I have to say I’m excited
about Michelle Obama’s initiatve, Let’s Move! and the new foundation, Partners
for a Healthier America. This is
great timing for BodiMojo, the online teen health destination we are building,
with help from a Small Business Innovative Research grant from the National
Institutes of Health. But
here’s the question: if the initiative is truly about developing “a strong network of members across the
business, government, academic, and nonprofit sectors who will commit to
accelerating efforts to address childhood obesity,” how does one actually get
in front of Michelle or her group???
We’ve got a terrific online program built with the help of teens and being testing by about 250 Massachusetts high schoolers: BodiMojo. We’ve got a story to tell and we need to get the word out as we launch later this spring. I’m writing this on my personal blog so I can be brazen about my calling on friends and colleagues to help me lead the way to be part of this important national initiative. Really, I can’t afford a lobbyist.
So why teens, you ask? Because they are the toughest and savviest group out there and they get short shrift on obesity prevention in lieu of the “risky” stuff, like sex and drugs. Most obesity prevention programs target youngsters/tweens and families, but really teens are a key group. (Brands and marketers know this: capture brand loyalty among teens and you have a customer for life.)
I hear it all time, “Teens don’t care about health!” I honestly wonder if these people actually talk to teens. Prevention messages may fall on deaf ears, but ask any teen if they care about their own health, and they’ll say yes. It’s just that they see it as part of who they are, not as some separate silo in their life they have to attend to – which is how grown-ups think (The life checklist: job, car, gym, kids, vacation, bills, etc.).
Here’s the thing: Teens are making their own decisions and solidifying health habits that will transfer to young adulthood. They want to fit in, personalize their stuff, create an identity, and be part of civic life. They have strong opinions – and for the most part – make pretty wise decisions in spite of brain blips here and there. They care deeply about what they look like and just about all of them have body image concerns. In my estimation, we need to re-position “obesity prevention.” It’s time to brand healthy decision making as part of style – your personal charm. You know… your “mojo.”
So, help me get to Michelle.
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