Chilean Government launches healthy living campaign to counteract obesity in Chile

“Hoy empiezo a vivir sano” (Today I will start to live healthily) is the slogan of the 2020 communications campaign launched today by the Social and Family Development Minister, Sebastián Sichel, and the Executive Secretary of Elige Vivir Sano (Choose to live healthily), Daniela Godoy.

The campaign will be aired on mainstream media and social networks. It seeks to motivate people to make small changes in their routines to adopt healthier habits and combat excess weight and obesity, conditions that currently affect seven out of ten people over 15 years old in Chile. The actions being promoted include cooking as a family, prioritizing fruits as a snack, going for a walk, playing with children. These actions are easy to carry out and can have a significant impact on the quality of family life.

For example, Minister Sebastián Sichel said that households in Chile spend 15,102 Chilean pesos per month on soda, according to data from the latest Family Budget Survey collected by the “Elige Vivir Sano” Observatory. This money could be used to buy bananas, apples, oranges, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and other products at food markets, to complement what Chilean families currently spend on fruit and vegetables. This would help people to come closer to eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day, a recommendation that is currently only being achieved by 15% of the population.

The Minister said, "when it comes to food, money is being misspent because it is being spent on unhealthy products." Mr. Sichel stressed that "the idea here is not to give families moral guidance about how to manage their budget, but to explain to them that there are things we know now about the harm some products do that we were unaware of 20 years ago. Today we are fully aware and we want you to know that this additional expense is not only a waste of money, but it is also harming your children.”

According to the research data, food represents 18.7% of expenditure by Chilean families. The products that Chileans say they buy most are bread and soda. However, the reality is that the highest spending is on meat (20.2%), bread, cereals and pastries (18.3%).

"We are making a major appeal for people to change their habits. It's true that in Chile incomes are low and the cost of living is high, but we need to use what we have to combat obesity directly and without pause. We therefore have to increase incomes, but we also have to change how Chileans spend their money," concluded Mr. Sichel.

The Executive Secretary of Elige Vivir Sano, Daniela Godoy, explained that it is precisely a change in habits that the new "Hoy empiezo a vivir sano" campaign aims to achieve. It focuses on four key areas: "Firstly, we are focusing on children, as they drive change in our society. Secondly, promoting physical activity, playing and moving rather than looking at screens (...). Thirdly, raising awareness about eating as a family, cooking as a family and choosing healthier recipes. Finally, emphasizing shared responsibility, as women are currently more obese than men. They are more sedentary due to time constraints and the fact that they spend three more hours on housework and childcare than men."

This communication campaign aims to raise people’s awareness and complement the impact of other public policies, such as the food labeling law, the six-month postnatal maternity leave that prioritizes exclusive breastfeeding, the Elige Vivir Sano System, setting up Elige Vivir Sano Centers that provide high quality sports facilities to vulnerable communities, and other initiatives. "We won’t achieve anything if the State implements public initiatives but we don’t launch awareness campaigns that effectively invite families to enjoy healthier lifestyles," said Ms. Godoy.