That time of year has already come and gone, but something still remains: New Year’s Resolutions. Examples of New Year’s resolutions include finishing the bathroom renovations as planned, finally clearing out the clutter in your home, or spending more time with your family. However, one theme seems to resonate every year: getting physically healthy. This includes eating healthier and making it to the local gym in hope of losing weight. What if I told you an entire Canadian town had made this same resolution? Hard to believe? Well it’s true.
The “villagers” of Taylor, BC have pledged to collectively lose one ton in ten weeks. Will they achieve their goal? You can track their efforts by watching Village on a Diet Mondays at 9pm on CBC. But that’s not all! This documentary is only a fraction of a Canada wide campaign to get Canadians to lose weight and make healthier choices. Live Right Now, CBC’s health promotion campaign, combines all of the network’s efforts: news, radio, television programming, and a website.
However, I ask myself whether or not this campaign will succeed. Will Canadians hop on board and lead healthier lives? Well, one thing to consider why is CBC leading this initiative? I understand that CBC is known for its home-grown shows, but what about the Canadians who don’t watch CBC or listen to CBC radio? I probably would have never heard of this campaign if it wasn’t for my program, Nutrition and Food. Also, this campaign isn’t individualized, and may not fit the needs of individuals. Unlike Taylor, BC, people in other towns and cities may not have the same individualized support to lose weight. On Village on a Diet, the villagers have access to a doctor, a psychologist, a dietitian, a chef, and two personal trainers that can tailor the program to their needs. Thus, it is fair to say that they have a great advantage over the rest of the Canadian population.
On a positive note, CBC strategically featured this campaign in January, when motivation is at its peak to lose weight. However, how long will the hype last? Many of us break our New Year’s resolutions early on in the year. That includes me! Is that why Village on a Diet will run only for 10 weeks? What will happen afterwards? Will the Live Right Now campaign continue? Maybe not. As a classmate pointed out in seminar, CBC may have just featured the show to make a profit. As the year progresses and Canadians become less motivated to lose weight, the CBC may find it unprofitable to continue the campaign, or at least to its current extent. Time will tell what CBC’s real intentions are.
Again, I pose the question: will it succeed or not? How will we know? Will a study be launched to determine whether this campaign was effective? That may be difficult as there may be not base data on Canadians who are participating in the campaign.
Although I have my doubts, I will try and stay optimistic. This campaign may not be perfect, but it is the attempt that counts.
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