It is a topic that has been discussed in four out of the five courses that I am taking this semester. No, I am not talking about the list of assignments we have been bombarded with on our first week back. I am merely referring to class discussions revolving around the Live Right Now campaign’s infamous reality TV show; Village on a Diet.
Perhaps it is the fact that we are Nutrition students and we feel compelled to discuss anything nutrition-related in the media, be it the horrors of the KFC Double Down sandwich to singing praises of the new Vitamin D DRIs. Or maybe, we are just feeling a sense of pride in seeing “No Name” branded ice-cream on a TV show (even if it is reality TV)!
Anyhow, regardless of the purpose behind these discussions, it compelled me to go onto the CBC’s Live Right Now website and watch an episode of Village on a Diet.
Needless to say I enjoyed it very much. It will fill any Nutrition student’s heart with joy if they were to watch hundreds of people striving to work towards a goal of a healthier lifestyle. The scene in which a Dietitian dumps out 3 packages of butter (6 cups!) from a family’s fridge, may even move some of us to tears of happiness.
However, after watching the show and listening to those class discussions, a question has been preoccupying my mind: Why is the TV show stirring such a controversy?
Let me explain my views on it. When reading the past week’s notes from class, I came upon a familiar diagram; The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. With the controversy fresh in my mind, I automatically started to compare the charter with the elements of the campaign and its TV show.
CBC’s Live Right Now campaign has made a great attempt at showing that all people can attain a healthy lifestyle. It establishes supportive environments while also helping to create strong community action. Not only does the campaign connect people in like situations, but it also provides them with access to appropriate tools for achieving their goals. The village welcomed a team of health professionals (Doctors, Dieticians, Psychologists, Personal Trainers ) who work with individuals in terms of tailoring the health information in a way that is more comprehendible and suitable for their specific needs. Furthermore, the campaign provided the villagers with a sense of belonging to a community of people participating in the same cause, which can be a huge factor of motivation.
Yes, even though this campaign may not be around forever and the team of health specialists may leave the village of Taylor, but have we not learnt that if health promotion messages make a lasting impact on even a small portion of the population which they were targeted to, the health promoter team has achieved its goals? Something is better than nothing! Also, let’s not also forget those class discussions last year in which we have agreed that conditioning children about good health behaviours can last them a lifetime.
So, what if the TV show producers have some sort of hidden agenda to mostly show the success of the villagers? It still shows the public that "everyone can do it".
Perhaps the may even be using the TV show as a big advertising ploy to direct the public to the Live Right Now campaign on CBC's website. What is the harm in that? I only saw benefits when I logged on to it.
Perhaps the may even be using the TV show as a big advertising ploy to direct the public to the Live Right Now campaign on CBC's website. What is the harm in that? I only saw benefits when I logged on to it.
Another point of controversy is that the show and the campaigns may be pinpointing the “wrong” ways that people are living and telling them to change their lifestyles to the “right” way. However, as health practitioners, won’t that be our job to do so in the future?
The people of Taylor signed up for it. They benefit because they are getting an ample amount of help in terms of their health goals. We as the viewers benefit because it contributes to our motivation and also helps us take away health education and ideas to accommodate proper diet and activity into our lifestyle. I see it as a win-win situation!
