E65: Remember Your Why - Learning from the master of behaviour change - Stuart King
Feb 23, 2024
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The podcast delves into behavior change with Stuart King, exploring the influence of fast food advertising, external triggers like dogs, and negative environmental cues. It highlights the importance of wider health determinants and the resilience needed to overcome challenges. The discussion also includes insights on applying behavioral science in public health campaigns and utilizing videos to communicate health insights.
Healthy weight messaging should consider external triggers like frequent fast food advertising exposure.
Recognize and celebrate resilience in overcoming negative environmental triggers for behavior change in public health.
Deep dives
Importance of Behavioral Science in Public Health
Applying behavioral science in public health to bring practical solutions and evidence-based approaches into the field is crucial. The speaker highlighted a focus on utilizing behavioral science to drive behavioral change effectively in public health initiatives.
Challenges of Effective Communication in Public Health
The importance of effective communication in public health was underscored, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between research findings and practical application. The discussion highlighted the challenges of communicating insights and health information in an engaging and accessible manner to the public.
Empowering Communities for Change
Empowering communities and involving their voices in decision-making processes were identified as essential for driving impactful change. Building trust and fostering genuine collaboration with communities emerged as key factors in implementing successful public health initiatives.
The Role of Courage and Vision in Public Health Leadership
Courage and vision were emphasized as critical qualities for leaders in public health to effect lasting change. The discussion centered on the need for long-term investments in communities, shifting power dynamics, and embracing a whole-system approach to tackle complex health challenges.
In today's episode we are joined by Stuart King. Stuart founded BeeZee Bodies 17 years ago whilst working in public health. A hugely successful service it supports people all over England. At Public Health England he was senior scientist in the obesity and healthy weight team and he still works closely with Public Health producing and hosting The Real World Behavioural Science podcast with the Public Health & Behavioural Science Network.
We look deeper into an ethnographic video Stuart developed on behalf of the London Borough of Hounslow. The video walks you through a day in the life of Veena a mum so you can see the influencers and patterns that are we are being exposed to every day. Shining a spotlight on the importance of the wider determinants of health.
Three key aha moments
On a short walk Veena was exposed to fast food advertising 27 times. This is important because when running a healthy weight messaging you need to remember what else people are seeing.
Dogs motivate because they are external triggers - they will nudge you into movement. Do you know what other external triggers your audience may have that you can draw attention to?
Does is the environment your audience is exposed to bombard them with negative triggers? Such as the 'food' options in local shops and are these triggers the norm? If so recognise and celebrate the resilience it takes to overcome them.