Digging deeper into why change can be the hardest word
Behaviour change can be tough, but try, try and try again, writes
WHY is it so difficult to change behaviour? We are all guilty of breaking New Year promises of behaviour changes to exercise more, lose weight, give up smoking or achieve another personal goal.
What sparks behavioural change in one person may not work for someone else.
Making a lasting change takes commitment, time, endurance, energy and emotional energy.
First, though, is recognising and accepting that there is a change to be made.
We know it is hard. Change does not come easily.
The biannual Cancer Council Behavioural Research in Cancer Control conference this year demonstrated the staggering research being done across a broad range of activities related to how you can reduce your cancer risk with strong evidence supporting the outcomes achieved.
Behavioural research is an important aspect of Cancer Council Tasmania’s investment into cancer research.
We need to understand what works. When one in three cancers can be prevented, we want all Tasmanians to be the “one”.
Over many years there has been considerable investment by state and federal governments into anti-tobacco campaigns including advertising, legislative changes and plain packaging.
Smoking rates are at an alltime low but still Tasmania has the highest smoking rates of any state and territory except the Northern Territory. More than 70,400 Tasmanian adults are current smokers.
We know from our own investments in smoking cessation social marketing campaigns that different emotions trigger different outcomes.
Unfortunately, sometimes a campaign may have minimal impact on our target audience.
Recent formative research by Quit Tasmania is being used to develop a Tasmanian social marketing campaign. It is based on what previous and current smokers have told us they want to hear.
It is developed from their feedback, not what we think will work. The proof will be in the pudding, so to speak, but we believe it is a great recipe.
Dry July is a Foundation with a purpose. Many of us have been counting down the 31 days of July until August arrives and we can once again enjoy a glass of wine.
Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen. This is the highest
classification available and means that it is an acknowledged cause of cancer.
And while there is no safe level of smoking, Cancer Council recommends individuals drink only within the national health guidelines.
The less a person drinks, the lower their risk of developing a cancer caused by alcohol.
It is interesting to evaluate why being dry in July is such a challenge. I have discovered that it is a habit.
I am used to a drink with dinner or when I arrive home from work. It is a behaviour pattern. Could I change if I really had to? Probably.
Although we are in the throes of winter, summer is really not far away. Being sun smart is another behaviour that has to be encouraged. Melanoma is the fourth highest cancer diagnosis in Tasmania.
We don’t want people to look back in 20 and 30 years and wish they had listened to our slip, slop, slap, seek and side messages; we want them to change their behaviours now.
Wearing a hat may not seem cool, but being alive rather than cool has to be a better outcome.
Investment by governments into preventative health strategies are an integral and important aspect of behavioural change.
Cancer Council Tasmania has been provided funds to invest into a cancer prevention social marketing campaign. Our objective is to prove up the return on investment and the economic benefits of preventative measures. We want the investment to continue.
Our Quit Tasmania slogan of “Never giving up trying to give up” is integral to behavioural change.
Relapses are common. We are human. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but look at why it happened and what you can do to avoid it happening again.
A quote that I found many years ago resonates with me now. “To try and fail is at least to learn; to fail to try is to suffer the inestimable loss of what might have been.”
Change behaviour. It is never too late.