B.
The risk of obesity in Tarrant County, Texas (TX), is a result of poor nutrition and inadequate physical exercise, as seen in the increased rates of obesity in the county.
B1.
The health inequities that contribute to the increase in obesity among adults are racial inequity and low socio-economic status. The population in the region has lower incomes and standards of living, live in poverty and cannot afford basic needs ("One Quarter of Tarrant County Residents Can’t Afford Basic Needs", 2019). Thus, they cannot afford nutritional meals and enough space and time for physical activities. Poor or inadequate diets and exercise put the residents at higher and increased risk of being overweight and obese. Individuals from minority races have difficulty accessing healthy meals.
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B1.a
Various community resources have been put in place to address the issue of obesity. Some of them include gyms and fitness centers, easily accessible markets selling nutritious meals, parks, and walking and exercise parks for the public. Primary prevention resources include obesity education and awareness programs, nutrition and physical activity lessons, physical activity classes and events, family meals, and educating the public about healthy eating habits and obesity prevention (Dart, Frable & Bradley, 2008). The community can restrict advertisements of unhealthy meals containing higher sugar levels.
B1.b
The primary causes of obesity are unhealthy foods and lack of physical exercises. Some activities that promote unhealthy eating are food addiction, aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, and consuming meals and drinks with too much calories. Having a sedentary lifestyle and lacking or having minimal exercises also lead to obesity (Williams et al., 2015). Finally, individuals with inadequate knowledge on obesity prevention are at higher risk of becoming obese.
2.
Studies have focused on identifying some strategies that the community can take to engage adults in obesity prevention (Gadhoke et al., 2015; Redmond et al., 2019). In their study, Gadhoke et al., (2015) sought to learn about women caregivers’ perceptions and coping strategies employed to enhance food and physical activity habits of households. The researchers used qualitative methodology to collect and analyze data. The results showed that local institutional support and ‘family connectedness’ are essential facilitators of improving food and physical activity habits. Some coping strategies that women had were maximizing apportioning, planning ahead, social support, and eating healthy. Thus, there is a need to consider implementing interventions addressing obesity which target a participating community. The interventions should address culturally relevant messages, institutional policies, and programs.
Minority races are also at a higher risk of obesity in the United States. In their article, Redmond et al. (2019) sought to explain how OPREVENT (Obesity Prevention and Evaluation of InterVention Effectiveness in Native North Americans) is designed, implemented, and evaluated. The intervention in the research was implementing OPREVENT in five rural communities. The purpose of the program was to change the food-purchasing environment, improve diet, and boost physical activity (PA) among the selected population. The OPREVENT intervention was implemented in community food stores, worksites, schools, and media for more than one year. The results of the study showed that OPREVENT was effective in encouraging the communities to buy healthy food, increase physical activity, and improve their diet. Thus, there is a need to design and implement a program that focuses on the culture of a population in reducing obesity. Such programs should involve key stakeholders in the community.
B2a.
Texas is among the states with the highest adult obesity rate in the United States. Currently, the rate of obesity in the state is at 34.8%, up from 21.7% in 2000 ("State Briefs", 2019). 66% of Adults in Tarrant County are either overweight or obese (Tarrant County Public Health, 2016). Thus, the high and increasing rate of obesity requires a social media campaign to promote prevention strategies of the health issue.
C1.
The objective of the social media campaign will be to increase awareness on the issue of obesity by addressing its causes or risk factors, impacts of the health problem, and prevention strategies. Increased awareness in the community about obesity will enable the audience to take preventive measures and steps to address this health concern. In the end, the social media campaign will be beneficial in improving the health of the adult population by lowering the rates of obesity.
C2.
One population-focused social marketing intervention is to use YouTube to educate the community about obesity. YouTube is used as a health literacy tool (Meng, Bissell & Pan, 2015). A partnership will be formed with technology experts to create YouTube videos that teach about the prevention of obesity. Some of the issues to address in the videos will be the importance of physical activities and healthy eating. The audience will learn the different types of exercises that they can participate in to ensure they keep fit and stay healthy. In the end, individuals will choose the physical activities that favor them and their schedules. Other videos will focus on discussing the types of meals with healthy nutrients, the ways to prepare such foods, and the importance of having a balanced diet. Individuals will get to learn new recipes for healthy and nutritious meals and will be able to enjoy foods that do not cause health concerns. Therefore, YouTube is an essential marketing platform used in advertising because it attracts adults.
Another population-focused social media marketing intervention is Facebook. A Facebook page will be created to focus on talking about the causes, risks, and prevention of obesity. The users or followers will be free to ask any questions about obesity, and this will increase their knowledge about the health problem. Through the Facebook page, there will be discussions about the side effects of unhealthy foods and how obesity can lead to chronic illnesses. Followers will also be motivated to change their food purchasing patterns to ensure they buy healthy food. Individuals will discuss and review recipes of meals that have nutritious benefits. In the end, Facebook will be effective because the platform will increase awareness about obesity and motivate people to change their lifestyles and live a healthy life.
C3.
Facebook will be an appropriate social media platform for communicating with the target adult population because most of them use this media. Facebook is well-known and commonly used among adult populations in Tarrant County. A Facebook page created will be used to give regular updates to followers about the health issue of obesity. The followers will also get a chance to be involved in the discussions through comments and asking questions. The knowledge that will be shared with the population will increase awareness on the issue and lead to the attainment of the set objectives of the campaign.
C3a.
Facebook will be beneficial in promoting a healthy lifestyle among the adult population of Tarrant County. First, the platform will help in reaching a wide range of audiences without incurring significant expenses. A majority of the adult population can access Facebook at their convenience and use it as a primary medium of communication. The wide range of use will help in educating the public about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle through involvement in physical activities and eating healthy meals. The platform will also allow individuals and the educator to share articles, videos, photos, pictures, and other resources about preventive measures of obesity. Thus, the wide reachability of Facebook is beneficial in educating the public about the prevention of obesity.
C4.
The target population will benefit from the health message because the information contained on the Facebook page will create a sense of community among adults. Studies have shown that adults and adolescents are more likely to incorporate a program that their peers recommend (Albritton, Huffman & McClellan, 2017). Peer pressure resulting from discussions on the created Facebook page will motivate the adult population in Tarrant County to consider obesity preventive measures like physical activities and healthy meals. For instance, individuals can share their healthy meals or shopping patterns, and this will motivate others to try the same. The medium is also convenient and flexible, thus allowing followers to access information beneficial to their lifestyle. The topics discussed will create awareness of the health concern, allowing individuals to understand several aspects of obesity. In the end, the health message on the Facebook platform will encourage the target population to change their lifestyles to purchasing and eating healthy meals and being involved in physical activities.
D.
The effectiveness of a social media campaign in healthcare depends on three essential elements. The key features include the ability of the campaign to define the target population, its consistency, and level of engagement and interaction (Cheng, Kotler & Lee, 2011). First, the use of Facebook as a social marketing tool is effective because it reaches the adult population in Tarrant County. Most adults in the region consider the use. Secondly, the campaign needs to be consistent in reaching the target population. The information provided on the platform should be sufficient and accurate to prevent obesity in Tarrant County, Texas. The Facebook page will offer guidelines aimed at supporting individuals to participate in physical activities and transform their lifestyles to purchase and eat healthy meals. Information will also be presented in multiple formats and contexts to promote readability and access to the topic. The platform will also encourage active participation and inclusion of the public as well as partners. In the end, Facebook will be effective in reaching a wide audience of adults in Tarrant County.
E1.
The primary stakeholders in the social media campaign include local healthcare facilities, public health nurses, community nutritionists, and owners of local and grocery stores in Tarrant County. The public health nurses will be responsible for ensuring that the social media marketing information provided is accurate, reliable, and beneficial. They will make sure that the details provided about the topic of obesity create awareness and drive people to change their lifestyles. Given that followers can comment on the posts on the Facebook page, public health nurses will point out the elements that should be approved and which to ignore. Community nutritionists will offer accurate information and details about healthy foods, how to preserve nutrients, and the amount of intake that individuals should consume. The community nutritionists will also write and review articles and other content for the Facebook page and motivate the adult population to choose healthy and nutritious meals. Local healthcare facilities will promote the social media campaign to ensure that they address the issue of obesity that has been associated with other chronic diseases. The facilities will promote the social media platforms and ensure that the larger community is aware of their existence. Local healthcare facilities will inform patients about the campaigns through patient education. Owners of local groceries and stores can use the campaign to promote the healthy foods that they sell.
E2.
Public partnerships with local healthcare providers like physicians and hospitals will be essential for the social media campaign. These will provide useful input that will be used in educating the adult population about obesity prevention and facts. Healthcare providers will also provide funding and referrals to the campaign and increase its popularity and reach. Another essential partnership to consider is with local groceries and stores who will provide the necessary images used in the social media websites. They will also refer their clients to check out the platforms and access information on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. A partnership with exercise and fitness centers and with the county will also be beneficial to the campaign. They will offer posters to the public and use their social media sites as well to advertise the campaign. A private partnership would be with an experienced technology expert who will create and edit content videos for the social media campaign. The technologist will also work towards ensuring that the platforms are safe and secure from any possible attacks on the information system. Another private partnership would be with a digital marketing firm or individual who will promote the Facebook page. The mentioned partnerships will be beneficial in promoting a healthy lifestyle that helps in the prevention of obesity in Tarrant County.
E3.
The implementation of the campaign will take approximately two months. The first step would be to create a Facebook page and YouTube channel. Next is to start negotiations with potential partners to determine those who will assist in the success of the program. The negotiation phase will take approximately three to five weeks. At the same time, there will be a promotion of the social media platforms to ensure that the purpose of the campaign is well communicated. The next step is to get the minimum followers to ensure that the page is active and content is posted, and the process will take approximately three to four weeks. Followers will be encouraged to share information about the campaign widely to ensure that more consumers become aware of its existence. Promoting the page will be continuous as the campaign of obesity awareness and prevention continues to grow and spread.
E4.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the social media campaign will be beneficial in assessing its success in addressing obesity. First, the comments and feedbacks from followers will be assessed weekly to evaluate the effectiveness posts. More positive reviews and feedback will indicate that the information offered successful and applicable. Another way to evaluate the effectiveness of the social media campaign will be to administer questionnaires every three months and encourage people to fill them. The participants will provide information about the extent to which information has benefited them in reducing the levels of obesity.
E5.
Costs for interviewing potential partnerships will be incurred during the campaign. The expenses will include those for traveling, meals, and printing contracts. Other costs incurred will be during the promotion of the campaign and in compensating partners. Managing the social media platforms and ensuring that they become popular will involve money and time. Any stakeholders involved in the campaign will also require compensation.
F.
Social media has been beneficial in supporting the community health nurse’s efforts in promoting healthier populations. Healthcare organizations have incorporated the use of social media in their policies to ensure they promote safer, quicker, and quality care. Social media is beneficial because nurses get to access a wide range of audiences at any time and in different geographical locations. Large health organizations like the World Health Organization have and run social media sites, namely Twitter and Facebook, and these are used in informing the public about health issues such as outbreaks and disasters. Thus, the campaign will be less costly and effective in reaching a larger adult population and sharing facts and prevention strategies to apply in reducing obesity.
F1.
Social media campaigns will be useful in managing and promoting health issues among youths in the future. I will be able to use the platforms to educate the public about the risks and prevention strategies of various health concerns. The campaign has been helpful in understanding some ways to engage with stakeholders and identifying the appropriate target population. In the end, I have been able to know how to determine best practices of social media use in health marketing, develop budgets, timelines, and evaluation or assessment plans.
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