Oral Presentation ANZOS Annual Scientific Meeting 2021

'Don't treat junk food as everyday food': Development of a new healthy weight campaign (#86)

James JSC Stevens-Cutler 1 , Ellen EH Hart 1 , Kelly KK Kennington 1 , Melissa ML Ledger 1 , Michael MM Murphy 2 , Gina GA Ambrosini 3 , Ciara CO O'Flaherty 3
  1. Cancer Council WA, Subiaco, WA, Australia
  2. MMResearch, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. Chronic Disease Prevention, WA Department of Health, East Perth, WA, Australia

Introduction

LiveLighter® is a healthy lifestyle program which targets Western Australian (WA) adults.  It is delivered by Cancer Council WA and funded by the WA Department of Health.  In 2019 and 2020, Cancer Council WA commissioned exploratory research and concept testing to inform the design of a new LiveLighter® advertising campaign that aims to raise awareness of the serious health risks associated with being above a healthy weight.

Methods

Exploratory research occurred in August 2019.  In February 2020 an advertising agency was engaged to develop four concepts for a TV commercial based on the research findings. These concepts were tested in mid-late 2020.

WA adults aged 25-59 years took part in 18 focus groups during the exploratory research and concept testing. Groups were segmented by age, gender, and location (regional or metro). To ensure participation of low-SES demographics, people with university education were excluded.  The exploratory research separated people into groups of BMI 26-30 and BMI over 30.  The concept testing only included people of BMI 26-30.

Findings

Results from both research projects will be presented. Key insights include:

  • Referring to ‘excess body fat’ rather than ‘overweight’ increases personal relevance of messaging
  • People with higher BMIs prefer more ‘how’ messaging to increase self-confidence, people with lower BMIs are more open to messaging about serious health consequences of being above a healthy weight
  • Messages about the risk of cancer associated with carrying excess body fat convey new information for many
  • Advertising must communicate messages using a tone that is understanding, creates personal relevance, and motivates action.

Conclusion

New campaigns that aim to raise awareness of the risks of being above a healthy weight and motivate behaviour change amongst WA adults need to strike a balance between having an empathetic and understanding tone, whilst maintaining an appropriate level of threat appeal.