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Los Angeles Collaborative Meeting Overview of Youth Activism Against Obesity. March 26, 2009. Youth Activism Against Obesity (YAAO). South LA & Baldwin Park. This project was made possible by a grant from the Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund.
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Los Angeles Collaborative MeetingOverview of Youth Activism Against Obesity March 26, 2009
Youth Activism Against Obesity(YAAO) South LA & Baldwin Park This project was made possible by a grant from the Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund. Created as a result of an antitrust class action, one of the purposes of the Fund is to improve the health and nutrition of California Consumers.
YAAO Goals P: Increase middle school and HS students’ awareness of the health risks of consuming fast food & soda and promote health food choices and PA. S: Increase student’s involvement in food policy advocacy in school, in the community & the online community • Methodology: • Evidenced-based marketing strategies • Social marketing utilizing Internet social networks • Peer leadership • Engaging youth as problem solvers • Strong focus on a Youth Participatory Model
YAAO’s Marketing Objective Social Change Activism Advocacy Personal Change Awakening Education Apathy
What we know about the target • Limited grasp of valid nutritional, health and exercise knowledge • Deceptive marketing/advertising creates anger but they don’t go beyond it • Willingness to get behind cause considered worthy • Advice from adults is NOT cool • Would eat less FF if that made them more attractive • Digital natives, social networkers and natural born texters • Some are natural leaders, others followers – must target both
Media Usage (Oct 2008) • 74% (ages 8-18) live in a home with Internet • 60% have access to IM • ~ 6 hrs/d (ages 8-18) using media (>1/time) • ’99-04 (alt) youth reported using C/I for recreation increased from 27 62 min daily & • Internet surfing from 714 min. daily RWJ: Food and Beverage Marketing to Children & Adolescents: What Changes are Needed to Promote Healthy Eating Habits? October, 2008
Connected Teens Text messaging doubled 2 to 4.7 billion messages sent (2003 – 2004) 66% of 13 – 24 yr olds routinely text message (2008) 3:4 (ages 15-17) 40% (ages 12-14) Carry their own cell phone Center for Science in the Public Interest and RWJ Research 2008
You Tube.com 70-100M clips viewed daily 65K uploaded daily My Space.com 124 million profiles posted in 2.5 years mid-2006 attracted 230K new users/d Global Village facebook.com 8/6/2006 – 100 millionth account 9/8/2006 – 106 millionth account
Training topics • Nutrition and healthy eating • Physical activity • Youth as Change Agents • The Photovoice Project • Media Literacy • Social Marketing • Working with Celebrities • Website Creation / Management • Website Messaging • Web Video Production
The teen approach • Early Adolescents • More receptive to adults • Rely on adults for direction • “Just say no!” works • Middle to Late adolescents • More concerned with physical appearance • Less receptive to authority • Look to differentiate themselves • Do not like to be told what to do Newberger, E (1999). The Men They Will Become. Perseus Publishing.
What have we learned so far? • As students get older, they get less encouragement to conduct PA from their parents • 18% surveyed said that they often do physical activity with their friends. • 9th graders usually tend to overestimate their weights compared to 10, 11, 12 graders • ~60% non-youth leaders (NYL) eat fast food 1-2/week • ~20% NYL report eating fresh fruit every day • ~26% NYL report eating vegetables every day • ~45% NYL report eat home cooked meals every day
Best practice: truthR campaign • Evidenced-based research • National youth-focused anti-tobacco education campaign • Empower teens to make informed decisions • Blame placed on the industry, not the youth
Ning What is it? • Platform for creating Social Networks • Offers the latest social networking features • Powers the largest number of social networks on the Internet
Social Media Campaign Flow Viral Video User-driven social content Web sites Social Networks Viral Videos Traffic / Links Traffic / Links Involvement YAAO Web site & Social Network Viral Articles Traffic / Links
Creating Opportunities • Youth collaboration and network with four remaining HEAC sites in CA • Youth collaboration with network and non-network funded agencies sharing same goals • Youth become content creators • Youth find their advocacy voice • Peer to peer mentoring • Empower youth to take responsibility, speak up, raise awareness, organize, and drive real change in their communities