The Change4Life campaign was established to promote healthy eating and exercise to UK individuals and families. On the 2nd January 2011, the launch of its Great Swapathon campaign was announced, together with a scheme that could give £50 worth of money-off vouchers to help Britons eat a healthier diet and take more exercise. How does the Great Swapathon work and where can you get a voucher give-away?
What is the Change4Life Great Swapathon?
Change4Life's Great Swapathon is designed to help individuals and families lead a healthier lifestyle by simply swapping an unhealthy habit for a healthy one. The program runs on a series of personalised healthy living tips that are meant to be easily exchanged for an existing eating or lifestyle habit.
So, for example, a tip may recommend swapping sugary puddings for fresh or baked fruits, switching from full-fat to low-fat products or simply using a smaller plate size to help with portion control. The aim here is to keep things simple and manageable, making change more effective as it is made in a small way.
Who Can Take Part in the Great Swapathon Healthy Eating Campaign?
Change4Life has divided this initiative into two areas. The first is aimed at families that have children between the ages of 2 and 16 in the household. The second can be taken up by individuals looking for healthy lifestyle changes. The first step in the process for both groups is to fill out a short lifestyle based questionnaire on the Swapathon site.
This helps the program deliver personalised swaps that may be of most use. The system will then deliver six swaps to be tried at home at a rate of one a week. If they wish, users can sign up for email or text messaging from the campaign which will deliver further tips to keep them motivated. There is also the chance to participate in the Great Swapathon community to share experiences of how the tips worked.
Government Reinforces Healthy Eating Message With Free £50 Vouchers
The Great Swapathon also involves a free voucher booklet distribution scheme that could see individuals and families get up to £50 off healthier eating alternatives and exercise gear. The total value of this promotion is estimated at £250 million. Target products include food, drink and exercise related offers (including money off trainers).
Vouchers are being distributed via The News of the World newspaper (three million vouchers), the ASDA supermarket chain (one million vouchers) and by local community groups that sign up to the program (one million vouchers). This part of the campaign is being backed and funded by major businesses including Asda, Birds Eye, JJB Sports, Nestle, Mars, Unilever, Warburtons and Weight Watchers.
The voucher give-away could help people try out healthier foods that they may not otherwise be able to afford. As the UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley commented: "The healthy option isn't always the cheapest option so it's a really important step to be able to offer £50 off healthier foods, drinks and activities." This initiative, together with the general Change4Life program and its subsidiary components such as Walk4Life, could make it easier and cheaper for people to make or try out new lifestyle changes.
Bringing in big business to back the campaign has, however, seen some criticism. The Professor for Food Policy at City University in London Tim Lang called this a "corporate brand protection strategy" rather than a public health one. There is also the question of whether lower income families will be able to afford to carry on buying healthier foods and drinks once they have used up their vouchers which might affect long-term take-up.
Sources: The Great Swapathon; Change4Life; BBC News ("Great Swapathon voucher bid to boost healthy living"); Reuters ("Britain unveils industry-backed healthy eating plan"). Accessed online 3rd January 2010.
Carol Finch - Carol Finch is the Topic Editor for Retirement Planning, Budgeting, E-Commerce & Technical/Business Writing on Suite101.
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