Information Needs in Promoting Food and Nutrition Security Belize City, Belize March 14, 2005 Wesley Gibbings

The Perceived Influence of the Media Who/what is to blame for ‘nutrition transition’? The Media Incomes (Rising and Falling) Work & Leisure

The Perceived Influence of the Media (Cont’d) Media Interventions vs Psycho-Social Antecedents Social Marketing – Corporate Marketing Information Becomes Behaviour Change

Children Product Marketing Cross-Promotions – Food advertisements &the use of television and movie characters Excessive TV Snacking Metabolic Rate

Children Relationship between exposure and behaviour change non-linear

The ‘Other’ Factors The Risks SocialCulturalEconomic

The ‘Other Factors’ The Policy Interventions Reducing diets high in fats and sugars in total energy intake Food-Price Policies Absence of Media Effects Research

Why the Big Fuss? Pillar of Democracy Pillar of Democracy The “Influence” of the Media The “Influence” of the Media The “Voice of the Voiceless” The “Voice of the Voiceless” Political Adversary Political Adversary Agent of Change Agent of Change

The Media Important but not the only factor Important but not the only factor Social Learning and Decision-Making Social Learning and Decision-Making Modernisation Modernisation Social Marketing vs Media Advocacy Social Marketing vs Media Advocacy

The Nature of the Media Business Business Information Provider Information Provider Editorial Independence Editorial Independence Freedom Guaranteed by Law/International Convention Freedom Guaranteed by Law/International Convention

Who are the Media? Journalists Journalists Columnists Columnists Private Individuals Private Individuals Advertisers Advertisers

Journalists & Journalism News Values Timeliness Timeliness Proximity Proximity Personality Personality Impact Impact Disaster Disaster Achievement Achievement

Some Issues -Legal Defamation Defamation Censorship – including self-censorship and prior censorship Censorship – including self-censorship and prior censorship Privacy Privacy Access to Information Access to Information

Some Issues - Political Political Independence Political Independence Commercial Influences Commercial Influences The “Responsibilities” of the Press The “Responsibilities” of the Press

Thank You!