don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A study done in England suggests that a bit of "dumbing-down" may be just the thing to increase the effectiveness of wellness messages, including my own. Most wellness promoters are talking over the heads of the people who most need to hear self-management messages. If this is true, it suggests that I should stop using big words like "epic," compose much shorter sentences, mention a few celebrities and, most important of all, insert cartoons generously between all paragraphs.

Let me tell you about cartoons and wellness. At the University of Wales, clever researchers employed action-figure heroes into plots that required daredevil brave folk to overcome various evildoers, and in doing so made a point of conveying the idea that these superheroes derived their power from fruits and veggies. Check me if I'm mistaken on this, but didn't Popeye the Sailor Man use the same source, specifically, spinach? I hated that stuff, and still do, but I have eaten it daily since fourth grade in order to be strong like Popeye. Hey, these cartoons really work with the simple-minded people and, judging from the latest study, some little kids as well.

The cartoon research was discussed at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society in Blackpool recently. It seems that consumption of fruits and veggies increased dramatically after kids watched videos of "The Food Dudes!" These "dudes," like Popeye, gained the power to kick evildoer butt by eating fruits and veggies. The bad guys, by the way, were known as General Junk. Over 350 kids, in an age range from five to eleven, from disadvantaged, inner-city schools were given Food Dude badges and stickers when they consumed more of the good stuff, and this led to what one researcher claimed were significant changes in the children's behavior." Officials with the UK Department of Health were so impressed with the study data that they are implementing the cartoon wellness campaign on a national level. The study is taken seriously in the UK, where the incidence of children at clinically obese levels is as great as it is in the land of the free, the brave and the fat, namely, America.

How bad are dietary practices among children in the UK? According to the cartoon researchers, a poll done a year ago indicated that as many as sixty percent of eleven to sixteen-year-olds surveyed had not consumed ANY fruits or vegetables within the previous week. Bring on "The Food Dudes!"

The study design was interesting. The children were divided into two groups. All were given a portion of cooked vegetables and one piece of fruit with their midday meal. However, one group was exposed to the Food Dudes via a series of cartoon videos. As mentioned, the plot of the cartoons was that the Dudes did battle with and vanquished archenemy General Junk, thanks to good foods (fruits and vegetables.) Like circus performers, the tots got a small reward (a Food Dude sticker) each time they agreed to taste some fruit. Hey, for a Food Dude sticker, I'd eat more fruits and veggies, too. Wouldn't you?

Anyway, the kids exposed to the videos certainly ate more of the good stuff during this study and, more important, up to four months thereafter! After that, consumption of fruits and vegetables stayed higher than before, though it dropped a bit from initial increases. One investigator concluded: "It was a mark of achievement if we got the children to taste these items because repeated taste exposure leads to liking."

I might start adding cartoons to these "Don's Reports" to increase the effectiveness of the message. I'm sure the Food Dudes would support personal responsibility, stress management, critical thinking, humor and play, the quest for added meaning and purpose and all the other skill sets that are a part of wellness lifestyle.

Be well, look after yourself and always look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of nutrition. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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