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Fructose Education Project
This is a new project proposed by Dr Voakes at the November 08 meeting. With the mounting evidence that fructose is a major cause of obesity, we felt that it is imperative that public awareness of this should be a high priority for this coalition. Here is a working outline of the project (first draft):
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Get all the facts about fructose by reviewing Dr Voakes power point slides from the 2008 Obesity Forum. |
Target Populations
Kids in school
Parents
General public
Doctors and health professionals
Dietitians
What points to cover?
Basic simplified working knowledge about what fructose is, and how it poisons the brain, destroying the normal brain's ability to naturally regulate the body's weight, energy use and appetite.
Keep it on a very simple level.
Show exactly what foods contain fructose and how to tell which they are. (Sugar = sucrose = fructose, HFCS = fructose)
Limit the focus to fructose. Even though exercise, fiber, and other nutritional concepts are important, they would dilute the message.
Draw a parallel to the discovery of tobacco-related disease and the fight to reduce it over the last half century. This was accomplished through massive public education efforts, which resulted in a very slow cultural change.
What can we learn from the tobacco experience?
Expect extreme opposition from a huge wealthy industry willing to spend billions of dollars on counter-advertising.
The industry ads have perfected the psychology of advertising to mold public opinion in their favor. There will be many references to the "sugar police" etc. Health advocates will be vilified, just as they are with the tobacco fight.
We will need to educate kids to be "media smart" to recognize false advertising, and glamorization of harmful products.
Doctors can have an impact, one-on-one with their patients, but it will take decades to get even half of them on board (fifty years, if like tobacco)
Legislation
Long process of educating lawmakers (mostly state level)
What legislation could help? Think parallel to alcohol and tobacco: higher taxes on sugar drinks, no sales to minors, no sugar drinks in schools.
What methods of education?
School newsletters
Our web page
Health Fairs. We need to make up handouts, pamphlets about fructose.
Events ("Fructose-free Kids Try-Athlon"?)
Smart Cards and Guide Books should emphasize fructose-free foods and beverages
Mayor's Hometown Health Initiative. Link their web to ours. Write a fructose article for that web page (www.energizebg.com)
