231142 Most Disgusting Video of All Time? A City Health Department Launches a Stomach-Churning Video to Combat Obesity

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 5:20 PM - 5:25 PM

Sabira Taher, MPH , Health Media and Marketing, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Jeffrey Escoffier , Communications, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Background: The average American's daily energy intake has increased by nearly 300 calories since the 1970s, and this has contributed greatly to the recent obesity epidemic. Because many of these extra calories come from sugar-sweetened beverages, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) produced a hard-hitting video to motivate consumers to think twice about the long-term consequences of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. The :30 ad shows a man drinking a revolting glass of liquid fat. The ultimate goal was to stimulate conversation about what causes obesity and how to prevent it. A limited budget, as well as success in launching hard-hitting ads in the past inspired the NYC DOHMH to take an innovative approach to obesity prevention. In December 2009 the agency launched the attention grabbing video online and utilized social media to encourage dialogue and support for weight loss. Currently, the video has half a million page views online and 2,706 fans on its social networking page. The NYC DOHMH marketed the video through viral propagation and targeted ads.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the merits of hard-hitting ads for obesity prevention messages. 2. Compare the pros and cons of social media as a means to offer health advice. 3. Assess the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's overall marketing strategy for obesity prevention.

Keywords: Obesity, Video

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee the production of health education and media campaigns for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. My area of expertise is obesity prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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