Rationale
Jump with Jill is a multimedia health program that teaches kids about nutrition through entertainment. The show is currently formatted as a touring live show, an audio CD, and a blog. Jump with Jill addresses an urgent need to connect with kids in a time when advertisements for high fat, high sugar foods and endless opportunities to choose the couch over physical activity are at an all-time high.
The science we’ve used to create our art has its foundation in the obesity epidemic raging through childhood. Nationwide, 33.6% of kids are overweight, and 17% are obese.
We look at this problem more broadly than just an issue of weight, it’s an issue of overconsumption.
- Kids consume a lot of media: Kids spend nearly seven and a half hours per day consuming media.
- Kids don't get enough exercise: With standardized testing replacing time normally used for physical activity, and the explosion of personal and learning based technology, only one out of three kids meet basic fitness requirements.
- Kids see a lot of advertising: Kids witness over 40,000 commercials per year. Approximately half of the food ads kids see are for unhealthy food. Moreover, the body type portrayed in advertisements represents the body type of 5% of the American population. An unattainable standard for beauty has extreme consequences for a healthy body image formation for children. In research, kids as young as third grade express a desire to be thinner. This is a huge call for empowering kids to love and respect their bodies through exercise and healthy eating choices.
- Kids eat too much junk food: Among children, fast food consumption is on the rise, while fiber consumption is on the decline.
Creator Jill Jayne uses the same tactics normally used to sell junk food to get kids engaged, moving and learning about healthy habits.
Our recipe for success is:
Incorporating theories of effective nutrition education: Jump with Jill is more than just kiddie rock-- the show is an anthem for effective behavioral science. An individual’s behavior choice is influenced by many factors including taste, attitude, social norms, knowledge, skills and social pressure. Using the celebrity of Jill to role model healthy behaviors and the interactive music to shape attitudes, social norms, improve understanding, and teach skills makes healthy habits effective and fun.
Harnessing the power of media: To compete with the the funding and reach of mass media, effective health education incorporates what is already working in the commercial realm: slogans, jingles, characters, excitement and bandwagoning. No where is brand awareness more important than with healthy habits.
Making it interactive: The interactive show allows kids to participate in the learning experience. By tapping into multiple modalities of learning--visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-- many types of learners are included in the experience and retention of the messages is enhanced. This becomes particularly relevant when healthy habits are expected to last a lifetime.
