Breath of health for youth in healthy lifestyle campaign.
Website: http://www.todayonline.com/pdf_open.asp?id=1010NSL014
Date: 10 October 2008
In this generation, I guess everyone would agree that mass communication plays an important role in our life. It provides us with information, entertainment etc. And most importantly, the mass media has been trying to instil certain values and ways of life into us. For instance, the anti-drug campaign.
I came across this article in TODAY. It talks about how Health Promotion Board aims to create a healthier lifestyle for youths. We can see that HPB is trying to influence the habits of youngsters in both physical and psychological ways. Most of us would agree that the cultures of Singaporeans, especially teenagers, like to dine in fast food restaurant. It is an eating habit that is ingrained in many kids nowadays. The association is trying hard to break the monotonous way of introducing a healthy lifestyle by conducting new and interesting games, and also the use of television programmes to promote this campaign.
Now, the question is, will it be successful?
For many reasons, I think that this campaign would fail instead. Firstly, let me ask you, how many of you would actually go for this campaign even if you know about it? I guess not many would make the effort to.
I feel that mass media has a very great influence on us in many ways. Be it fashion, education or any other things. However, when it comes to health, not many would actually abide the rules. Who will want to forgo their delicious and yet unhealthy food? Your coke, McDonald’s, KFC etc. Isn’t that ironic? Although we know that it’s unhealthy, we still choose to go ahead and eat it. We will only start to regret when illness strike us. Isn’t that too late? I guess our taste buds are immune to all kind of influences, except good food.
Another reason why I feel that it will not be very successful is because not many youngsters would be aware of this event. Unlike the anti-smoking campaigns and anti-gambling campaigns, this Healthy Lifestyle campaign is not mass broadcast over the television etc. Because of this, the message did not reach many of the youngsters around.
Eating healthily seems to be quite a difficult task in Singapore. With the fast moving pace of society, with both parents working, who will have the time to whip up some dishes at home? For the sake of convenience, many would choose to “da bao” in food centres or fast food restaurants. In this case, how can we healthy?
So what can HPB do to create more awareness? Maybe they should teach youths how to cook some simple dishes for themselves? They can advertise more frequently to attract more attention. I feel that it is not easy to persuade youths like us. After all, some of us can’t live without those foods! Maybe mass media may not be that powerful at all?
In your opinion, what do you think HPB can help to raise awareness in us?
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9 comments:
the only reason i feel that the HPB is failing on this quest is because the fast food chains and all other forms of unhealthy food has a greater media influence compared to that of the HPB.
placing ads from both groups side by side, we can easily tell that youngsters will most likely be attracted to the fun and lively ads from the fast food chains versus the dull and almost naggy message that the HPB is trying to convey.
unless the HPB can come up with some ways to tweak the interest of these youngsters, unhealthy food and fast food chains will continue to reign in the battle for media supremacy
I think the reason why HPB fail in raising awareness is that their messages are not attractive at all.
Teenagers like us do not really know the consequences of eating unhealthily. Or maybe we know the consequences, but in some of our minds, we would eat without thinking of the consequences and think of ways to prevent illness after eating.
I believe that not all teenagers are eating unhealthily, as there are sure to be maybe 2 out of 10 who eats healthily.
HPB should not only try to influence people through messages on mass media, but also creating campaigns in schools to encourage more teenagers to eat healthily. Through this, more students may be influenced and others may be influenced by peer pressure.
Comparison of Knowledge and intake of Fruit and Vegetables Sec 1-4 Students (SHS) vs Adult Singaporeans 80% 70% 70% 60% 50% 44%* 40% 30% 24% 19%^ 20% 10% 0% Students Health Survey Comparison with adult Singaporeans Aware of recommended intake of 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily Eat 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily *Evaluation of National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2004, 30-70 yrs old ^National Nutrition Survey 2004; 18-29 yrs.
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albertjames
Viral Marketing
i believed this is the culture that singapore's teenagers have and their perspection of health are different from the adults. Maybe they know but just that they can't resist the delicious fried food.
it is ver ironic in someway that don't you always noticed in the magazine that when the first page talk about food the next moment you flip to the second page they talk about health and diet. Media is not helping at all, as they are financially supported by the advertisments. Therefore they are always two sided.
In this era, both parents are usually working and do not have time to cook meals for their children, especially in this fast-paced society in Singapore.
Generations X and Y are generally younger people who have been heavily exposed to media advertisements on fast-food.
No doubt, their minds have been "brainwashed" that fast-food is convenient and tasty despite knowing that the latter is very unhealthy.
Creating health awareness in the younger generations should start from when they are still young.
That is the time when children get influenced easily and develop their characters.
Therefore, I think it is a little too late to create such health awareness when we wait until the children have grown up into youths whom have entered into a period of developing their own thinkings and establishing their own stands.
It is better to start from young in cultivating healthy lifestyle values to them.
Perhaps, HPB should hold some fun and interesting talks on health awareness in all the primary schools here.
Speaking from my own experience, I used not to brush my teeth when I was very young but the dental staff in my primary schools taught us a fun way to learn brushing teeth properly and they were very friendly to us. They left a deep impact in my life and since then, I enjoy my brushing teeth processes daily!
i also feel that it is impt to create awareness in children when they are young.
i got a fren who is very health conscious and he does not eat fast food. he only eat healthy foods. whenever my frens and i order something unhealthy like western food, he will criticise us and advice us to order something else. but we would just tease him and ignore his advice:P he says that he was influence by his parents from young to eat healthily.
sometimes it may be due to peer pressure that we make an unhealthy decision. for example, if all my frens want to eat MacDonalds for lunch except me, i would most likely join them as no onw wants to eat healthier food with me.
i think parents play an impt role too in influencing their children to lead a healthy lifestyle. they should set example for their children when they are still young so they can cultivate a healthy habit.
so i guess the HPB can do more to create awareness in primary and secondary school students and also in adults not just teenagers.
i actually do not know about this event at all. maybe they need a better publicity plan. i think this event will attract the attention of ppl hu r already leading a healthy lifestyle more. these ppl can actually still bring their unhealthy frens down for the event if they care enuff...
I guess all these comments have proven us that advertisements are not really successful in promoting healthy lifestyle among teenagers.
Even if HPB try to use different media and ways to instill fun and laughter in their campaigns, how many would actually take it seriously? Would you really give up those tasty yet unhealthy food?
yes, i agree. even if i know of this campaign i will not go. its too troublesome, why cause so much inconvenience to myself? eventhought HPB put in time and effort to try make it an success, it probably needs to be targeted to more teenagers style and culture b4 it can be successful. i think i lead a healthy lifestyle of exercising, i dont need anyone to teach me how to eat rite. Moderate is my diet Motto.
I feel that to inculcate a healthy lifestyle, one has to start from young. If parents and schools do their part to do so, things would be better for all.
In my secondary school, we used to love eating the fried chicken rice and hot dog bun, but one day they suddenly disappeared!! Moreover, nothing was announced. In such cases, if the school wanted to 'help' students to eat healthily, they should not only educate but also promote such foods like maybe introduce salads or healthy sandwiches which are cheaper than normal foods.
Students tend to be more price-sensitive, hence I think that if one is to influence youngsters nowadays to eat healthy, a lower price on such foodstuffs would greatly help.
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