely advocating for changing a person’s surroundings. He argues that although we do have “free choice” in making behavioral decisions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make the more healthful selection because of our obesigenic environment. I believe the most comprehensive approach to the battle of the bulge is a multi-dimensional approach, by altering both the individual’s environment and their attitudes and beliefs regarding food and physical activity.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Injury Free Coalition for Kids program was extremely influential in combating childhood obesity and that in the general population. All of the programs implemented by the Injury Free Coalition for Kids seemed effective in changing the environment, both physical and social, to promote physical activity and thoughtfulness in food choices. The programs were aimed at not only teaching the kids the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity, but also engaging them in the process in hopes of making a lasting impression. A great example of this personal involvement was the Garden of Wonders, where the kids made a strong connection between nature, nutrition, and health. These are skills and lessons that they can take with them their entire life. Another program I thought was very influential was the Hartford Food System because it physically changed the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables to a population who had previously not had access to these opportunities. It seems like one of the main trends in health communication is focusing on changing individual’s physical environments to be more conducive to healthful behaviors, such as building more pedestrian friendly modes of transportation and allowing access to nutritious foods.
While the UK commercial was entertaining, I am not convinced that it is motivating enough to actually create an uproar of advocates fighting for less unhealthful advertising aimed at kids.
I really enjoyed reading Dr. Sallis' editorial. It reminded me of the documentary "Super Size Me" which was inspired because someone sued McDonald's, claiming their food made them fat. Even now, I think that premise is a little ridiculous... people should definitely be responsible for their own behaviors. However, I do agree that our environment can play a helpful role in how we act and what factors are encouraging us to behave that way (or not behave a certain way in some cases). Having worked in a restaurant for three years, I saw our restaurant and company undergo many changes for the benefit of the consumers. For instance, we started offering wheat buns and bread, low fat milk, variety of healthy juices, green beans or a salad instead of french fries, and most importantly we became a trans fat free restaurant. So while the meat we served was still about 50-60% fat, as an establishment we tried to offer some better alternatives to those who wanted them. I think in the near future restaurants will be making changes like these because it is what their consumers want and will expect from them.
ReplyDeleteAs a health professional, I also really enjoyed the video on the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Program. What I found particularly amazing was that every student in Arkansas has their BMI recorded (I assume for the purposes of lowering them if need be). The community involvement is very inspiring and as a citizen I would definitely want a program like that coming to my future children's neighborhood. The offering of fresh fruits and vegetables and the children growing their own vegetables is really wonderful and cuts back on several limitations the families may normally come across (i.e., access). In relation to the first example, this is a great way to change a person's environment to better support healthy eating.
I didn't so much care for the commercial. While I understood the point they were trying to make, it was a little confusing. I'm not sure why the creators of the message decided to use a comic depiction to get their message across to parents. The cause of the commercial is definitely very important, but as a parent I wouldn't have paid much attention to it right off the bat, it looks like something for a kid!
After looking at all the three sources i feel that Dr.Sallis's opinion and the Injury Free Obesity Prevention program video are both good examples of Health Communication. The animated commercial didnt get my attention as much as the other two and i doubt that it will be equally effective as a form of Health Communication.
ReplyDeleteAs a Health Proffesional i feel that the Injury free Obesity prevention video will have a major impact as the choices that are presented to us nowadays and specially to children are all stacked up against healthy eating options.I feel that its vital to make changes around children that will promote healthy eating. This can start from school lunch plans. Anyone who has watched the documentary Supersize me will know that alot of schools offer cheap and unhealthy nutritional choices for children.
However there are changes that are beginning to take effect such as schools banning soft drinks on campus, this is definitely a step in the right direction. I feel that the information in the Injury Free Obesity Prevention program video has a lot of information that is an effective tool for health communication. It provides information about how healthier options for children are being incorporated.
I will not neglect personal responsibility completely as a factor in controlling obesity and hence cannot favour a particular approach over the other but most likely i would vouch for an approach that puts more emphasis on changing the environment but at the same time makes everyone aware about the personal responsibility they have in the fight against obesity.
All of the pieces can be considered effective methods of health communication. Both Dr. Sallis' editorial and the Injury Free Obesity Prevention Video were most effective to me. The last campaign "Which? Foods" didn't really do it for me because I was only paying attention to the colors and pictures, not really to the captions or the overall take away message. It was an attractive campaign, but I seemed to get distracted by the things that made it attractive.
ReplyDeleteDr. Sallis' piece gave a logical insight and many angles of the growing Obesity problem in the U.S. He mentions that campaigns have to do more than just encourage more healthful choices although some campaigns have been proven to be effective in changing the behavior of populations. I like how he mentions that people need to be responsible for their choices as well as food companies being responsible when marketing food products. Lastly, he makes a good point that we should maybe focus more of our attention on building and maintaining areas in the community where people can be active.
I think the Injury Free Obesity Video was effective because it mentioned the growing issue of "Diabesity" and gave many solutions that have worked for schools and states across the U.S. The garden at the elementary school seemed easy to implement, had many benefits, and also involved the students.
Both personal responsibility and changing the environment are strategies that should be used when combating obesity. Individuals need to be responsible for their choices. Health professionals can not make an individual change their behaviors or make them eat more healthily. Changing the environment would also help in combating obesity because it will allow individuals to have better access to resources that were not originally offered to them. Both strategies are effective, but when paired together the campaign would be the most effective.
I feel all the three examples were an effective way of health communication, though i could relate to the mother and child commercial the least. I did understand the concept but i felt there was a lot of commotion going on in the video which gets distracting sometimes. I agree with Dr. Salli's article because even i feel that taking personal responsibility solely will not help to combat such an increasingly huge problem that the nation faces today. When i look around i very seldom feel i have enough healthy choices to make. I do not have a safe walking area(which i believe is true for many people),my grocery stores market the worst foods in the best possible ways and the restaurants do not offer me great food choices as well. So even though i agree that i am responsible for making healthy choices for myself but considering the environment we are in how often do i get this chance?
ReplyDeleteI also liked the Injury Free Obesity Prevention video. I think it is a good way of making children aware of health and diet from the beginning and motivating them to adapt an active lifestyle. I feel a multidirectional approach which incorporates environmental as well as behavioral changes would be a better way to combat the issue.
I felt two out of the three examples were effective health communication. Dr. Salli's piece and the Injury Free Obesity Prevention video were the most helpful in communicating what needs to be done about obesity. Changing the environment and personal responsibility alone are not effective tools in combating obesity, both need to be implemented to see any significant change. We can increase our own responsibility but if the environment acts as a deterrent rather than a motivator, no matter how motivated we are we are less likely to implement the behavior. I consider myself to be a healthy person and I like to exercise. However, I don't feel safe running in my neighborhood, especially at night, which has significantly limited how much I run. I do run at a gym but it's not that enjoyable and there simply isn't time to drive around and find a different, safer place to run that's convenient. While my own motivation may need to increase a little I think environment plays a huge role.
ReplyDeleteAs a health professional I was very impressed by the The Injury Free video. One of the main things that caught my attention was having the students grow their own food. What an excellent way to teach children skills and provide them with information about healthy eating. If they have pride in something they have done, like growing the vegetables, they are probably much more likely to eat the vegetables! Kids like to be involved and feeding them information won't do too much, but getting them actively involved and providing them with hands on training on how to be healthy seems like it would work much better. Like Monique, I also thought having the high schoolers teach the younger students was a great idea. Teaching someone else is a great way to increase retention and increase the probability that they will implement the behavior. and it's also great for the younger students who most likely look up to the high schoolers.
I didn't find the UK piece very motivating at all. At best it was entertaining but it sort of made light of the problem a little too much. Humor can be good but I think the message is lost here and a little more direct information would be helpful for this commercial.
I can foresee all three communications as being effective when applied to the appropriate audience. The op ed article by Dr. Salis lays blame aside, and focuses on the dangers obesity will bring to the entire nation if left unaddressed. As was mentioned, the nation “cannot afford to politicize the debate over personal versus societal responsibility for eating and physical activity”. In such a litigious society, we often forget that sometimes that laying blame does not necessarily aim to fix a problem. It may pacify harbored negatives feelings temporarily, however, obesity is not an issue that can be temporarily pacified. Its effects and dangers will continue on well after the blame is settled. As a call to action for the United States, Dr. Salis’s op ed article is effective.
ReplyDeleteAt first, the “which?” campaign video seemed too obnoxious and random to draw any effective attention. However, as the commercial went on I can see where the commercial would catch the attention of mother’s who recognize the experience the cartoon mother is experiencing. Most mothers have had harrowing episodes of trying to efficient grocery shop while trying to prevent their child from flailing in and out of the cart grabbing random items. Even I can remember putting my own mother through such experiences. Depicting the mother as a superhero figure fighting against the supermarket evils may actually prove to be an effective form of communication among mothers.
In regards to the Injury Free campaign, I found the work being done in Kansas especially effective. The skills and knowledge being given to the kids empowers them to make changes that many adults as still unable to make. Empowering the kids with the skills needed can also be seen as a way of “training the trainer” in that these kids will go on to influence their peers,as well as parents, to eat healthy and be active. Young children do not have as many social barriers holding them back from telling people to stop their bad habits. Sometimes adults are afraid to bluntly handle the obesity issue and act a more politically correct manner. However, with kids, they are known to cut straight to the chase. In conclusion, the characteristics of the younger demographics in conjunction with the multiple facets of the program, the Injury Free campaign can be seen as an effective form of health communication for children and potentially for adults.
After going through all the three examples, I found that they have very useful information to look at. Dr. Sallis's op ed piece has all the essential elements to show how obesity is going to affect the US health system in the near future. It also tells us about what the government should and even I agree with his idea to make some policies that favors healthy food promotion. We just can't rely only on personal choice of people. People choose from what they can achieve easily and conveniently. So, Government should do something in the food marketing field. Secondly increasing physical activities is also important. Even the video from injury free coalition for kids emphasize on increasing physical activity. Someone in the video also said that someone upon whom children can look at like a movie star, should get in to the action. Advertisements should be focused on increasing physical activities rather than promoting video games etc. Public parks should be more accessible to the people. One point mentioned in Dr. Sallis's op ed about providing more safe streets to the society should also be taken under consideration. Even with my personal experience I have found that here in the U.S.A roads are much busy and even some don’t have proper lighting system. My house is walking distance from the university but I never prefer to walk to the university because of these reasons. Video from "Which? Food “campaign is short, attractive and may appeal to the children. It doesn’t have much health information but I still found it better for general public than other two sources. Because other two sources are good for people related to health field or one who is very much conscious about health.
ReplyDeleteBeing a health professional, the most effective health communication example are Dr. Sallis op ed piece and injury free obesity prevention video. The video about "Which food" was not at all appealing to me and I think the audience that was targeted in that were children. It was more of an anti-health ad. The injury free obesity prevention video showed a lot of optimism in children towards good health. Not only were the children trying to keep a track of their own diet, but also of their parent's. This video is a means of promoting self-efficacy, esp. by looking at the child who lost 50lbs. I think this video had more of heuristic mode in it whereas Dr. Sallis op ed piece is more of systematic approach.Dr. Sallis information piece has enlistment of probably all the factors as to why people are getting over-weight. I think, the article is rightly summed up in the sense that each and every member of the society must take responsibility for contributing to the success of this big national concern.. Changing the environment as strategy to combat obesity is definitely a great choice as it would most likely target a society or an organization a s a whole. But, nevertheless, emphasizing personal responsibility is imp. too. It is one's beliefs, perceptions about good health that make a person work better, stay fit and achieve a good health.
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