Courtesy Futurity.org:
With more than two thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, public health campaigns have emerged across the country to promote behavior that can help reduce America’s waistline.
But do the messages communicated by these campaigns help reduce obesity or potentially make the problem worse?
According to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, the public responds more favorably to obesity-related health campaigns that emphasize specific health behaviors and personal empowerment for health, rather than messages that imply personal blame and stigmatize those who are obese.
Researchers conducted an online experimental study with a national sample of 1041 Americans. Participants viewed campaign messages from national and highly publicized public health campaigns to address obesity. Their findings are published in the International Journal of Obesity.
They were asked to rate characteristics of each campaign as positive or negative and state whether they felt motivated to improve their health or stigmatized by the campaign’s message.
Campaigns rated most favorable and motivating were messages that promoted specific health behaviors:
Increased fruit and vegetable consumption, as promoted by the national “5-A-Day” campaign
“Learn the facts, eat healthy, get active, take action,” as encouraged by the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign and other more general health messages
Campaigns that attempted to instill confidence and personal empowerment regarding one’s health.
Interestingly, note the researchers, campaign messages rated most positive and motivating made no mention of obesity at all.
MORE
With more than two thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, public health campaigns have emerged across the country to promote behavior that can help reduce America’s waistline.
But do the messages communicated by these campaigns help reduce obesity or potentially make the problem worse?
According to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, the public responds more favorably to obesity-related health campaigns that emphasize specific health behaviors and personal empowerment for health, rather than messages that imply personal blame and stigmatize those who are obese.
Researchers conducted an online experimental study with a national sample of 1041 Americans. Participants viewed campaign messages from national and highly publicized public health campaigns to address obesity. Their findings are published in the International Journal of Obesity.
They were asked to rate characteristics of each campaign as positive or negative and state whether they felt motivated to improve their health or stigmatized by the campaign’s message.
Campaigns rated most favorable and motivating were messages that promoted specific health behaviors:
Increased fruit and vegetable consumption, as promoted by the national “5-A-Day” campaign
“Learn the facts, eat healthy, get active, take action,” as encouraged by the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign and other more general health messages
Campaigns that attempted to instill confidence and personal empowerment regarding one’s health.
Interestingly, note the researchers, campaign messages rated most positive and motivating made no mention of obesity at all.
MORE