Mapping and image archive

Blog post 3. Mapping and image archive

Written by Hyunjoung You

 

Group mapping of Obesity & Healthy living in class

 

Environment we live in (Stakeholders / Values) mapping in class

During the class, our group created the mapping for issue, which is related to obesity and healthy living. Also, we made stakeholders mapping; we divided into 2 sections for stakeholders like human and non-human. This exercise helped to build the knowledge about diverse issues are associated with our topic (obesity and healthy living). In later class, we wrote down the words are linked to our topic. We shared each group words, and checked what they were interested in the words. For our group words, the most interesting word was ‘Active design’, and then, ‘Healthcare professional’, ‘Public health’, ‘Environment’, and ‘Healthy lifestyle’, and so on. I realized most of words are related to my specific issue that is the association between active urban design and obesity. Therefore, if I keep looking at this issue and trying to make better ideas, it would be definitely interesting to many designers and design students. In addition, there are many interesting words from other groups what I could not come up with even few words describe my issue properly. Thus, it was useful exercise to get the point of what I have to go with my issue.

 

10 Image Archive

Image 1. Put the Smartphone down: social media use and sleep disturbances linked

First image includes the guy who grabs his mobile cannot fall in sleep properly. This describes using smart phone for a long time brings about sleep disturbance. Nowadays, modern people often use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, etc. They use their mobile to keep checking social media, and it is still happened before people go to bed. Deep sleep is necessary to good health; therefore, this image shows technology is also one of distractions to healthy living.

 

Image 2. Dove Real Beauty campaign

In post 1, I already have written about the issue, which is related to this image. This image aims to women have the confidence with their natural bodies. However, the article what I read in post 1 insists that ‘real’ from that slogan could be problem because there are no standard for normal and real body. Also, it highlights these kind of campaign might lead to negative effect on public’s lifestyle and eating behavior. Therefore, this image is controversial even the purpose is good.

 

Image 3. Disease trigger

Right diet is one of significant factor to healthy living. As you can see this image, today many young girls have wrong beauty standard, for example, skinny is prettier. They become being very self-conscious, and they cannot be satisfied with them. It causes eating disorder such as overeating or anorexia; and this image is one of example showing anorexia successfully.

Image 4. Are You Eating Your Feelings?

The person eats the cookies with the different feelings in this poster. It shows people can overeat due to their feelings especially when their feelings are sad, tired, stressed, depressed, lonely, or anxiety. As you can the words in the cookies, all words represent negative feelings. The poster emphasises that people should stop overeating by bad feelings; they should find other appropriate solutions except overeating to make them feel better.

Image 5. How Coca-Cola, Britvic and Innocent are tackling the sugar issue

This image shows how soft drink has lots of sugar successfully. Therefore, it helps people being aware of it, and people can avoid drinking soft drink much. People are easy to addict sugar, so reducing sugar intake is really important thing to be healthy and avoid being obesity. This image is also used to support ‘sugar tax’ that I already mentioned in post 1; 20% tax on sugary drinks and sweets to help people reduce their daily sugar intake.

Image 6. Sedentary Lifestyle is a Health Risk

The potato is on the couch in this image. This points out an increase in sedentary lifestyle today. Many people prefer convenience; therefore, people tend to find easier ways when they travel, go or do something. They do not have enough physical activities, so it would bring about health risk such as heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. Although this image describes sedentary lifestyle, it will lead to awareness to people.

Image 7. Urbanism as a public health issue: Oklahoma City’s battle with obesity

The silhouette of obese person is in front of many junk food shops. This illustration highlights urbanism as a public health issue, and it also says that urban environment should change for public health. I posted the design guidelines about this issue in post 4. This image shows the real environment that affects public health negatively. If there are less unhealthy food shops in our environment, it will definitely helpful to public health. However, there would be many objections by especially junk food and sugary food industry.

 

Image 8. Killer at Large

This image is a documentary poster. It includes the fries in the cigarette packet. People recognize how smoking cigarettes is harmful for the health. The image uses that common sense to let people realize how junk food is also as bad for our health as smoking.

 

Image 9. What are you letting your child put in his mouth?

This image is United Way + American Heart Association joint campaign poster. The poster has gun shape of the chocolate with the texts below it. It points out children obesity can be prevented by parent’s right diet education. The visual aspect and the phrase are appropriate to describe how right diet is important to children.

 

Image 10. Obesity is Suicide

This image is a campaign poster to raise awareness of obesity. This poster might be sensational, but it will make people to think that obesity affects their health negatively. Thus, people try to choose healthier choices, not unhealthy things.

 

 

Reference

Brown, V. 2015, Dove Real Beauty campaign, news, viewed 11 August 2016, <http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/face-body/study-claims-plussize-models-may-contribute-to-obesity-epidemic-and-unhealthy-lifestyle-choices/news-story/9742de8fb4ef04633b2a67681bf5d376&gt;.

Chill Out Point, 2009, “OBESITY IS SUICIDE” AD CAMPAGIN, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://www.chilloutpoint.com/art_and_design/the-best-of-ad-campaigns.html&gt;.

Ellis, M. 2016, Put the Smartphone down: social media use and sleep disturbances linked, MNT, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305665.php&gt;.

 Greenstreet, S. 2008, Killer at Large, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903660/&gt;.

Hamid, S. 2010, United Way + AHA Anti-Obesity Campaign, Behance, viewed 20 August 2016, <https://www.behance.net/gallery/United-Way-AHA-Anti-Obesity-Campaign/438465&gt;.

Hochberg, A.T. 2015, Urbanism as a public health issue: Oklahoma City’s battle with obesity, Archinect, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://archinect.com/news/tag/206280/obesity&gt;.

Obesitysoc, 2015, Are You Eating Your Feelings?, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://www.obesitysoc.org.uk/images/Press_2015/Website2015/obesity_poster_eat_your_feelings_2.jpg&gt;.

Roderick, L. 2016, How Coca-Cola, Britvic and Innocent are tackling the sugar issue, Marketing Week, viewed 23 August 2016, <https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/01/27/how-coca-cola-britvic-and-innocent-are-tackling-the-sugar-issue/&gt;.

Stark, S. n.d. Disease trigger, A Stark Reality, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://www.astarkreality.com/2014/10/religious-fasting-can-exacerbate-eating.html&gt;.

Sullivan, R. n.d., Sedentary Lifestyle is a Health Risk, Sci-Unison Fitness, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://www.sci-unisonfitness.com/sedentary-lifestyle-health-risk/&gt;.

 

 

 

 

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The Active Design Guidelines for healthy living

Blog Post 4. Identifying and collecting a design example

Written by Hyunjoung You

 

While I wrote blog post 2, I could obtain useful information that is related to the association between obesity and food advertising. Blog post 2 gave me opportunity to think how our environment affects our healthy living once again. Therefore, I looked back the issue of obesity and healthy living, and thought what we can do for this issue as a designer. I believed the most effective design for obesity and healthy living is good urban design. Urban design is the closet factor to people today, so urban design might influence public health positively if it is well designed to let people choose healthier choices.

Active Design Guidelines: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Design

I found ‘The Active Design Guidelines: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Design’ is introduced by The New York City Departments of Design and Construction (DDC), Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation (DOT), and City Planning. The Active Design Guidelines (2010) states the problems of obesity and with it type 2 diabetes are getting worse rapidly in New York City. It is caused by population’s over-consumption of calories, which is formed by the built environment in which we live, work, and play. The Guidelines aim to encourage physical activity by providing appropriate design of environment such as promoting stair climbing, walking, bicycling, transit use, active recreation, and healthy eating.

Summer Streets is a program of the NYC Department of Transportation in which designated routes are temporarily closed to motor vehicles and opened to people for walking, bicycling, running, and exercising over multiple weekends. Park Avenue

Research has suggested that greater land use mix is correlated with lower obesity. Partial land use male of New York City, showing the intense mix of land uses in the city.

 

Reference

 

City of New York, 2010, The Active Design Guidelines: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Design, viewed 18 August 2016, <https://centerforactivedesign.org/dl/guidelines.pdf&gt;

 

Perkins+Will, 2011, ‘A New Design Movement That Can Help Us Beat Obesity’, Fast Co Design, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663272/a-new-design-movement-that-can-help-us-beat-obesity&gt;

It’s time to look at obesity and healthy living

Blog post 1. Creating a data set – Obesity & Healthy living

Written by Hyunjoung You

1. Diets and drugs are not enough to tackle obesity

Anna Salleh, a science journalist at ABC Science, is an author of this article. Salleh has written articles that are related to obesity before writing this article such as ‘Brain’s binge eating circuit revealed’ and ‘Cold climates linked to ‘fat’ gut bacteria’. These articles are all based on secondary sources. She does not voice her opinions on them and this article as well.

She points out that preventing from being obesity cannot solve by just diets and drugs; therefore, we should redo obesity research to discover what ‘obesogenic environment’ is properly. She wrote this article based on the research of Professor Stephen Simpson (Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre) as secondary source. Simpson highlights that an unhealthy food supply system produces processed food with low in fibre and other essential nutrients due to our political and economic system.

I agree with this article, diets and drugs are not enough to help people to prevent from being obesity. Also, we should solve the problem an unhealthy food supply system. This means that we need to look at our political and economic system as well.

 

2. Sprawling Sydney makes it hard to walk and it’s bad for our health

This article is written by Tim Williams, chief executive of the Committee for Sydney from November 2011, was, before coming to Australia, the senior Special Advisor to a number of UK cabinet ministers in the Department of Communities and Local Government.

He has become interested in urban design and health, so he discusses there are not much walkable areas or places in Sydney. He voices his opinion by using the research of Christopher Leinberger (a land use strategist, researcher and author) and SmartGrowth America (advocacy organization for quality of life, economic sustainability and environment). Leinberger finds (2016, para.9) that ‘the cities with the highest levels of walkable urbanism are the most educated and wealthy, and they are the most socially equitable’. By contrast, “drivable suburban approach dominated real estate development” is called as sprawl. The author states that Western Sydney has become the obesity and diabetes centre of Sydney since the area is sprawling parts served by public transport. Therefore, Western Sydney needs to change like Sydney CBD that gives opportunities to walk and have a healthier population.

I reckon the growth of technology has become harming people health. If urban design can bring about positive effect to people health, I think as a design student the author’s position is quite interesting.

 

3. Fat can be healthy, so don’t tell me you’re dieting for health reasons

Bethany Rutter is a journalist and blogger who writes about fay bodies, plus-size fashion and body positivity. She writes this article for who has fat bias or who would like to lose weight due to health reasons. The beginning of this article includes the research by Katherine Flegal with the Centers for Disease Control and prevention. The research described a U-shaped curve where death rates were highest with a very high or very low BMI. As a result, the author insists that there are no relations between being slim and healthy living. However, most people believe that eating low calorie food and working out at the gym are virtuous. This means people would take long time to accept thought is being little bit fatter could be helpful to their health. Rutter voices her opinions as a fat activist, so the article becomes more opinion based. She emphasizes that

“Instead of prioritizing weight loss, it considers wider factors, such as quality of life, sense of wellbeing and the psychological benefits that come with a less punitive approach to diet and exercise.”

I agree with Rutter, especially being thin does not mean healthy. Furthermore, I was quite interested in the research that being fatter properly might be beneficial to be healthier. If it is true, people might change their mind-set about being fatter. However, her article is based on more her opinion and experience; thus, I think the article is not much professional.

 

4. Study claims ‘plus-size’ models may contribute to obesity epidemic and unhealthy lifestyle choices

 Vanessa Brown, a lifestyle reporter at News.com.au, is an author. Brown writes this article for giving different opinions whether the use of plus-size or ‘realistic’ model in ad brings about an increase of obesity rates and poor health choices among consumers or not. She writes this article by according to the study of Simon Fraser University in Canada and the answers from Australian ‘plus-size’ model Laura Wells about using ‘plus-size’ models has a negative impact on the public’s eating behaviour and lifestyle. Dr Lily Lin (lead author and associate professor of Marketing at California State University) said,

“The reasons for the poor health choices are because of the use of reassuring slogans such as ‘real’ and ‘normal’ next to ‘plus-size’ models.”

On the other hand, Laura disagrees with the result from the study. She does not think the use of ‘plus-size’ model makes consumers being obesity and having poor health choices. However, she admit the problem using the word ‘real’ and ‘normal’ on the ad images, regardless of the model size. She adds,

“Everyone is real. Normal comes with what you choose is normal, so I understand that part of the study.”

I totally agree with Laura. I believe that using of ‘plus-size’ model is much better than using just skinny model in ad because skinny models may make consumers having eating disorders. Moreover, I like the recommendation from the study that the advertisers and marketers should use diverse body types and sizes in their ads. It would help people to think they are all normal.

 

5. Doctors would welcome 20% sugar drink tax

Australian Associated Press is the author, and AAP writes for presenting a Greens proposal “sugar tax” on soft drinks and fruit juice to tackle Australia’s obesity crisis.

This article is written based on factual, so it cites the study and few identified associations sources. Therefore, AAP states each associations’ the opinions with the reasons about “sugar tax” proposal. AAP also tends to let readers understanding “sugar tax” proposal more easily by reading this article.

One of the associations who agree with “sugar tax” proposal said,

“Sugary drinks are part of the growing obesity problem, the number one health epidemic facing the country.” – Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon

AAP gives different opinions about this proposal in the article, but they support this proposal to be accepted for healthy living. They highlights that “sugar tax” proposal is

“An educational, not emotional, approach is the only way to achieve better health outcomes.”

I also believe that sugary drinks can be one of contributor to the obesity crisis; however, I do not think drinking sugary drink is the major reason for that, and I doubt if “sugar tax” proposal works properly or not. I reckon sugar is one of daily addiction to people. Thus, it would be hard to change drastically even the proposal is approved.

 

Reference

AAP, 2016, ‘Doctors would welcome 20% sugar drink tax’, The Australian, 22 June, viewed 13 August 2016, <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/greens-call-for-sugar-drink-tax/news-story/69f454fe83791356ce485bb6b52bfb68&gt;

Brown, V. 2015, ‘Study claims ‘plus-size’ models may contribute to obesity epidemic and unhealthy lifestyle choices’, News.com.au, 17 December, viewed 11 August 2016, <http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/face-body/study-claims-plussize-models-may-contribute-to-obesity-epidemic-and-unhealthy-lifestyle-choices/news-story/9742de8fb4ef04633b2a67681bf5d376&gt;

Rutter, B. 2015, ‘Fat can be healthy, so don’t tell me you’re dieting for health reasons’, the guardian, 8 April, viewed 08 August 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/08/fat-healthy-dieting-health-reasons-overweight-lifespan-weight&gt;

Salleh, A. 2015, ‘Diets and drugs are not enough to tackle obesity’, ABC News, 8 June, viewed 05 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/06/08/4248825.htm&gt;

Williams, T 2016, ‘Sprawling Sydney makes it hard to walk and it’s bad for our health’, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 July, viewed 04 August 2016, <http://www.smh.com.au/comment/its-hard-to-walk-around-in-sydney-and-it-is-making-us-fat-20160721-gqahdl.html&gt;