Setting 4: Media and Communications

The media can provide essential functions in overweight and obesity prevention efforts. From a public education and social marketing standpoint, the media can disseminate health messages and display healthy behaviors aimed at changing dietary habits and exercise patterns. In addition, the media can provide a powerful forum for community members who are addressing the social and environmental influences on dietary and physical activity patterns.

Communication

1. Emphasize to media professionals that the primary concern of overweight and obesity is one of health rather than appearance.
2. Emphasize to media professionals the disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in low-income and racial and ethnic minority populations and the need for culturally sensitive health messages.
3. Communicate the importance of prevention of overweight through balancing food intake with physical activity at all ages.
4. Promote the recognition of inappropriate weight change.
5. Build awareness of the importance of social and environmental influences on making appropriate diet and physical activity choices.
6. Provide professional education for media professionals on policy areas related to diet and physical activity.
7. Emphasize to media professionals the need to develop uniform health messages about physical activity and nutrition that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Action

1. Conduct a national campaign to foster public awareness of the health benefits of regular physical activity, healthful dietary choices, and maintaining a healthy weight, based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
2. Encourage truthful and reasonable consumer goals for weight loss programs and weight management products.
3. Incorporate messages about proper nutrition, including eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and regular physical activity in youth-oriented TV programming.
4. Train nutrition and exercise scientists and specialists in media advocacy skills that will empower them to disseminate their knowledge to a broad audience.
5. Encourage community-based advertising campaigns to balance messages that may encourage consumption of excess calories and inactivity generated by fast food industries and by industries that promote sedentary behaviors.
6. Encourage media professionals to utilize actors’ influences as role models to demonstrate eating and physical activity lifestyles for health rather than for appearance.
7. Encourage media professionals to employ actors of diverse sizes.

Research and Evaluation

1. Evaluate the impact of community media advocacy campaigns designed to achieve public policy and health-related goals.
2. Conduct consumer research to ensure that media messages are positive, realistic, relevant, consistent, and achievable.
3. Increase research on the effects of popular media images of ideal body types and their potential health impact, particularly on young women.