Overweight in a Pre-School Population - Essay Example

Overweight in a Pre-School Population Introduction Childhood obesity is a serious social problem both in the United States and in many other countries throughout the world. Childhood obesity refers to a condition in which a child’s body gains excessive weight thereby affecting the normal physical wellbeing of the child. As a social problem, the American government invests millions of dollars and works closely with the local community with the view to eradicating the problem. The same is often the case with several other governments from countries where childhood obesity is a major social problem. In such countries, the governments often employ appropriate social marketing strategies by developing appropriate campaign messages and circulating them through equally effective social platforms. The effectiveness of the social campaigns just as the name suggests relies in the ability of the campaigns to recruit numerous participants thus curbing the trend in the society. Let’s take on child obesity: one step at a time is an appropriate example social marketing campaign that strives to curb the prevalent of childhood obesity in Europe while promoting specific products. In the campaign, the marketers address specific factors that lead to childhood obesity thereby advising on the uptake of appropriate physical activities and diet that will help curb the negative prevalent. Childhood obesity is a vice, one that denies children appropriate childhood. Obesity makes children susceptible to numerous other diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. As such, curbing childhood obesity is a fundamental social role the government must undertake in order to improve the quality of life for the citizenry. Additionally, social problems often create market for private investors as proprietors develop products and services that promise to improve the situation. The same is the situation in this context as Safefood a commercial organization that sells food products decide to capitalize on the situation thereby developing a substantial market for its products. The company therefore develops the Let’s take on child obesity: one step at a time campaign in order to market its products while addressing the social problem. The campaign addresses specific issues that will help curb the prevalence of childhood obesity. The developers of the campaign observe specific policies thus developing an appropriate campaign, one that addresses the specific issues illustriously. The campaign for example proposes at least sixty minutes of play. The advert is categorical on the type of play it proposes as it shows pictures of children cycling and engaging in other types of physically engaging activities. Additionally, the campaign proposes appropriate foods for children at various stages of obesity as a way of helping curb the prevalence of the social ill. Marketing is a fundamental function of management mandated with the determination of a market for either a product or a service. Promotion is among the tools marketers use in acquiring markets for their products. As such, marketers are communicators and must therefore employ appropriate tools in communication. The same is the case in the campaign alongside as the marketers employ numerous communication tools in order to enhance the success of the campaign. The website is strategic with the marketers placing their messages both strategically and appropriately on the website. The marketers use texts, images and videos among other elements of communication. The marketers portray their communication genius in the seamless use and placement of the various elements thus enhancing the effectiveness of the website. As explained above, the campaign calls for adequate play for children. Play enhances metabolism thereby offering the children with an opportunity to burn the excess fat in their bodies. Such is the most appropriate way of minimizes chances of becoming obese in children. Furthermore, play provides children with an effective opportunity to develop psychologically. During play, children interact a feature that enhances their communication, interpersonal and problem solving skills among other vital skills that contribute to the physical and psychological wellbeing and growth of individuals. Besides play, the campaign calls for children to consume foodstuff it considers safe. The campaign advises parents to eliminate sugary foods from their children’s diets and to reduce the protein in the same. Such foods contribute to the growth of lean bodies by providing the body with appropriate mineral supplements. Childhood obesity is a manifestation of poor lifestyles. As such, the above social campaign strives to reverse the lifestyle patterns in the society. By changing the lifestyle of the people the campaign strives to reverse the situation thereby saving children from becoming overweight. As a lifestyle complication, obesity arises from the consumption of undesirable foods coupled with lack of adequate physical exercise. The social campaign therefore addresses the numerous factors that contribute to the lack of physical exercise coupled with the consumption of such unhealthy foodstuffs among children. Lack of adequate physical activities among children is among the major factors contributing to the rise of childhood obesity in such developed economies as the United States and the United Kingdom. Most children in the contemporary society live with house helps as their parents spend time in their offices. Additionally, most children prefer playing computer games thus showing minimal interests in activities that engage them physically. The lack of adequate parental supervision coupled the lack of physical activities is a major factor that contributes to the prevalent of childhood obesity in such economies. The social campaign in the case proposes appropriate lifestyles that the campaigners believe will reverse the trend thus according the children a healthier lifestyle. The campaign advises appropriate parenting styles and specific ways of encouraging children to take up desirable hobbies capable of improving the quality of their lives. The social marketing campaign alongside seeks to raise awareness on childhood obesity in the country. In doing this, the marketers outline the negative effects of obesity, which includes the health risk it presents the children, coupled with the fact that such children become antisocial and often depressed (Palmer, 2003). The marketers portray their experience and skill in marketing since they do not concentrate on the negative effects of childhood obesity but spends most of their time in outlining and explaining the appropriate ways of overcoming the vice. In doing this, the campaign proposes appropriate lifestyles and diets for children. Furthermore, the campaign proposes numerous types of lifestyles and diets that can help reverse the situation thus healing obese children. The campaign proposes for less screen time for children. As explained earlier, children in the contemporary society spend most of their time playing video games and watching video. The two are the main modes of entertainment for children thus constitute a major aspect of their lifestyles. Such are poor lifestyles that create conducive environment for the children to accumulate fat thus gain excessive weight. The campaign therefore proposes less screen time for children. This way the children get adequate time to either play with their colleagues or do their homework both activities provide children with adequate opportunities to develop both physically and psychologically. Theories/Models of Behavior Change The primary objective of the social marketing campaign above is to change the behavior of both parents and their children thereby creating a market for the company’s products. This validates the need for the application of appropriate theories of behavior change. By changing the behavior of the target audience, the marketing campaign will naturally create a market for its products thus enhancing the profitability and longevity of the company, two of the most essential objectives of every marketer. In the case alongside, the marketers employ the health belief model (Hunt, 2010). The model asserts that health is among the most essential motivators for behavior change. It explains that people will always change their behaviors by abandon their past behaviors and adopting new behaviors with the hopes of gaining immense health benefits from the behavior change. As explained earlier, obesity is a major health issue in most of the developed countries. Parents of obese children in such countries will therefore adopt every new behavior provided it promises to reverse the situation in their families thereby giving their children better childhoods. Childhood obesity has numerous side effects as it exposes children to numerous health and social risks. As explained earlier, obese children are likely to suffer from numerous diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure among many others (Milne & Mark, 1999). Additionally, obese children often miss essential aspects of their childhood since they cannot play freely with their peers a fact that denies them essential parts of their lives. Obese children are likely to suffer from depression. Such is a portrayal of the extent of the effects of the situation that denies children their childhoods. Childhood obesity limits the lifespan of children besides the fact that such children often have dull lifestyles. As such, both the parents and the children are always eager to change their behavior in cases where such behavior change promises to reverse the situation thereby providing the obese children with better lifestyles. The social marketing campaign outlines numerous health benefits by presenting solutions to obesity, a major social and health problem. The promise to treat the disease and reveres the situation is a major motivator for behavior change as the children and parents will readily change their diets and lifestyles in order to fit those proposed by the campaign. The health benefits the campaign proposes is a key motivator for behavior change a fact that validates the implementation of the health belief model. The theory of reasoned action is yet another fundamental behavior change theory that the campaign utilizes in order to change the behavior of its target audience. The theory asserts that people often plan their actions by often considering the pros and cons of their actions. By doing this, people show preference to behaviors that minimize different forms of harm. Adults or example is mature people with developed mental faculties. As such, they consider the ramifications of their actions thereby engaging in behaviors that minimize harm both to themselves and to the people they love. The campaign alongside presents a context that requires effectively planed actions. The campaign therefore explains the numerous reasons it offers for validating the behavior change it proposes. The advert calls for appropriate upbringing of children. Appropriate upbringing includes raising healthy children. Childhood obesity on the other hand is a social and health factor that presents harm to children thereby affecting the growth and development of children. The social marketing campaign outlines a series of reasons for the behavior change besides further outlining the preferred behavior change. Such are strategic tools that help the target audience plan their behavior change. Planned behavior change is the most appropriate in this context since the social marketing campaign provides its target audience with appropriate evidence to help them plan their behavior change. Conclusion In retrospect, marketers are communicators and as such must employ appropriate communication skills in developing appropriate messages whose key objective is to influence behavior change thereby creating market for the products or services. The same is the case in the social marketing campaign alongside (Dubois, Girard & Kent, 2006). The marketers identify a niche in the society thus creating awareness on the existence of the products. The marketers do this strategically by addressing the social problem before proposing the solution. The strategy builds a need for the product thus developing the desired market. Obesity is both a social and health problem. The need for treat obese children creates a market that the marketers in the case strive to exploit. They therefore develop strategic media messages and communicate them through an equally effective media with the view to creating a substantial market for its products, safe foods. The chronological presentation of facts in the campaign coupled with the vivid explanation of both the nature of the problem and its inherent solutions are strategies of creating need for the products. The provision of facts is an effective way of influencing behavior change since it helps the target audience make appropriate decisions. This portrays the effectiveness of the media campaign. The campaign seeks to change the behavior of its target audience; the communicators therefore comply with the numerous behavior change theories of model. The provision of facts and reasons influence the behavior change process thus influencing the reasoned action. References Dubois L, Girard M, & Kent, M. (2006). "Breakfast eating and overweight in a pre-school population: is there a link?". Public Health Nutr 9 (4): 436–42. Farooqi, I. S (September 2005). "Genetic and hereditary aspects of childhood obesity". Best Pract. Res. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 19 (3): 359–74. http://www.safefood.eu/Childhood-Obesity/Welcome.aspx Hunt, S. D. (2010). Marketing Theory: Foundations, Controversy, Strategy, Resource-Advantage Theory. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe. Milne, G. R. & Mark A. (1999). Sport Marketing: Managing the Exchange Process. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett. Palmer, A. (2003). Introduction to Marketing: Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More