by Andrea Hill on August 24, 2009
A recent study by Yale University has found that TV Food Advertising Increases Snacking and Potential Weight Gain in Children and Adults. The study found that exposure to food advertising increased overall consumption, even for foods that had not been present in the adverts.
I found this study particularly interesting as it relates to
the 5-2-1-Almost None Formula promoted by one of our clients, Nemours Health and Prevention Services.
According to information on the Mighty Timoneers website:
The percentage of overweight youth has more than tripled in the last 20 years. About 35% of children in the U.S. and 37% in Delaware are overweight or obese.
Nemours has taken a leading role to help people understand the causes and health implications of obesity and the best ways to promote healthier lifestyles among children and families. Our “formula for a healthy lifestyle” is 5-2-1-Almost None
5-2-1-Almost none
- Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day<
- watching two or fewer hours of screen time a day
- Getting one or more hours of physical activity a day
- And drinking almost no sugary beverages
At first glance, the Yale study may simple be pointing out the importance of substituting food advertisements for other types of ads. Yet another way to avoid exposure to such advertisements is simply to turn the television off completely. The 5-2-1-Almost None formula recommends limiting ’screen time’ (television as well as computer) to two hours a day. Not only will this limit exposure to these ads, it may result in the adoption of more active pastimes.
To learn more about our childhood obesity work with Nemours Health and Prevention Services, you can review the case studies for two campaigns: The Mighty Timoneers and Kids Can’t Do It Alone.
Tagged as:
Childhood obesity,
healthy people,
Nemours
by Mark Marosits on August 19, 2009
Originally published on 3/16/2007
The Healthy People/Healthy Places Framework was designed to be applied to myriad scenarios. Its application to childhood obesity is currently being fielded in Delaware a complement to the overarching work of Nemours Health & Prevention Services (NHPS).
NHPS is the health promotion and preventive services division of Nemours, one of the nation’s preeminent children’s healthcare systems. In early 2004, NHPS set the bold goal of making Delaware’s children the healthiest in the nation. A key component of that goal was addressing the challenge of childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity and the attendant health risks have reached epidemic proportions. Most of the efforts to reverse these alarming trends prescribe interventions in the areas of healthy eating and/or physical activity. There is some evidence-based best practice with regard to the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity. However, most interventions studied were not specifically focused on childhood obesity. The connections to be drawn are intuitive and many public health organizations are still left struggling with the question of, “How do we reach the greatest number of children in the shortest period of time with the most efficient and sustainable use of resources to combat childhood obesity and promote healthier lifestyles?”
The NHPS strategy has many facets, including a social marketing campaign based on the People/Places framework. Currently, Ed Maibach and I are proudly serving as advisors to NHPS, and Worldways is in the midst of helping to implement the statewide program to combat childhood obesity. Healthy People/Healthy Places has proven to be very relevant by: fostering an understanding of the dynamics of childhood obesity from both a behavioral and environmental perspective; providing a framework for codifying prospective interventions and determining the best mix of people- vs. place-based strategies; and determining the types of marketing, communications, program, policy, and environmental initiatives most likely to result in change.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about the People/Places Framework, its application to challenging childhood obesity, key strategies evolved in Delaware and other places, and opportunities for future applications.
Tagged as:
Childhood obesity,
delaware,
framework,
healthy people,
Healthy Places,
Nemours
by Larry Clark on June 18, 2009
The animation/live action spot reminds parents that The Mighty Timoneers can make it much easier to help their kids eat healthy and be physically active.
Go to mightytimoneers.com to learn more about The Mighty Timoneers, and how these 4 pirates have changed the way children look at healthy living.
Help Around the House
Tagged as:
animation,
Award Winning,
cartoons,
cause creative,
Childhood obesity,
Children,
Eat Healthy,
Nemours,
Nemours Health and Prevention,
Physically Active,
Social Markeing Campaign,
Telly Awards,
The Mighty Timoneers,
Worldways Social Marketing
