News Corp Australia will this Sunday launch Health of the Nation, a national campaign to inspire Australians to get up and get moving as part of a new health push to avoid a looming health crisis.
Health of the Nation will run for 16-weeks across the company’s state mastheads and healthofthenation.com.au, including dedicated content from leading health media brand Body+Soul.
“No issue is bigger than health, and our mission is to help our millions of readers have their healthiest year yet,” said News Corp Australia national executive editor Peter Blunden.
“We’re committed to the most authoritative, engaging health advice across all platforms, from nutrition, wellness, mental health, weight loss and fitness guides to our national Health Survey and a new free Health Club for all Australians run by leading trainer Sam Wood”.
“Our goal is to motivate readers into action and help them feel stronger and live healthier.”
The Health of the Nation survey of more than 3000 Australians, commissioned for the campaign, reveals 80 per cent of Australians concede they need to be more active, six out of 10 Australians believe they are overweight, and 40 per cent are junk food junkies. The study also found only 50 per cent of parents play outside with their children for 1-3 hours each week.
Health of the Nation ambassador Sam Wood, a leading health and fitness expert with 25 years’ experience, said inactive parents were probably unaware of the habits they had created for themselves, which ultimately reflected on the future generation of children.
“Without action, kids are at risk of becoming sitting ducks for poor health,” Blunden said. But he said it’s not as hard as Aussies think to turn the situation around.
Wood said the Health of the Nation series would draw on the latest science and expert advice to break down simple steps for better health in specific life stages, from pre-conception and childhood to old age.
Body+Soul invited Wood to create his eight-week ‘Health of the Nation’ Health Club, which will start on February 5, where readers can sign up free and gain access to his at-home workouts, meal plans and motivation.
“I’ve created the Health Club especially for this campaign to help Aussies jumpstart their 2024 wellness journey,” said Wood.
“Health of the Nation has been an inspiring project to work on as we garner a real-time view of how healthy Australians really are,” said News Corp Australia editorial director premium food, health and travel, Kerrie McCallum.
“Based on the outcomes and needs determined from our national Health of the Nation survey, our News Health Network of brands has come together to inform and advocate for every Australian to live a healthier life”.
“We see Body+Soul as the ultimate health companion for the long haul, where we’ll be curating an extensive content guide over 16-weeks to help Australians along the journey, bridging the gap between every stage and encouraging our audience to achieve their health and wellbeing goals.”
The Health of the Nation campaign is presented nationally in partnership with Woolworths. Woolworths is partnering with the Health of the Nation initiative, with the supermarket focused on making healthier choices more affordable for customers, encouraging the consumption of more seasonal fresh Aussie food through programs like Free Fruit for Kids, and making changes like removing kids confectionery from checkouts.
Woolworths has also earned the title of Australia’s healthiest own brands for the fifth year in a row according to the George Institute.
The campaign is also supported by The a2 Milk Company and sport retailer rebel.
The a2 Milk Company’s chief marketing officer Edith Bailey said: “With a strong belief in the nutritional benefits of dairy, a2 Milk® is proud to partner with the Health of the Nation initiative, motivating Australians to take strides towards better health and wellbeing.”
“rebel has partnered on the Health of the Nation initiative as it fully aligns with our brand vision ‘to inspire all Australians to chase their sporting dreams and passions’ and that is why we advocate for the transformative power of sport as it benefits both body and mind. Sport is Calling!” said rebel general manager eCommerce and marketing Rosemary Martin.
The Health of the Nation campaign launches this Sunday at healthofthenation.com.au and across The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA). Coverage, including dedicated content from Body+Soul, will continue until April.
A consumer marketing campaign will support Health of the Nation, with promotion across print, digital, TV and social channels throughout the 16-week campaign.
