Running head: Promotional Strategies 1

Overall good job, Mazalo. The paper would have been stronger with some more specifics for example which TV stations would be used, etc.

Concordia University Nebraska

Mazalo Looky

Professor Lea Pounds

MPH 588 fall section 1 2013

In order to change one’s health behavior, implement public health policies or increase support for public health as an institution, public health practitioners emphasize on using promotional materials and activities. Social marketing can improve food intake, by increasing fruit and vegetable intake and decreasing total energy intake and the psychosocial factors associated with nutrition incorporating educational, behavioral, and living environment components. With regard to social marketing interventions for physical activity emphasized the efficiency of initiatives comprising communication and promotions and a diversity of ongoing activities, events, and environmental changes in increasing the physical activity level of a workplace population (Gracia-Marco, Moreno and Vicente-Rodríguez, 2012).

Public health practitioners have to build a relationship with reporters, editors and producers who determine what story get convey to facilitate accomplishment of an initiative’s goals (Resnick & Siegel, 2013).

Media channels:

According to Resnick and Siegel (2013), public health initiative can use mass communication tactics in many ways. Mass media can frame public discussion of childhood obesity issue in terms of core values. They can also be used to increase knowledge, promote specific behaviors, provide sources of tangible goods or direct service delivery, and repeat and reinforce the massages target audience member receive in forums (Resnick & Siegel, 2013).

Food Policies to reduce obesity involve changing our food environment that can improve our nutrition and reduce obesity through a three-prong strategy including altering relative food prices, shifting our exposure to food, and improving the image of healthy food while making unhealthy food less attractive.

Televisionand internet influence what and how the public think about childhood obesity issue. Television (TV) can be used to show and educate individuals about changing their health behavior. TV can show and advertise food low in calories, low in cholesterol and soft or beverage that are less sweet or have no calories. TV can announce the creation of new parks and playground in the neighborhood, and announce the change of school meals consumption. Because Television uses a short time to convey a message, it is important to formulate the message simple and short. TV’s are openings for messages other tan ads, use of public announcements like how to reduce or eliminate childhood obesity. TV also uses appropriate messages (primarily short and simple, viewers usually can’t refer back to message)(Resnick & Siegel, 2013).What specific stations would be used? Would the strategy be to buy air time (advertising) or to work with news directors to get stories about childhood obesity into the news programs?

Internet: it is important to use it because it offers many opportunities for targeting. Messages ranges from short and simple to detailed information on complex health behaviors. It permits immediate updating and can retain control of message content. Internet can permit active interaction and also allow audience to easily reach out additional information (Resnick & Siegel, 2013).

Print materials:are made to convey a message, in this case childhood obesity. We will be using posters and brochures format. We will consider the purpose of the piece, the image to be conveyed and how it will be distributed, how it will be reproduce and how much various choices will cost.

  1. Posters: we will have a drawing of two children where one is obese and the other will have the averagesize. Both will have the same age.We then, explain the good nutrition habit and physical activity that children can do to help them eliminate their obesity. We will also illustrate food not to eat and beverage not to consume. We will put those posters at the schools entrance, cafeteria,, and even in the classroom and bathroom. We can also put some of the posters in stores and community health or hospital areas so parents, children or the whole community will see how obesity is such a big issue. Looking at those posters can make them change their lifestyle.
  2. Brochure:they willeducate on calories count for a meal in 24 hours. Brochures can inform you the location where you can go and walk or ride your bicycle. It can also help you identify good food and healthy food

The use of both posters and brochures can help to frame childhood obesity issues to modeling simple behaviors. They also provide the space to develop ideas in greater detail (Resnick & Siegel, 2013).

Online media:

  1. Websites:individuals can use website to locate the swimming areas, the closest aerobic location, exercise location, and the closest park to walk. Websites can show images that can convey the audience to change their eating habit.

It plays important role in public health depending on efforts to bring about change are structured. Website can be a communication medium, delivering news, entertainment and or advertisement. For example, Coca Cola Company uses website to advertise their products. They want customers to know their beverages are safe to drink and have the chance of choosing what product they need in order to stay healthy. Websites are designed from the target audience’s point of view making it easy to get information they need in taking action it want them to take. It is important to use website because they list servers, chat room, blogs, and emerging formats. PSA space available on some sites. Message range from simple to detailed information on complex health behaviors. Audience interaction permits active interaction, they can easily search out additional information. Banner ads have been shown to be more effective when target audience members are exposed to fewer executions across many pages and websites (Resnick & Siegel, 2013).Would the plan be to develop a separate website or work with existing organizations that have websites?

  1. Social media:

It used in both commercial and public health marketing efforts. In reducing childhood obesity, public health practitioners can use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to provide new avenues to reach the target audiences (Hispanics children and parents). Facebook, Twitter and focal network allow marketers to disseminate information quickly, reach a broad audience and increase public engagement.

It is very important to use Social Network Approaches to Strengthen Obesity Prevention.

To prevent obesity, we can focus on three setting including R1 and R2 also known as the household and the child’s family outside of the household R3 the neighborhood and community to engage the parents’ social network and social influences on the child outside of the school setting and R4 for the school to engage the child’s social network as we see in the graph and in the focal networking table below:

(Koehly & Loscalzo, 2013).

Table. Network-Based Interventions to Prevent and Control Youth Overweight

Focal Networka / Network/Structural Components / Intervention Component(s) / Communal Coping Mechanism / Desired Outcome
Family system (R1) / Construct family pedigree and family health history
Enumerate household network
Characterize family network structure beyond the household / Provide information about genetics and heredity of obesity
Provide family risk assessment based on family history and shared risk factors and help with interpretation / Family communication
Shared appraisals of risk / Increased communication about obesity risk within the family
Family system (R2) / Identify influential members
Define family roles in meal planning and preparation
Perform formative assessment of physical activity level and diet for each network member / Tailor educational materials to the family roles within the network
Identify activities and strategies to adopt healthy lifestyles tailored to meet varying needs of family members / Cooperative strategies to address behavioral risk factors / Increased engagement in behaviors to reduce risk of obesity
Increased encouragement and social support among family members
Adult peer networks (neighborhood/ community; R3) / Characterize friendship networks within neighborhood and/or community
Identify peer leaders within friendship clusters
Identify household members involved in meal preparation and planning / Train peer leaders within friendship networks as lay health advisors
Organize physical activity among members of adult friendship networks
Provide neighborhood or community-based health seminars aimed at informing friendship networks about obesity-related risk factors and health concerns
Introduce neighborhood meal planning and preparation activities / Shared appraisals of risk
Cooperative strategies to promote physical activity
Cooperative strategies to promote healthful eating / Increased encouragement and social support among friends
Increased physical activity
Increased consumption of healthy foods
Child peer networks (school/ neighborhood/ community; R4) / Characterize friendship networks within schools, neighborhood, and/or community
Identify child’s preferences for physical activity
Identify peer leaders in friendship networks to promote physical activity
Identify isolated persons and integrate into peer networks / Organize team sports defined by activity preferences
Define team membership by friendship clusters
Define team leaders by structure of friendship networks
Organize peer teaching, co-engagement in physical activity, and support / Cooperative strategies to promote physical activity
Cooperative strategies to promote physical activity, healthful eating, and social support / Increased physical activity
Reduced social isolation
Increased participation in activities to reduce disease risk
Changed social norms regarding healthy lifestyles

(Koehly & Loscalzo, 2013).

This network showed how adult family members and adolescent may need to change their own lifestyles. It is also important to support obesity interventions among influential adults in adolescents’ lives. Therefore, we need to consider the social ties that influence adult eating and physical activity behaviors. Using a social network approach, cohesive subgroups of friends within neighborhoods and communities could be identified for health promotion.

According to Koehly & Loscalzo (2013):

“A central person within the group can be identified on the basis of the network’s structure and trained to act as the liaison between the friendship network and the intervention team. The peer leader can create opportunities for discussing lifestyle risk factors, provide educational materials developed by the intervention team, and organize group activities aimed at promoting healthful lifestyles among friends. By using the naturally occurring structure of a group of friends, the designated leader will have credibility within the group and be more effective in relaying helpful information on diet and physical activity”

(Koehly & Loscalzo, 2013).

References:

Gracia-Marco, L. Moreno, L, A and Vicente-Rodríguez, G. (2012).Impact of Social Marketing in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity1, 2,3 .Retrieved from

Koehly, L, M. & Loscalzo, A. (2013).Adolescent Obesity and Social Networks. Retrieved from

Resnick, E., & Siegel, M. (2013). Marketing public health: strategies to promote social change. (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC