A matter of life and death: Wallace and Gromit get animated about obesity crisis
December 29th 2009
The Change4Lifecampaign, the nation’s biggest-ever fitness drive, is to be launched tomorrow. A cartoon advert by Aardman Animations will be the centre piece of the £75m government marketing campaign, intended to make the public aware of the link between expanding waistlines and life-shortening disease.The strategy will also feature a rebranding of the London marathon and will involve supermarkets and food producers as well as voluntary groups and fitness clubs in an attempt to curb what ministers regard as a national crisis. The Sun points out that there will be an X-Factor-style TV show to help families exercise. The campaign aims to reduce the 9,000 premature deaths a year attributed to obesity.
Aardman Animations have produced TV adverts highlighting the dangers of fat in children’s bodies and urge parents to make their children more active. The Telegraph says the adverts do not mention obesity but are tied to initiatives involving companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestle and the Fitness Industry Association. The leaflets that accompany the TV adverts also do not use the word obesity but instead advise that 9 in 10 of today’s children could grow up to have “dangerous levels of fat in their body”. The government says there is an urgent need to reach many families who do not realise that their lifestyle and diet are putting their children’s health at risk. Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, said: “The research we undertook for this campaign showed that only 6% of people understood the links between obesity, overweight and adverse health effects. Yet we know that without any intervention, 90% of children will be overweight by 2050 and at risk from coronary heart disease and diabetes.”
There is concern in some quarters about the involvement of supermarkets, soft drink and confectionary manufacturers in the campaign. Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum warned that junk food companies were donating millions to the campaign as a way of heading off the “regulation they fear”. Ministers said the companies’ credibility would be undermined if they used it to market unhealthy foods.
(Guardianp3; Telegraph p10; Sun p22; Independentp12)
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