Changing public thinking on weight-loss surgery
Client: The National Bariatric Surgery Registry (British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society)
The challenge
Weight loss (bariatric) surgery is controversial: people sometimes say, for example, that an
overweight person should simply try harder to diet and get more exercise. They say bariatric procedures are expensive and a drain on NHS resources. They warn that surgery is inherently
risky and should be avoided if possible. Much media coverage of the issue and public discussion
was based on negative perceptions.
The National Bariatric Surgery Registry - a consortium set up to gather information on bariatric surgery and led by the British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society - provides comprehensive
evidence on the outcomes of these procedures. The first figures were produced in 2010. A new set was due to be published in November 2014. Information contained in the NBSR report could be used
to transform thinking.
The project
Initial information provided by the client was detailed and comprehensive - the 2014 NBSR report runs to 300 pages. However, there was limited awareness of the way some of the most important facts within the report that could be used to present a clear and effective message with the potential to change public perception of bariatric surgery.
Headline Media identified three key messages backed up by research data in the report. Bariatric surgery is:
1 Effective - it can massively improve people’s health
2 Safe - mortality rates are low
3 Cost-effective - it saves money that can be better used elsewhere
Headline Media prepared four items to to accompany the launch and ensure the messages were effectively transmitted: a press release to accompany publication of the NBSR, a draft letter to Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, a statement by Richard Welbourn, chair of NBSR and President of BOMSS, and a blog for the Royal College of Surgeons website. We also sourced case studies, focusing on people aged 40 and under to tie in with a new section in the NBSR on surgery numbers for the under-25s.
These items were produced to Headline Media's usual high professional standards, based on a sound understanding of the media's requirements: simple messages making valid points and based on evidence.
The press release, for example, was headed: "Weight loss surgery helps people regain health - and reduces healthcare bill". It contained a quote from Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of the NHS: “...when required, bariatric surgery is effective and safe... the survival rate of over 99.9% and the decreasing length of time spent in hospital is all the more impressive given the increasing illness of patients being sent for surgery.”
Outcomes
Once the embargoed press release was sent out it quickly became clear from radio and television interviews and articles in national newspapers that the key messages had been successfully transmitted.
In a very large number of broadcasts and newspaper articles, there were very few examples of the "old thinking" about bariatric surgery.
Across all media - print, broadcast and online - coverage was sympathetic to the needs of obese people and accepted that surgery is often a constructive solution. By promoting a positive view of bariatric surgery in the media, a very clear start had been made in transforming public awareness on this issue.
Client: The National Bariatric Surgery Registry (British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society)
The challenge
Weight loss (bariatric) surgery is controversial: people sometimes say, for example, that an
overweight person should simply try harder to diet and get more exercise. They say bariatric procedures are expensive and a drain on NHS resources. They warn that surgery is inherently
risky and should be avoided if possible. Much media coverage of the issue and public discussion
was based on negative perceptions.
The National Bariatric Surgery Registry - a consortium set up to gather information on bariatric surgery and led by the British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society - provides comprehensive
evidence on the outcomes of these procedures. The first figures were produced in 2010. A new set was due to be published in November 2014. Information contained in the NBSR report could be used
to transform thinking.
The project
Initial information provided by the client was detailed and comprehensive - the 2014 NBSR report runs to 300 pages. However, there was limited awareness of the way some of the most important facts within the report that could be used to present a clear and effective message with the potential to change public perception of bariatric surgery.
Headline Media identified three key messages backed up by research data in the report. Bariatric surgery is:
1 Effective - it can massively improve people’s health
2 Safe - mortality rates are low
3 Cost-effective - it saves money that can be better used elsewhere
Headline Media prepared four items to to accompany the launch and ensure the messages were effectively transmitted: a press release to accompany publication of the NBSR, a draft letter to Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, a statement by Richard Welbourn, chair of NBSR and President of BOMSS, and a blog for the Royal College of Surgeons website. We also sourced case studies, focusing on people aged 40 and under to tie in with a new section in the NBSR on surgery numbers for the under-25s.
These items were produced to Headline Media's usual high professional standards, based on a sound understanding of the media's requirements: simple messages making valid points and based on evidence.
The press release, for example, was headed: "Weight loss surgery helps people regain health - and reduces healthcare bill". It contained a quote from Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of the NHS: “...when required, bariatric surgery is effective and safe... the survival rate of over 99.9% and the decreasing length of time spent in hospital is all the more impressive given the increasing illness of patients being sent for surgery.”
Outcomes
Once the embargoed press release was sent out it quickly became clear from radio and television interviews and articles in national newspapers that the key messages had been successfully transmitted.
In a very large number of broadcasts and newspaper articles, there were very few examples of the "old thinking" about bariatric surgery.
Across all media - print, broadcast and online - coverage was sympathetic to the needs of obese people and accepted that surgery is often a constructive solution. By promoting a positive view of bariatric surgery in the media, a very clear start had been made in transforming public awareness on this issue.