Student's childhood obesity ad strikes a chord

"L'obésité commence dès le plus jeune âge." Translation: "Obesity begins at a young age."

That's the message in this ad project from a Belgian design student, David Lesage. The ad gained viral traction in France when the L'Express newspaper mistook it for an ad released by the French Ministry of Health and ran it in the paper, according to a post on Adweek's AdFreak blog.

In an interview with AdFreak, Lesage said:

"I really like to work on social causes in general. I think obesity seemed to be an important subject nowadays, and it has interesting creative potential."

The ad is downright creative — and effective.

Source: Adweek

Health inspiration from @BillClinton, the Role Model-in-Chief

Former President Bill Clinton shows off his healthy lunch for AARP The Magazine. Photo source: AARP's website. Credit: Ben Baker.

Bill Clinton has traded his Commander-in-Chief title for Role Model-in-Chief. 

At least when it comes to health and diet.

A piece in AARP The Magazine penned by journalist Joe Conason ("My lunch with Bill," August/September 2013) outlines Clinton's vegan diet, which was in part responsible for his 30-pound weight loss. 

Clinton made the diet switch quickly after a 2010 heart incident that resulted in a pair of stents (he previously had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004).

It's a testament to his discipline that he pulled off a 180-degree pivot overnight — motivated not only by his own urge to live but by the goals he has set for his foundation.

The Clinton Foundation is tackling obesity in both children and adults through its Clinton Health Matters Initiative, which promotes evidence-based systems and changes in environment toward the goal of reducing preventable diseases.

While not everyone will adopt the full Clinton diet, there are some great tips for making small (and tasty!) changes that can positively impact your health (my wife's latest crusade is to make me a quinoa convert!).

Source: AARP The Magazine

Serving up some healthier food choices in Washington state

One size doesn't fit all when it comes to wellness programs.

So Premera Blue Cross in Washington state launched Serve It Up!, a web and mobile app service that helps members make healthier choices.

Neal Sofian, Premera's Director of Member Engagement, said at a recent mobile health conference in Boston (as reported in MobiHealthNews):

“Serve It Up! is saying we recognize how people operate. They are at the grocery store 200 times a year, so why not start where people are — at the grocery list? Which means it starts at the dining room table or the kitchen table when you’re making your weekly shopping list.”

The service allows users to create shopping lists and use an iPhone app to scan bar codes and get nutritional information. There are sponsored coupons for healthy items and recipes to help you figure out how to cook things like a 112-calorie coconut curry soup.

There's also some perks, too, for making those healthy choices. Serve It Up! awards points for making healthy choices that can lead to prizes  — even tickets to a Seattle Seahawks game! 

Patient engagement comes in many flavors — and, in this case, with some points for making healthy decisions.

Serve it Up! helps users shop smart and eat healthy -- helping you make smarter and healthier foods choices at the grocery store and at home. Try it: http://www.serveituphealthy.com

Source: MobiHealthNews