Former Surgeon General Campaigns For Obese
In response to recent studies that show most doctors don't advise their patients on weight problems because they don't know how, C. Everett Koop's privately funded agency named after himself has spent $3 million sending educational documents to hundreds of thousands of doctors.
The campaign was launched in response to a 1996 Indiana University study showing that most doctors don't advise their patients on weight problems because they don't know quite what to do. The Washington, D.C., agency sent 100,000 brochures last month. Topics include: how to best to identify obese patients and help patients deal with weight problems successfully.
Koop said that if he had stayed in office as U.S. surgeon general for a third term after 1989, he would have used his position to launch the same kind of national attack on obesity that he did on tobacco in the 1980s.
"There's a lot more the federal and state governments should be doing," he said, icluding the kind of educational effort being mounted by Shape Up, America!, a private non-profit organization. (C.Everett Koop Foundation, 202/675-8900)
Harvard Eating Disorders Clinic Recognizes Aveda
Eating disorders and the role media plays in affecting these diseases was the topic of a public forum at Harvard University, Boston, Mass., last week.
As the only corporate participant in this National Eating Disorders Awareness Week event, Aveda, a hair products manufacturer was recognized for the positive messages in its advertisements. Other participants included hospitals and women's health organizations.
According to the Harvard Eating Disorders Center, the industry standard of using photos of young, tall and thin models sends the wrong message.
Those body types are impossible goals for 90 percent of women. During 1996, Aveda's national advertising campaign featured plant and product images in advertisements, focusing on the pure plant ingredients of the products versus the aesthetic result for consumers. The Harvard Eating Disorders Center is a national non-profit health organization dedicated to research and education. (Aveda, 212-367-0322)
Swedish Hospitals Try Their Hand In Telephone Ads
Healthcare marketers in Sweden are the first to line up for advertising on a new free long-distance telephone service.
Callers have to listen to 10-second commercials before talking, after one minute of conversation and, every three minutes thereafter.
The genius of Gratistelefon (that's the Swedish firm's name) is to offer advertising in exchange for a service that people want, and to really integrate it into customers' lives.
Healthcare providers there have taken an interest: hospitals and clinics have been the first ones to line up for ad space. There are rumors that such a service may start up in the U.S. But marketers tread carefully -- constantly interrupting the conversations of potential customers could be "the worst possible presentation" for an advertiser, say analysts.
Scholastic and Lung Assoc. Launch "Proud To Be Smoke Free" Awareness Campaign
Childrens' Publisher Scholastic and the American Lung Association this week launched their joint "Proud To Be Smoke Free" awareness campaign, which uses the popular Berenstain Bear Scout characters to promote a smoke-free environment for children ages 7-10. One of the largest smoke-free initiatives to specifically target America's youngest readers, the "Proud to be Smoke Free" campaign begins with the February publication of Stan and Jan Berenstain's "The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Sinister Smoke Ring" books. "The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Sinister Smoke Ring" books, each of which is packaged with a "Proud to be Smoke Free" button for kids to wear, are reaching stores this week. Additionally, more than 2,000 "Proud to be Smoke Free" activity kits have been distributed to bookstores and local American Lung Association affiliate offices across the country.
These activity kits, which were jointly produced by Scholastic and the American Lung Association, contain word games, role playing scenarios and drawing activities designed around the theme "Proud to be Smoke Free," as well as honorary scout badges and troop meeting invitations.
(Scholastic Inc., 212-343-4488; American Lung Association, 212-315-6473)
NCQA Issues Simpler Report Cards
To help simplify patient satisfaction report cards, the National Committee For Quality Assurance recently conducted focus groups as part of its Consumer Information Project. The organization put together 16 suggestions for organizations creating their own report cards to make it easier for consumers to understand and absorb the data.
The suggestions include avoiding technical jargon, placing only one or two related measures on each report card page, and considering different report cards for different consumer markets.
The NCQA is working on a prototype report card based on information gleaned from the focus groups. The report card will be introduced to Minnesota state employees and employees of 3M by the fall of 1996 so it can be used in their open enrollment decisions.
(NCQA, 800/790-6788)