Confronting the Obesity Epidemic

“Confronting the Obesity Epidemic: Call to Arms’. Annals
A°3d°mY Of Medicine,
gee’ et al expressed the importance of furthering efforts in primary evention of obesity lifestyle and encouraging positive eating habits. They detailed the extent of the problem
aduns (18′-69”ye:Q)apore, fthe National Health Surveys showed that the prevalence of overweight among
rs rose mm 63% in the same period Si 1 ‘1 mo in I o o in 904 . ilethat for obesity‘ rose
O I . mi a y. e proportion of obese children in primary school to junior college years
rose from 2.8 /0 in 1994 to 3.6% in 2007″.
Clobally the escalating childhood obesity rate is of major concern as obese children can suffer from glucose
lnlf->l€fance, hypertension, fatty liver disease and sleeping disorders. Although obesity is a complex problem
it IS important to both understand the associated issues and design better prevention and treatment
strategies. It has been acknowledged that the media would be one channel that could help change both
attitudes and behaviours in relation to lifestyle and food consumption.

Task

‘(our agency is to pitch for the ‘Confronting Obesity in Childhood’ account by designing a proposed
campaign that will run if you win the pitch. Your task is to identify target audiences and suggest ways of
maximising awareness and interest in the campaign. Deciding how much you ought to spend is part of your
agency‘s plan but 90 million SDG is a ballpark figure being offered by the Government to tackle this problem.
Y our report should cover the following:
Communications Opportunity Analysis
A summary both of the barriers to be overcome and opportunities which can be exploited through the use of
persuasive communications which have emerged from your analysis of the external environment. (Cite any
sources/references to add weight/conviction to your analysis.)
The Communication Strategy
This should include objectives and strategies to achieve them; main messages, target audience(s)’. desired
responses and ‘tone’.
Creative Ideas
Simple expression of creative ideas and their relevance to the strategy is required. These can be expressed
in a variety of forms including simple illustrations andlor storyboards, or scripts.
Media Issues
Persuasively argue the case for your chosen media to reach your target audiencels in particular, rather than
discussing media strengths and weaknesses in general. Also provide a schedule of suggested media
activity.
Specific ‘below-the-line’ communications recommendations in the areas of public relations, sponsorship, etc
are required with a justification as to why and how they ‘fit’ your target audiences. NB innovative or
‘altemative’ means of communication are important