There it is, that box in the corner — beaming at us. The television, some would have it, is the cause of all our ills — soaking up our good intentions and transforming us into bovine couch slouches. Some would tell another story: about the way TV can educate us, help us to help ourselves to better health.
Foremost among the latter is the BBC which, with one eye on its statutory public service obligations, is about to launch its biggest push to counter the obesity epidemic. Fat Nation, on air on September 9, will follow the progress of the overweight residents of a Birmingham street over two years as, with the help of a nutritionist, a psychologist and a fitness expert, they tackle a range of weight- related issues. The idea is that communities across the country will be inspired by their activities, according to Liz Cleaver, the controller of BBC Learning.
A core group of residents will be issued with challenges, which the nation will be invited to join in: a “fridge laundry” will encourage people to replace unhealthy food with healthy, “Get fruity” will issue a five-portions a day challenge, and online shopping lists will transform weekly shops into healthier alternatives. The street will also lead an initiative to get everyone dancing.
The BBC will be using every avenue at its disposal to spread the message. Alongside a book of the series, there will be roadshows, interactive programmes, support packs (including pedometers and tape measures), internet resources which allow people to gauge their progress and compare it with others, text messaging reminding people about the tasks they agreed to.
Part makeover, part reality TV and part soap opera, there has never been such an ambitious television campaign. But the Beeb isn’t the only one determined to play the television good guy in the war against fat. McDonald’s has ostentatiously donned the white hat with the launch of two-minute health-education films in place of its usual hard-sell advertisements. Even computer game manufacturers are making a case for the keep-fit credentials of the small screen (turn the page to find out more). Is it all PR, or does it help? Having made us pile on the pounds, can television be redeemed?
Advertisement
It’s not easy to make a good case for TV on research evidence. A study of more than 68,000 women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year found that television was far worse for your health than other sedentary behaviours such as reading or sitting working at a desk — mainly because of its strong associations with eating.
The researchers, from the Harvard School of Public Health, found that watching two hours of TV a day increased the risk of becoming obese by 23 per cent and of developing diabetes by 14 per cent. The research isn’t clear on the extent to which slumping in front of the television is a symptom of sedentary lifestyles — or a cause. But health behaviour experts are convinced that at best it reinforces inactivity. Which suggests that we ‘d be better switching off Fat Nation for its initial nine-week run and spending the time with a good book, if not running round the block.
Dr Darrin Hodgetts, an expert on the relationship between television and society from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, has defended television on the grounds that it helps bind society together. But he is sceptical about its role in countering an obesity epidemic it helped to cause. “An education campaign is unlikely to be successful because obesity is linked to poverty and is not simply a lifestyle choice. Most people know that some foods are bad for them and some are good for them. There is little point in telling them this again.”
But the picture isn’t a simple one. The BBC has been here before — in 1999 it ran a Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit campaign, with a series of television programmes accompanied by an information booklet and personal planners. If it had been a failure, then its latest campaign would look feebly grounded. But research carried out by the British Heart Foundation suggested that half of those who took an interest in the programme, and were prepared to return questionnaires, said they had lost weight by the end of the series. The big question, of course, is whether it had any impact at all on those who didn’t return questionnaires.
“There are evaluations that show television can help people change their behaviour, and equally some that fail to demonstrate any effect,” says Professor Sonia Livingstone, from the Department of Social Psychology and Media at the London School of Economics. “But the effect is likely to be small. There will always be some people who will use it as a trigger for change — and that has to be a good thing. But it’s unlikely it’s going to help the nation turn the corner. It’s extremely hard to change embedded behaviour about food and exercise.”
Advertisement
The key problem with television, she says, is that any positive educational messages are undercut by subliminal messages in the rest of its content. Think about it. Every day, viewers absorb soap operas reflecting sedentary pub-centred lifestyles, adverts showing wholesome families enjoying fatty processed foods, and celebrity chefs urging us to treat ourselves with a lovely bit of butter/chocolate/cream. For all its aspirations, the general experience of television is always in danger of reinforcing unhealthy lifestyles as the norm.
But that’s where Fat Nation is different, argues the BBC. “This is the first of a new breed of campaign,” Cleaver says. “We did a lot of research into how you can inspire people to act, rather than just sit back. We found that relationships and social networks are key — people are more likely to do something if their friends are doing it too. That’s why we’re trying to create a sense of community and shared purpose.”
Importantly, Fat Nation themes will permeate BBC national and local programming — even children’s television. The idea is that the campaign will mushroom over two years, bringing in new partners, taking on a life of its own.
Professor Jane Wardle, director of the health behaviour unit at University College London and an adviser on Fat Nation, believes that we should, for the time being at least, give television the benefit of the doubt.
“What data we have suggests that viewers think through a lot of what they see on television very carefully and discuss it intelligently with others,” she says. “My view is that it has terrific potential to inform, motivate and teach. How much it will achieve in the end depends on the overall balance of material on television.”
Advertisement
Fat Nation starts on BBC One at 9pm on September 9
A THUMBS-DOWN FROM THE CRITICS, A CHEER FROM THE PARTICIPANTS
Advertisement
What happens when TV health education becomes entertainment? You Are What You Eat, Channel 4’s hit obesity makeover series, went too far, according to Professor Jane Wardle, of University College London. She says the series was driven by a need to entertain and provided unsound dietary advice.
Over eight episodes, You Are What You Eat tore to pieces the eating habits of eight individuals and couples, analysed the physical effects their diet was having on them, and put them on a strict new eating regime. The series’ credibility received a blow this week with the credentials of its central diet guru, Gillian McKeith (see Behind The Label), being questioned, and the scientific basis of her diagnosis and advice being demolished in national newspaper articles.
For all that, the series has made a huge impact. It drew 3.8 million viewers per show — 17.5 per cent of the total TV audience, a new series has been commissioned, and McKeith’s book accompanying the series is top of the UK bestsellers list. What’s more, those it made-over are still feeling the benefits six weeks after McKeith left them to their own devices. “By cutting out the processed food, I’ve got so much energy back, ” says Dean Mills. He started at 24st and was 21st by the end of the show. Six weeks later he has lost a further stone.