Voices for Healthy Kids: Marketing matters
In spite of progress in reducing childhood obesity, many aspects of children’s food and physical activity environments make it hard for kids to eat well and be active. Created as part of a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association, the Voices for Healthy Kids initiative works to improve those environments. Berkeley Media Studies Group led one of six teams to help the initiative achieve its vision.
Heading up the “Marketing Matters” team, BMSG guided the initiative on messaging and policy change strategies to protect children from marketing for unhealthy foods and beverages. We worked closely with our partners at the Center for Science in the Public Interest to monitor food and beverage industry progress; develop materials and model policies related to food and beverage marketing in schools, retail settings, and restaurant kids’ meals; develop effective messages on food marketing and help advocates deliver those messages; continue building a strong network of food marketing advocates; and provide ongoing technical assistance.
The initiative’s other teams focused on:
- improving the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages in schools;
- reducing consumption of sugary beverages;
- increasing access to affordable healthy foods;
- increasing access to parks, playgrounds, walking paths, bike lanes and other opportunities to be physically active; and
- helping youth-serving programs increase children’s physical activity levels.