The anti-smoking lobbyists (of which the Heart Foundation is one) have pulled no punches with their messaging in recent years. The images we see on TV and in print are confronting and so are those on the product packaging itself. And despite early concerns that ugly imagery would do little to reduce smoking rates, frequent exposure to such campaigns has been shown to trigger quitting attempts, of which a significant proportion are successful.

The LiveLighter campaign was developed based on the learnings of decades of anti-tobacco drives. While not as horrendous as some of the footage we see in ‘quit’ campaigns, the LiveLighter ads nevertheless aren’t pretty. One shows us endoscope footage of a moderately-overweight man’s intestines bathed in horrid yellow fat – fat that we now know can release harmful hormones and toxins that can cause heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Another clip shows a middle-aged man grabbing his bare gut with both hands, which, if you can do it, is a sign you may be accumulating this toxic abdominal fat. 

LiveLighter ads can be construed as graphic and confronting, but evidence suggests that is one of the most effective ways to deliver a public education campaign. It tells us that showing people the harms to their health associated with carrying excess weight, being inactive and not eating well will likely get the greatest response. This means greater potential for people to see their health as important enough to make positive and sustainable lifestyle choices. 

Against us is the fact that, unlike smoking rates, the proportion of people who are overweight or obese is going up, not down. In Tasmania, two-thirds of us are in that category. To make matters worse, one in three overweight and obese people are under the impression they are within the healthy weight range – which perhaps is not surprising given the prevalence of the condition.

People need a supportive environment to make the changes we’re asking for. It’s not fair to expect them to watch their meal sizes when the norm is to up-size, or to sit less when technology is pushing us towards being sedentary. It’s hard to serve a good balance of food when the shops are filled with pre-packaged meals. Our environments have been built to support cars, not people. Being active is hardly encouraged. 

As with many things in prevention, there is no silver bullet that will make us eat healthier and be physically active. We need to do the long-term things that will make healthier choices easier. This means planning the places where we live, go to school, work and play so physical activity becomes part of our life and healthy food is easy to get. We also need to continually remind people to choose the healthier option whenever they can. This was one of the driving factors behind the LiveLighter website. 

The Heart Foundation will be persisting with our advocacy for greater investment into preventative health campaigns like LiveLighter, along with broader support for planning and delivering healthier environments in Tasmania.