APRIL 2014
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Safe and Healthy Me
When Molly, a 42-year-old Anchorage woman, sat in front of
the camera to tell her story, she talked about the news that changed everything
for her. Several years ago, she learned she had type 2 diabetes. She also
struggled with obesity. Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
But Molly took steps to improve her health and feel better.
She walked more and ate healthy foods, which led to her losing weight. She went
on bike rides with her daughter. She surrounded herself with positive friends
and made sure to spend time on hobbies that made her feel good.
“I feel like I am on track,” said Molly, who no longer has
signs of cancer. “I feel like I am on my way to my goal.”
Molly is one of four people who shared the same type of
message on a new campaign website for the Section of Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion: small changes can have big payoffs for your health and the
quality of your life. The Section launched this new campaign, Safe
and Healthy Me, in December to help Alaskans find engaging, state-specific
information about ways to be safe and healthy. At the same time, the Section
updated its main page.
The Safe and Healthy Me campaign followed the social
marketing process to ensure that the campaign’s public education materials
would reach the audience of Alaska adults and help motivate them to learn more
about chronic diseases and take action to prevent and treat them. About two
years ago, the Section staff prepared for the campaign by holding several focus
groups in communities throughout the state to hear Alaska adults talk about the
best things they’ve done for their health. Many of the best things shared were
small changes that had big impacts.
These discussions across Alaska helped create Safe and Healthy Me, which
integrates the many programs that fall within CDPHP, including Tobacco
Prevention, Screening
and Cancer
Prevention, Obesity
Prevention, Diabetes
Prevention, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Injury
Prevention. Adults who have one chronic condition often struggle with other
risk factors. For example, some people with cancer also struggle with obesity,
or tobacco use. Safe and Healthy Me helps Alaskans understand that chronic
diseases are inter-related and prevention or treatment in one area can have
positive effects in other areas, too.
CDPHP has used social media, including the Department of
Health and Social Services Facebook
page and Google, to share its new materials with adults throughout Alaska.
The focus groups showed that Alaskans wanted to hear from other Alaskans about
the health changes they have made. The Safe and Healthy Me website features
four video stories of Alaskans – including Molly – who faced multiple chronic
conditions and took small steps that improved their health. To read their
stories and view the videos, visit Safe and Healthy Me - Stories From Alaskans.
SHARE YOUR STORY!
CDPHP
would like to hear from other Alaskans about the best things they have done to
improve their health and safety. Share your story by emailing julie.bates@alaska.gov.
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