Shifting public perceptions of childhood obesity as part of a long-term approach to improve health

Shifting public perceptions of childhood obesity as part of a long-term approach to improve health

• 1.
  Reframing childhood obesity
• 2.
  We’re an independent, place-basedfoundation
• 3.
  Building on currentinsights from our early work • We need to think about childhood obesity as a normal response to an abnormal environment • Childhood obesity is a problem of inequality • Lack of opportunities to be healthy are exacerbated by ‘scarcity’ (money, time and headspace) • Solutions don’t have to be complicated
• 4.
  The challenge: Whatwe wanted to achieve Child obesity is a problem of willpower and bad parenting Environments matter and can be changed for the better
• 5.
  Our approach
• 6.
  1. They thinkit’s down to the moral failings of overweight people 2. They think it’s very bad and getting worse 3. They think it’s putting an unacceptable strain on the NHS 4. They find it almost impossible to think about prevention and solutions (other than people eating less) Phase 1 told us about how people think about obesity in general Phase 2 focused on child obesity and allowed us to explore these themes further, particularly individual responsibility
• 7.
  Phase 2 wasabout • Research • Stakeholder engagement • Media
• 8.
  The Ticking Time Bomb •People think of childhood obesity as a ticking time bomb condemning children to an inevitable and unavoidable lifetime of poor health and ultimately early death. Failed Parenting • Childhood obesity is a visible sign that parents have failed at all their most important roles and responsibilities (setting a good example, providing discipline, putting children first, protecting children against outside threats). This is a dominant model, key to people’s thinking about the drivers of childhood obesity. Health Individualism By Proxy • Given that members of the public assume health outcomes are driven by choice and behaviours, the individual is held responsible for their own health. • With child obesity, this responsibility stays with the parent - especially for children under 12 as people see it as the direct result of poor choices that parents make for themselves as well as for their children. Research – key cultural models
• 10.
  1. Make thisabout improving children’s health, use values 2. Use metaphor to show how our surroundings shape us – rivers, stage 3. Place individual stories in context to show how surroundings affect us all – options not choices 4. Help people see what your facts and stats mean 5. Show how change is not just necessary, but possible Research – findings
• 11.
  Engagement strategy
• 12.
  1. Strategic partners 2. Key ‘educators’ 3. Sector forums Sector engagement –influence, expertise and reach
• 13.
  • 85% feltthey had a clear understanding of childhood obesity. 15% Did not • 95% felt childhood obesity is solvable. 5% did not • 67% said commissioning editors were interested in childhood obesity and 33% said they were not Media – what they think
• 14.
  • The opportunityto change the conversation and break through the impasse • The revelation that by using subtly different words people see the issue from a different perspective • The possibility of new content - especially if exclusive Media – what they liked
• 15.
  So what’s next?
• 16.
  • Partnership • Stakeholderengagement and influencing • Evaluation and measurement What’s our role?
• 20.
  What we learned •How much we got wrong • Understanding our role and the limitations of it • Jump on opportunities • What would we do differently - managing expectations around pace
• 21.
  www.gsttcharity.org.uk @GSTTCharity Questions?
• 22.
  5 March 2020 Conference:Changing hearts and minds: social science insights for communicators
• 23.
  Visit the CharityCommswebsite to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk