Policy change in your household. Top down versus bottom up.

I was inspired by conversations I have seen in academic spaces I belong to about where “responsibility” lies in health change. 

Does it lie with the individual (bottom up) or with the government (top down)? 

As I was listening to this conversation happen, it made me think about how our health solutions for people are often bottom up, versus top down in their own household. 

We ask people to eat spaghetti squash while their family eats something better. 

We ask people to exercise at the end of the day after everyone else's needs are met. 

We have normalized “finding 5 minutes to yourself” after a full day of giving, rather than starting the day with yourself in mind. 

At a government policy level we know that placing the responsibility of health change on the individual isn’t effective. Individuals can’t thrive when their environment sets them up for failure. 

And yet, that’s exactly what we ask you to do. 

Fortunately, you’re the Queen, President and Prime Minister of your household. 

Even if you are co-President, you likely have more of a say over the policies in your mini-world than you’ve taken responsibility for. Today we’re asking you to take radical responsibility for creating effective policy in your own household. 

You are the Queen, and you are a citizen. If we rely on you-the-citizen to avoid salt and vinegar chips while your entire family eats them in front of you - we get nowhere. 

If you-the-Queen sets better policies for everyone in your kingdom (yourself included) you might stand a chance at health change. 

 

Enjoy.