Using community-based prevention marketing to generate demand for healthy diets in Jordan

Abstract

Jordan has been experiencing a nutrition transition with high rates of micronutrient deficiencies and rising overweight and obesity rates. This highlights the need to generate demand for healthy diets. This study used a community-based prevention marketing approach and worked with local communities as partners to develop a set of behavior change interventions to improve healthy eating within vulnerable communities. Individual, family, and paired-friendship interviews, and co-creation workshops were conducted with 120 people. The aim of these interviews was to gain an in-depth understand of school-aged children and their families’ nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices, including social and cultural norms and behavioral determinants, and then use this information to co-create interventions, activities and materials targeted at supporting school-aged child nutrition. Analysis of the interviews revealed that dietary habits are both deeply personal and profoundly entwined by emotions and social norms, and that parents often gave in to their children’s demands for unhealthy foods and beverages due to their perception of what a ‘good parent’ looks like and the desire to see their child ‘smile’. These key insights were then shared during the co-creation workshops to develop behavior change interventions—ensuring that interventions were developed by the community, for the community.