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BODYLOVE RADIO SOAP OPERA BodyLove Project Summary
BodyLove: BodyLove began in 2002 as a 10 episode, one radio station program. Through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, it grew to an 83 episode, 15 station project and is now broadcast in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. Each 15-minute episode is usually followed by a 45-minute talk period where listeners speak to local health experts for information and/or referals to local health resources. The talk-period is also used to highlight local health events, clinics and other community health promotion opportunities. The stories in BodyLove center around 3 families in a community. Vanessa and Roz operate the beauty salon called BodyLove. Characters struggle to prevent or manage chronic diseases prevalent among African-American adults. While the primary focus is diabetes, the stories also address hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, depression, alcoholism, gun violence and other critical issues. The program is based upon the principles of "entertainment-education" that have been recommended for reaching audiences not reached by traditional health education and health promotion messages. The primary mechanism for changing behavior is modeling by the characters within the stories of BodyLove. Rosalyn and Fadelia, two main characters, manage their diabetes in very different ways that have life threatening consequences. By demonstrating strategies for changing from unhealthy to healthy behaviors, BodyLove increases confidence among listeners that they can attempt such changes. BodyLove motivates listeners to change. Five of the current stations in Alabama report a listenership of 20,000 per quarter hour during the period that they broadcast BodyLove.
The target audience is African American adults living in resource-poor communities who are at increased risk for diabete and other chronic diseases because of constrained resources and limited access to information. This includes the elderly, those with limited health literacy, and those in poor rural and urban areas. Those involved in keeping BodyLove on the air are the small staff at Media for Health, a hands-on Board of Directors, exceptional actors, writers, directors and studio engineers, local program hosts and health experts and enthusiasic radio stations. With this network, BodyLove reaches thousands of listeners, many of whom call in each week asking questions about their health and giving testimony to their loyalty to the show. Goals: The organizational goals of Media for Health are to:
The specific evaluation goals of BodyLove are to:
Measuring Effectiveness: Our evaluations to date suggest that the program is well received and is perceived to be exerting some influence on people’s behavior. Data were collected from a panel of 95-162 radio listeners after every 20 episodes. On a five point scale (poor/fair/good/very good/excellent), 52% to 67% rated the program very good to excellent at each survey point. Forty three percent said they have adjusted their schedules to listen to BodyLove. When asked to indicate the level of influence (0-100%) on a number of health related behaviors most listeners indicated that listening to BodyLove had a very high level of influence (greater than 70% influence) on talking about diabetes, getting screened for diabetes, getting screened for high blood pressure, starting to exercise, and starting a healthier diet. Listening was reported to have a moderate to high level of influence (greater than 50%) on talking about and getting screened for depression. Funders and Supporters: In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, BodyLove is supported through funding from many local and national charitable foundations, including:
Publicity and Press Coverage: On April 11, 2008 BodyLove was featured on the front page of the LA Times, with re-prints in the Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel, the Anniston Star and others. The series also receives regular print and television coverage in it’s local markets. On May 7 Birmingham's Fox affiliate spend three hours at Boutwell Studios taping their live morning show while BodyLove Episode 83 was recorded. We were featured in the Dothan Eagle on July 1, 2008 and on their ABC affiliate on June 26, 2008. BodyLove was recently the lead feature in newsletters of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, MissionWise, the Kaiser Health Disparities Report and Medical News Today. One of the more interesting blogs, http://www.blakesnyder.com/2008/04/14/tell-a-story-save-lives/ , is by screenwriters on the use of BodyLove stories to change lives. Organizational Description: Media for Health is a private non-profit organization formed in September, 2006 to produce, promote and distribute BodyLove. It is governed by a 15 member Board of Directors with a wide range of experiences and expertise, including health promotion, primary care medicine, health communications, legal, accounting, marketing, media buying, and radio production. The organization is supported by charitable foundations and radio sponsorships.
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Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government. |
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BodyLove is the soap opera that is good for you. Developed by faculty and students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, BodyLove is a radio drama that reaches African American listeners with messages to promote healthy lifestyles. The program uses the technique of modeling healthy and unhealthy behaviors and their consequences. To date, 83 episodeshave been produced and broadcast on radio stations in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. They can also be streamed on-demand from three stations in Birmingham, Alabama. Please visit www.bodylove.org for more information.
Target Audience: