>In a message dated 5/19/2004 9:17:19 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>I might change my mind if I had any evidence *whatsoever* from health
>promotion research that inducing or increasing guilt actually works
>as a public health strategy.
>XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>Loose lips sink ships - don't talk or you will kill our soldiers/sailors




><snip>


I don't think your examples are good ones, Nancy, sorry. They are
either not public health, or they are not successful. I don't know
how you can point to current anti-drugs campaigning which talks about
'frying the brain' as an example of success - drug abuse among young
people and others continues to rise, and it occurs quite
independently of attempts to frighten the users and would-be users.

Drink driving is another example -  I think you will find that 'don't
drink and drive' campaigns  work best alongside legislation and a
realistic prospect of being caught by the police who have powers to
test at the roadside - this is the marketing wisdom in the UK,
anyway. Similarly, our seat belt and car seat campaigns did not
succeed until they were supported by legislation.


>
>EVERY public health and social responsibility campaign is based on GUILT!


And if that's all they base it on, many of them will fail miserably
to make any lasting changes at all.

>The Ad Council and OWH did 36 focus groups.  The only think the diverse
>populations agreed on was that the risk-based approach opened their
>eyes and motivated
>them to breastfeed.


Of course you can motivate people to say they will breastfeed by
playing the guilt card.

You might even get a small number of the ones who say they will to
actually do it, and a rather smaller number of them will continue
beyond the first days.

However, without the structure to support and maintain breastfeeding,
any campaign which actually aims to increase guilt for not
breastfeeding in a deliberate way, is likely to increase the guilt of
the women who fail to breastfeed. ..and as  we see every day here,
personal guilt for this is misplaced.

I am in favour of telling people about the risks of formula feeding.
They need to know them. I am also in favour of telling them in a way
which is sensitive to the fact they may not actually choose to
breastfeed (for whatever reason) and if they do, they may not succeed
because of the poor support strustures they will meet.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, UK.

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