Strong4Life is a movement created by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to ignite societal change to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in Georgia. The state has the second-highest rate of childhood obesity in the nation and if ignored, this generation of children could live shorter lives than their parents. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there is little acknowledgement of the crisis. Strong4Life surveyed parents of overweight or obese children in Georgia and found that 75 percent did not recognize their child’s obesity or the associated health risks.
Their video ad campaign has ignited a full force controversy over whether the ads are creating a sense of shame and demeaning people who are obese. Regardless, the videos are addressing a very important concern for us all: the health and well being of our nation's children. The ads are made to speak to the hearts and minds of parents of overweight children, who are also, most likely, obese. Literature suggests that so called ‘negative advertising’ such as these are an effective way to encourage behavioral changes.
The intent of the first phase of the Strong4Life campaign is to capture the attention of caregivers who are ignoring the severity of the health crisis of childhood obesity. Raising awareness is just the first step of their campaign, and the campaign is only one part of the Strong4Life movement.
Strong4Life proclaims that the intent of the ad campaign is to alert – not offend. Obese children can develop health issues that are typically seen only in adults, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint problems and chest pains. All language used in the ads comes from actual facts or statements made during their research with focus groups.
The ads are not the only piece of this. Strong4Life programs have already trained over 1,000 physicians on how to address the issue of childhood obesity with their patients. They are working on tools to put in schools and daycares statewide that teach kids how to make healthy choices. http://www.choa.org/Child-Wellness/Strong4Life-Programs
Here is a comment from Cindi Caine Dowler, an overweight women who watched the ads online with her overweight son.
Okay...I'm usually not an "out there" type person, but this particular subject is one that is of great concern to me. I had obese parents, I was an obese child, I am now an obese parent and I have an obese child. This was not what I wanted for myself or my son. I do not intentionally ignore our health and eating habits...but I do know how ignorance and denial perpetuate this problem. I am a widow and living in a low income household. My husband died at 38 of a massive heart attack. He also had diabetes. Obesity was a factor as well as high blood pressure and heart disease. These illnesses run on both sides of my family. My son and I both watched the commercials on the website. When the one came up with the child who asked his mother "Why am I fat?" I turned to my son and asked him "You do know why we're fat, right?" He answered with ,"We eat more than we exercise off". Basic, but he's 13, and that is the truth. I have many MANY fears and concerns for my son, but I'm not afraid of his feelings being hurt because someone calls him fat. He is. His self esteem comes from his value as a person, his security in being loved and wanted, his belief in his ability to manage and cope and overcome obstacles, from his awareness of the joy and sorrow in life and his appreciation for his own life...not from whether he is fat or thin or black or white or rich or poor. We struggle and have been struggling with this issue, both of us, for our entire lives. We gain some control, lose it, gain it again...it's a cycle that is more easily broken with a LOT of support. I hope that your organization is prepared to provide support for those people who need that slap in the face to sit up and take a real honest look at their lives and habits...and what it's doing to their kids. There is no easy answer or formula to "fix" this. But I applaud you for having the desire to stir peoples consciousness.
This might be exactly what this country needs, a wake up call. Second step: Health Education! People need to learn how to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables and how to prepare them at home. It is so simple and delicious to eat healthy and everyone must learn in one way or another. Maybe all of that vital learning will come after reflecting on a "negative ad" by Strong4Life.
Negative advertising can effectively communicate certain public health messages and serve to counter corporate disease promotion. For example, remember the theTRUTH.com anti-smoking campaign? That worked. Smoking is not cool anymore and not as socially accepted. Now, if only negative ads were directed at the big boogers that do us no good: processed foods. Can you imagine sitting in front of the tele and seeing a Strong4Life video come on and then immediately afterward being flashed with an advertisement for some junk/fast/processed, edible-food-like substance? Which should piss us off and offend us more? The chicken or the egg? Thoughts?
Sources: Turning negative into positive: Public health mass media campaigns and negative advertising.
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