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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation (HPHCF) 


The Challenge:
The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation wanted to create a program that would educate Massachusetts youth about the ways that they can live healthier lives. In the United States nearly two-thirds of the population is overweight, and almost one in three Americans are obese. Recent statistics show that 15% of all children ages 6 to 9 years old are overweight or obese - totaling over 9 million children in America. In Massachusetts, 10% of adolescents are considered obese and 15% are overweight.

The Goals:
Primary: To empower young people in Massachusetts with the information they need to make healthy decisions about their lifestyle;

Secondary: To begin an ongoing dialogue between healthcare and nutrition experts and Massachusetts youth; and

Tertiary: To begin to take preventative steps against the obesity epidemic among American youth.

The Solution:
The Rendon Group worked with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation (the Foundation) to create Livin’ Fit – a live video conference that connected students in three Massachusetts high schools with their peers in the other locations– and streamed the interaction live through the campaign Web site, www.LivinFit.com.

Because TRG understands the power of celebrity, Boston Bruins legend Cam Neely and Representative Peter Koutoujian, Chairman of the Committee on Public Health, were both recorded prior to the broadcast to give the students their messages about healthy living. Broadcast talent from WB 56 and JAM’N 94.5 were in each location acting as facilitators and guides for the discussion. TRG worked with WB and JAM’N to create a promotional schedule around the event, to maximize the Foundation’s exposure in the media prior to the event.

There were experts in motivation, nutrition, and exercise in each location that spoke to students about what small changes they can make to live healthier lives day-to-day. All in all, students were treated to an hour of educational and productive programming that also allowed them to interact with each other to learn the tips they need to improve their health.

Video Production:
The Rendon Group Productions created a series of introduction videos that gave students and viewers a short history about each of the experts and explained why they were participating in the broadcast. All in all eight videos were created, and a 30-second television public service announcement was aired on Boston’s WB 56 to encourage people to log onto the Web site to view the archived video footage of the broadcast.

The Results:
More than 2,000 students in over 20 schools logged onto www.LivinFit.com to view the live videoconference and learn more about the ways that they can live healthier lives. More than a dozen media hits were generated in various print and electronic media outlets throughout the state, generating more than 5 million impressions state-wide for the Livin’ Fit campaign and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.