5 tips for effective messaging

The way we package our messages affect the way our audience hears and understands those messages.

1. One Fact

• Facts should support and advance your message, but not BE your message.
• The more facts included in your message, the more distracting they can be.
• Make facts easy to remember (almost a third vs. 31.8%)

2. Solutions

• Provide solutions upfront. A positive tone resonates better with people.
• Avoid crisis cues such as “obesity epidemic.” Instead, try something like, “Preventing childhood obesity now will create a healthier Wisconsin tomorrow.”
• Flip statements to make them positive (i.e., change “Kids don’t get enough physical activity” to “Children who are regularly active are more likely to maintain a healthy weight”). 

3. Ingenuity

• People relate to a can-do spirit. Phrases like, we are ready, we have the tools, and smart cities have taken action.
• See Frameworks for more examples of ingenuity and other values that resonate with broad audiences.

4. Pivot

• Personal responsibility is a strong frame. If this frame is triggered, acknowledge the role of personal responsibility, but pivot back to emphasize the role of the environment in determining health outcomes. 
• Example: While we are each responsible for our own health, communities also play a large role...

5. Story

• Media loves personal stories, but make sure to widen the lens from the individual to the environment
• Keep stories local, tangible and meaningful

For more messaging takeaways see:
A New Way to Talk About the Social Determinants of Health (RWJF)
Framing Food and Fitness as a Public Health Issue (FrameWorks Institute)

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Childhood obesity in the news.

National Prevention Strategy Aims to Keep Americans Healthier, Living Longer
Marni Jameson for The Orlando Sentinel
June 28, 2011
A requirement of the health-care-overhaul law passed last year, the National Prevention Strategy for the first time corrals 17 federal agencies — from housing to labor — and commits them to helping shift the nation's focus from treating illness to preventing it. To hold agencies accountable, the plan sets out specific 10-year goals. Though the key messages — stop smoking, don't abuse drugs and alcohol, eat healthier and exercise — are familiar, the strategy differs significantly from previous efforts, said U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. "This is the first time we've ever had this sort of commitment from high-level government. We are now focusing on trying to change our system from a system of sickness and disease to a system of wellness and prevention," Benjamin said.

Letter to the Editor: Health and the government
Larry Cohen of Prevention Institute in The Los Angeles Times
June 3, 2011
Communities across the country are building health, saving money and saving lives using evidence-based strategies that are showing results. Prevention Institute's Larry Cohen responds to a previous Op-Ed, Obama healthcare: Government, heal thyself and makes the case for community prevention.

Memphis Kicks Off Let’s Move! With their new SAFE Zones
Dean Fluker, Department of Health and Human Services, for Let’s Move!
July 5, 2011
SAFE Zones (Shared Areas of Fitness and Exercise) are 25 locations in the city including parks and other neighborhood fitness areas that experience high levels of physical activity before and after work hours. The city will roll-out all 25 locations prior to June 2012... [Memphis] Mayor Wharton said, “These locations already have the amenities that attract residents to move. Especially during the summer, we want to provide the best environment to help our families get out and get moving and feel safe while doing so.”

Local Laws Fighting Fat Under Siege
Stephanie Strom for The New York Times
June 30, 2011
Several state legislatures are passing laws that prohibit municipalities and other local governments from adopting regulations aimed at curbing rising obesity and improving public health, such as requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information on menus or to eliminate trans fats from the foods they serve. In some cases, lawmakers are responding to complaints from business owners who are weary of playing whack-a-mole with varying regulations from one city to the next. Legislators have decided to sponsor state laws to designate authority for the rules that individual restaurants have to live by.

When Eating Well is a Matter of Where You Live [infographic]
America’s battle to lose weight and eat healthy has many fronts. There is the battle to get Americans to make better choices at restaurants. There is the battle to get them to shop smarter. But for some people and some communities, the battle is about having access to healthy food. As we have noted in more in-depth reporting, some places may be swimming in Whole Foods Markets, but in others, places labeled food deserts, affordable nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables can be hard to come by. And these food deserts are spread across Patchwork Nation, but very unevenly.

Expanding access to healthy foods at the Wausau Farmers Market

Source: "Getting it fresh: New program opens Farmers Market to food stamp recipients," Wausau Daily Herald, July 2, 2011

Central Wisconsin food stamp recipients now can buy fresh produce and other food at the Wausau Farmers Market.

The new initiative started Saturday and was made possible through the Marathon County Health Department and other partners. It's meant to help low-income individuals and families gain access to healthy, fresh food. It also is another weapon in the battle against obesity, said Amanda Ostrowski, a public health educator with the Marathon County Health Department.

Low-income people enrolled in FoodShare, the state's food stamp program, can use their Quest cards to receive tokens -- worth $1 each -- that can be used to buy food from participating vendors. The tokens can be used only for items approved by the program, such as produce, cheese, eggs, bakery items, spices and maple syrup.

"People can use their Quest cards to buy (processed) food at convenience stores," Ostrowski said. "Now, at least, they have a healthier option."

Read more…