Obesity has become a global health problem which is growing at an unprecedented rate across the world. The changes which have taken place in our lifestyles over the years are one of the major reasons for this growing health problem. Our sedentary lifestyles and easy access to junk food which are high in calories have posed a high amount of risk to our health and this has increased the chances of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and other long term chronic diseases. This is the main reason behind selecting this topic as it will enable us to understand the health perceptions which exist among the general population and what measures could be undertaken in order to promote healthy living among the general population which would help in ensuring their health and well being (Gerber et al., 2009). The target market selected for the report is the overweight and obese individuals who are not conscious about their own health and are leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
Obesity is usually caused as a result of eating too much without any restrain and indulging in little or no physical activity. Whenever an individual consumes food that is high in calorie (fat and sugar content) and they are not in the habit of exercising regularly, the excess calorie gets accumulated within their bodies in the form of fat. Exercise and physical activity are the medium through which the excess fat accumulated in our bodies could be burned off and this enables an individual to maintain a healthy lifestyle by controlling their weight (Hawley et al., 2010). According to the National Health Survey carried out in Australia in 2005, there are 63% Australians who are overweight having a BMI of more than 25. 18% Australians are obese and they have a BMI of more than 30. The number of people who are overweight and obese has almost become double from the year 1995 when 30% of the adult population was overweight and 11% were obese.
Tackling obesity has become a major challenge for the Australian government with medical experts often referring to it as a political priority which would signify the overall effectiveness of the 21st century health policy which has been undertaken by the Australian government. The rise in the number of overweight and obese people is the lack of a quick-fix solution to this ever growing problem (ABC News, 2017). There are many interconnected drivers of obesity in Australia and any government policy in this regard would have its consequences (both positive and negative) on the stakeholders. The Australian government needs to incorporate stronger regulatory controls on the marketing, labelling and pricing of food products which are high in calorie content and this would help in controlling the sale of such foods which are rich in fat and sugar content. This would ensure a synergistic mix of population-level interventions which would help to ensure better health outcomes for the general population (Stevens et al., 2006).
The Australian Federal Government should prioritise the healthcare policies which would help in ensuring better health outcomes for the Australian people. The government should undertake promotional campaigns in the market which will help them to spread consumer awareness regarding the need for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The general population must be made aware of the long term health impacts that can arise out of maintaining an unhealthy and reckless lifestyle. The government must identify the population who are overweight and obese and educate them regarding the need for doing regular exercising and physical work and how it would help them to control their weight by staying in shape by burning the extra calories they consume in food (Baker et al., 2017).
The lack of awareness about their own health and well being is the main reason for the rising number of overweight and obese people in Australia. Overweight people must be encouraged to lead an active and healthy lifestyle which will enable them to control and reduce their weight in an effective manner (Stevens et al., 2006). They must be taught to maintain a balanced and healthy diet and how it would facilitate them in their weight loss and enable them to maintain their weight. The overweight people must be taught to cut down on their unhealthy food habits like consuming fast food which are high in fat and sugar content and this would play a vital role in helping them to maintain a healthy and fit life. All these factors would play a vital role in helping the overweight people to reduce their weight in an effective manner.
There are different consumer behaviour theories in relation to the marketing & these can be related to the health related issues. Two most important consumer behaviour theories are Theory of Reasoned Action & the motivational theory.
The motivational theory would play a vital role in helping the general population to realise the importance of weight loss. The Hertzberg’s Two factor theory would play a determining role in identifying the various factors which contributes towards satisfaction among the general population. This will help them to provide better inspiration to the general population so that they would be motivated enough to actively get involved with physical fitness programmes. This would eventually help the government to realise their main objective of promoting health consciousness among the public which would help them to lead a healthy and fit life.
Another important theory in this respect is the motivational theory proposed by Maslow. This theory is known as the theory of hierarchy of needs. This theory is based on needs of different levels which have to be fulfilled one by one. The basic level of needs is defined as the psychological needs (McLeod, 2007). These needs include basic amenities like the food, water & shelter. After fulfilling all these needs it is important to fulfil safety needs. Next levels of needs are known as the belongingness needs, esteem needs & finally the self actualisation needs. All these needs cannot be fulfilled simultaneously. In the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs initial four levels of needs are defined as the deficiency needs. On the other hand the need of the top level is known as the growth needs.
The motivational theory is also applicable in the marketing. In case of the health related issue like the weight loss & weight maintenance it is important to motivate customers in adopting different strategies related to the weight loss & the negative impact of the obesity. This motivation will help customers in changing his or her mind set. In case of obesity it is necessary to take food which contains lower amount of calorie. Beside this it is also important to include the exercise within the daily activity. These will help customers in taking right strategies in order to reduce obesity (Kaur, 2013). Motivation helps a customer in adopting the right kind of strategies which will assist them in improving their health by reducing weight. This will result in reduction of different diseases related to the obesity, like the diabetes & coronary heart disease.
There are various marketing strategies which could be utilised by the Australian government in order to promote health awareness among the general population and these would enable the Australian government to reduce the number of overweight and obese people in Australia. The marketing strategies which are most suitable in this cased have been discussed below:
The most effective strategy in promoting health awareness among the general population is increasing public awareness about the benefits of healthy living. This could be realised with the help of segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP). STP would play a very important role in helping the Australian government to identify the at-risk population who have a high chance of becoming overweight or obese due to their unhealthy eating habits combined with their aversion towards physical activities and exercising (Delbridge et al., 2009). The government will be able to spread awareness among the target population regarding the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and how it enables an individual to control their weight and stay in shape. The government will be able to make the overweight and obese people realise the long term health impacts which can occur as a result of being overweight and obese. The Maslow’s theory would play a significant role in helping the government to provide a renewed sense of motivation and zeal among the general population so that they would make a serious effort to take care of their health and well being. They will develop an inner urge and determination to reduce their weight and this will help them to maintain their health in a better manner.
The second strategy which could be utilised by the government is promoting health awareness through fitness clubs which are functioning throughout Australia. The health and fitness clubs should be encouraged to attract more customers by reducing the price of their monthly membership so that more and more people could take up gym membership in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle (Benedict & Arterburn, 2008). The government must provide free health check-ups to the general population which will enable them to understand the present condition of their health and this would encourage them to take care of their health by making informed decisions regarding their health and wellness. The government should also encourage the fitness clubs to open their business outlets in remote areas and this will play a vital role in providing comprehensive access to health and fitness clubs for each and every section of the population (Crammond et al., 2013). The motivational theory is applicable in this case. The health and fitness clubs have to motivate people by adopting different pricing & marketing strategies. It will result in reduction of weight of people & at the same time in maintaining the weight.
The third strategy which could be utilised by the Australian government is an effective collaboration between the private and the publicly owned healthcare establishments. This would play a very important role in enabling the health care establishments to reach to a large number of target consumers in the market (Shalitin et al., 2009). They will be able to undertake better promotional campaigns by collaborating their resources and make the people understand how maintaining one’s own weight can prove beneficial for the long haul and how it enables an individual to keep a lot of lifestyle health disorders at bay. They will be able to clearly explain the measures or steps through which people can lead a healthy life by keeping their weight in check. More and more people will cut down on their unhealthy food habits and they will take up exercising for keeping their weight in check (Gerber et al., 2009). The Maslow’s theory would help to provide a proper incentive to the general population to participate in health activities like exercise, yoga and meditation. Both the private and the public healthcare establishments would be able to spread awareness regarding the health benefits of weight loss and weight maintenance. Thus, more and more people will be willing to participate in weight loss and weight maintenance programs.
Recommendation and Conclusion
Health is one aspect which determines the overall growth and development of a country and thus it is extremely essential for the government to provide a lot of priority and importance in this sector. The proactive involvement of the Australian government would help in bringing down the number of obese and overweight people in Australia (Baker et al., 2017). It can be concluded that among different marketing strategies, marketing strategy 1 is most suitable in case of reducing obesity and to get rid of different diseases related to the obesity.
References
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