Joe Piggin

‘Don’t mention obesity’: Contradictions and tensions in the UK Change4Life health promotion campaign

The emphasis on body weight and the terms ‘fat’, ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ are increasingly political in public health promotion. The UK government’s 2009—2011 social marketing campaign, Change4Life explicitly avoids the term ‘obesity’ and imagery that connotes it, despite the emphasis on obesity in the preceding research, policy and strategy. Using a critical health psychology perspective, this research explores the tensions arising from the omission of ‘obesity’ in the Change4Life campaign. We argue the justifications for omitting obesity are at times contrary to evidence that informed the campaign. Considerations are offered for the construction of future health promotion campaigns.

The global physical inactivity pandemic: an analysis of knowledge production

In July 2012, The Lancet announced a pandemic of physical inactivity and a global call to action to effect change. The worldwide pandemic is said to be claiming millions of lives every year. Asserting that physical inactivity is pandemic is an important moment. Given the purported scale and significance of physical inactivity around the world, this research examines how the pandemic is rhetorically constructed and how various solutions are proposed. We apply a governmentality perspective to examine the continuity, coherence and appropriateness of ideas about physical activity. The analysis demonstrates that within The Lancet, there is disunity about what is known about physical activity, problematic claims of ‘abnormality’ and contradictions in the proposed deployment of a systems approach to solve the problem. The article concludes by suggesting that as knowledge produced about physical activity grows, scholars need to beware of nostalgic conceptions of physical activity, account for the immense diversity of lived experiences which do not abide by idealistic recommendations and consider more rigorously contentious claims about physical activity programme effects.

Is resistance futile? The effects of criticising New Zealand sport policy

This paper examines power relations which affect and are affected by public criticism about New Zealand sport policy. Two questions guide the analysis. First, to what extent might public criticism influence future sport and recreation policy? Second, what effect does public criticism have on the critics themselves? Foucaults conception of parrhesia (or speaking truth to power) is used as a theoretical framework to address these concerns. Methodologically, instances of public criticism were critically examined, and interviews were held with critics and senior members of New Zealands state sport agency, Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc). The research found that while critics often consider their efforts are ineffectual, there were effects on public policy. Suggestions are offered to both policy writers and citizens for positively constructing and critiquing policy.

Designed to Move? Physical Activity Lobbying and the Politics of Productivity.

Objectives: Physical inactivity is a major public health concern. At a population level, it is increasingly perceived to be a social problem which is global and multidimensional, and which requires attention by a diverse range of state, private and civil society organisations. Given the increasing attention to physical in/activity by a range of interest groups, this paper explores the political dynamics that are present within physical activity promotion discourse. Specifically, the paper examines the political dynamics associated with a recent physical activity lobby document entitled Designed To Move (DTM). DTM was written and produced by a variety of corporate, government, and health promotion organisations. Method and analysis: This paper uses a critical policy framework to analyse the justifications for, and suggested techniques of, physical activity promotion. It examines the explicit and more subtle reasons used to justify physical activity recommendations, how causes of physical inactivity are conveyed, and who is identified as able to fix the problem. Conclusions: While DTM appears to be a positive and inspirational call to action, several aspects of the document are problematic. Significantly, older adults receive scant attention in the document, and are therefore removed from being potentially important agents in the proposed solution. DTM also frames the workplace milieu in a way that promotes ‘productivity’ and business ‘fortune’ above concern for and consideration of employees’ material conditions of existence. The paper concludes by encouraging health researchers, physical activity students and health promoters to look behind and beyond assumptions about the causes of, and solutions to, physical inactivity.

World Rugby's erroneous and misleading representation of Australian sports' injury statistics

The goals of World Rugbys strategic plan, 2010 are to ‘Protect and promote Rugby, its values, spirit and ethos’ and to ‘Drive player welfare best practice’. These values are under question with the publication of misleading data on injury risks in its SportsWise Survey. In response to calls earlier this year to the UK government for a ban on tackle and contact in the school game,1 World Rugby has published a report in which it states that ‘Compared with other sports and activities, rugby has a relatively low injury rate despite being known for its physicality’.2 The statement is misleading and should be changed. World Rugbys report draws on data taken from a report published by the Australian Government and Flinders University, ‘Australian sports injury hospitalisations 2011–12’.3 World Rugby produced two charts to support their …

Olympic sport and physical activity promotion: the rise and fall of the London 2012 pre-event mass participation ‘legacy’

ABSTRACT The legacies of Sport Mega Events (SMEs) such as the Olympic Games are increasingly regarded as significant opportunities to increase sport and physical activity (PA) participation. Major sport/PA legacy objectives may even be pursued before the event takes place. This article examines a specific pre-event sport/PA policy target of the London 2012 Olympic Games: the aim of increasing overall participation by two million between June 2008 and the Games in 2012 (a target that was abandoned in 2011). Within a governmentality analytical framework, this research examined how London 2012’s pre-event sport/PA participation legacy targets were constructed by organisations responsible for their delivery. Three specific themes are discussed: the inconsistency between how sport/PA participation was constructed in terms of both ‘risk’ and ‘reward’ by different organisations; the reliance upon intangible concepts such as ‘inspiration’ and the status of the Olympic Games to increase participation; and the rationales given for the subsequent abandonment of the pre-event PA participation targets in 2011. The abandonment of the pre-Games participation targets holds two overarching policy implications for future SME host governments and organisers. First, host governments cannot rely on the unique status or ‘inspiration’ of the Games alone to increase participation and must pursue this more proactively. Second, the ultimate failure of these policies should not be attributed exclusively to their intrinsic limitations, but also to a range of external environmental factors. Pre-event SME legacies must therefore be planned with sufficient awareness of the social and political contexts in which the event takes place.

Accounting for sitting and moving: an analysis of sedentary behavior in mass media campaigns

BACKGROUND Mass media campaigns are an important tool for promoting health-related physical activity. The relevance of sedentary behavior to public health has propelled it to feature prominently in health campaigns across the world. This study explored the use of messages regarding sedentary behavior in health campaigns within the context of current debates surrounding the association between sedentary behavior and health, and messaging strategies to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). METHODS A web-based search of major campaigns in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia was performed to identify the main campaign from each country. A directed content analysis was then conducted to analyze the inclusion of messages regarding sedentary behavior in health campaigns and to elucidate key themes. Important areas for future research were illustrated. RESULTS Four key themes from the campaigns emerged: clinging to sedentary behavior guidelines, advocating reducing sedentary behavior as a first step on the activity continuum and the importance of light activity, confusing the promotion of MVPA, and the demonization of sedentary behavior. CONCLUSIONS Strategies for managing sedentary behavior as an additional complicating factor in health promotion are urgently required. Lessons learned from previous health communication campaigns should stimulate research to inform future messaging strategies.

Physical activity advocacy in the UK: a multiple streams analysis of a hybrid policy issue

Abstract Physical activity is increasingly being defined as a major, complex, multi-sector issue. In order to understand more about how this expanded conception of physical activity is being factored into public policy, this article applies the multiple streams theory of policy change to examine the United Kingdom (UK) physical activity domain. Participant observation, policy analysis and media analysis are combined to examine the ways in which the political context, problem framing and policy solutions were brought together by a range of policy entrepreneurs. The study pays particular attention to how one lobby effort in the UK, the All Party Committee on Physical Activity (APCPA) attempted to elevate physical activity to a higher level of importance. The findings show how a hybrid form of organisation made up of traditional interest groups, corporations and government insiders, has successfully decreased ambiguity about physical activity and increased both official and public attention about the issue. The article suggests that while the multifarious benefits of physical activity and the diverse range of organisations involved have contributed to momentum towards policy change, these factors may also inhibit physical activity from remaining high on the policy agenda. Suggestions are offered for policy practices at a national level.

How does health policy affect practice at a sport mega event? A study of policy, food and drink at Euro 2016

ABSTRACT From a public health perspective, there are growing concerns about the commercial arrangements between sports events and companies which sell ultra-processed food and drink. In particular, companies are accused of connecting products that are perceived as unhealthy with sport and physical activity that is perceived as healthy. This study examined the tensions and conflicts between health promotion policy and the marketing and consumption reality at the 2016 European Championship football tournament in France. This study is informed theoretically by a critical, political economy lens. Discourse analysis, semiotic analysis, venue analysis and participant observation were employed to gather data from relevant policy and event management plans, sponsor advertisements, site architecture, food and drink offerings and displays at stadia and fan zones. These sources were assessed for the way they encouraged healthy or unhealthy consumption behaviours. The analysis found that the health advice promoted by the French government and the tournament owners (Union of European Football Associations) differed markedly from the reality at the points of consumption. Unhealthy products dominated inside the stadia and fan zones sampled. In many instances, there were little or no healthy foods on display for customers. Despite a self-proclaimed status as having ‘healthy stadia’, a limited vision of health at Euro 2016 was promoted, which was largely restricted to the attempted provision of smoke-free spaces. This raises questions for sport mega events which are in receipt of public funding and which claim to promote health. This study encourages policy-makers, sports funders and consumers to critically evaluate health claims made by sport events and sponsors.

Sport, Physical Activity and Public Health

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