Change4Life is a public health program, started in 2009 by the British Department of Health to promote public health and address issues of public obesity (DOH, 2009). It is, in essence, a social media organization centered around a marketing strategy meant to make eating healthy and living active lifestyles attractive for others (DOH, 2009). The target audience is British citizens of all ages, primarily children and adults of lower- to middle-class backgrounds, in order to improve dietary and exercise habits (Glasper, 2010). Particular focus is placed on pregnant women, families with young children, families at risk of weight gain and ethnic minority communities (DOH, 2009). Change4 Life works and operates by using integrated marketing to send out advertisements and information across a variety of marketing platforms – television, digital advertising, ads and billboards, social media and other public relations avenues (Boseley, 2009). The organization also forms partnerships with large food companies, as well as non-government organizations, to link their branding with others (DOH, 2009). Change4Life costs nothing for ordinary people to join, as it is merely a marketing initiative meant to convey messages through these advertisements; its partnerships include restaurants and other companies that encourage healthy eating, provide recipes and exercise tips to help ordinary citizens start the path to health (DOH, 2009).
Change4Life was developed by the British Department of Health in 2009, and takes place throughout the whole of England (DOH, 2009). This organization is needed because of the long-standing issues in England with childhood and adult obesity; according to their data, “around one-third of children and two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese” (DOH 2009, p. 5). Forbes has ranked the United Kingdom the 28th fattest country in the world, thus contributing to its perception as a nation with an obesity problem (Streib, 2007). This has been attributed to various causes, namely the rise in sedentary lifestyles and behavior, as well as the accessibility and affordability of unhealthy fast food (BBC Health, 2012). The government has a vested interest in Change4Life’s goal, as its purpose is to improve the overall health of its citizens, thus giving them a better quality of life and providing less of a strain on the public health system (DOH, 2009). Since its inception, Change4Life has seen a tremendous amount of success, despite certain setbacks (Mitchell, 2009). In its first year, Change4Life claims it managed to meet all of its goals in establishing awareness, reach, brand recognition, response and sign-up, if not exceed them (DOH, 2010). The Change4Life campaign even demonstrated the ability to change behaviors; a tracking study they conducted demonstrated many claimed to start changing lifestyle behaviors toward more productive ones almost immediately after seeing Change4Life advertising (DOH, 2010). However, despite its efforts, obesity statistics are still on the rise in England – only 34% of men and 39% of women in 2011 had a healthy BMI (body mass index), an increase from the past several years, even after Change4Life began (HSCIC, 2013). Furthermore, Change4Life interventions such as retail store initiatives to include more fresh fruits and vegetables have been left with little long-term effects on the consumption of healthier foods by consumers (Adams et al., 2012). Ideally, the policies will have long-lasting effects on eating and lifestyle behaviors in British citizens, but the data simply is not there at this moment (DOH, 2010).
There are ways in which Change4Life could be improved, which involve addressing much of the criticisms that have been levied against it. According to some, the Change4Life campaign is controversial because of some of its vendor and third-party partnerships; a voucher program made with companies like Weight Watchers and JJB Sports has taken flak for making it more expensive for people to collect the vouchers and use them for groceries than it would be to just buy groceries normally (Smithers, 2011). This does not provide adequate value to consumers, and seems by many to exist as a cynical cash grab for companies who wish to market their products on the unsuspecting public (Smithers, 2011). Others object to the negative strategies used to convey the message of Change4Life – many of their advertisements include guilt and fear-based messages to attempt to shame people into making better choices (Mitchell, 2009). The messages about eating healthier are said to be too simplistic and overreaching to have true effects on British citizens; simply telling people to eat better without giving them the mechanisms to do so does not actually help the problem, but further entrenches attitudes about health that are dangerous (Piggin & Lee, 2011). Another issue levied against Change4Life is their arguably unhealthy menu, which often includes ingredients full of processed elements (such as cheese packets for cauliflower cheese recipes (Higginson, 2012). By actually providing these unhealthy recipes through their menu, nutritionists argue that they are sending mixed signals about what actually constitutes a healthy meal (Higginson, 2012).
There are ways to address these three issues with Change4Life, which involve a combination of positive messaging, public advertising and healthier meal choices. Persuasive communication requires active engagement with the audience to facilitate needed change, rather than making people more aware of the issue at hand (Mitchell, 2009). To that end, advertising should focus less on negative, guilt-ridden messaging and encouraging positive relationships between clients and the Change4Life program, as well as with positive lifestyle changes (Lee, 2010). Nutritionists should be consulted more comprehensively in order to create affordable, sustainable and healthy menus for participants in the program; this will allow more healthy habits to be established and maintained (Hackett, 2012). Furthermore, more cost-effective partnership programs should be implemented with third parties, or excised altogether – this can increase public perception and approval of the program, and make it seem less like corporate intervention in individuals’ lives (Lang and Raymer, 2010).
In conclusion, Change4Life is a program with a good head start and very practical, sensible goals – to increase awareness and facilitate change in British lifestyle habits (DOH, 2009). Its target audience is universal, but it focuses primarily on groups without the financial or socioeconomic means/desire to eat healthier – namely new parents who need education on proper infant nutrition and ethnic groups (DOH, 2009). Obesity rates continue to climb in Britain, thus demonstrating a lack of apparent progress in actually lowering obesity rates; that being said, Change4Life’s exposure is increasing, and its marketing efforts have been successful in establishing the brand (BBC Health 2012; DOH, 2010). There are many problems with Change4Life’s message, which could be improved – more nutritious meals should be advocated than the ones currently provided, a lesser emphasis on corporate partnerships should be made to limit public cynicism, and a more positive, encouraging approach should be taken in its messaging (Piggin & Lee, 2011).
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