SMALL lifestyle changes, rather than the traditional tough calls to stop eating certain foods, are the focus of a new approach to targeting obesity.
The $41 million federal health campaign - ''Swap it don't stop it'' - will promote the idea that Australians should make easy and healthier daily choices with their health.
At the same time, it will warn of the many risks of illness and disease caused by obesity.
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Starting today and commissioned by the Department of Health, the campaign is a departure from traditional scare tactics and graphic imagery often associated with health advertising.
Instead ''Eric'', a likeable but overweight animated blue balloon, spearheads a series of television, print and radio ads that carry a straightforward and repetitive message: swap big portions for small; swap regular sweets for occasional treats; swap fried food for fresh; swap sitting for moving; swap watching sport for playing it.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the project was practical and pragmatic, and would target parents aged 25 to 50 years and adults 45 to 65.
''Losing weight doesn't have to be hard: those little decisions made in the supermarket aisles, in the kitchen or when playing with the kids, can make a real difference,'' she said.
''The ultimate aim is to make healthy change desirable and achievable, an objective that has the potential to help reduce the risk factors for chronic disease in Australians.''
Ms Roxon said it was hoped the advertising blitz would help reduce the pressure on the health and hospital system.
Preliminary results from focus testing showed its simple message struck a chord across a range of age groups, according to government data.
Australia is ranked the 21st most overweight country in the world and third among countries with English as their first language. More than 60 per cent of Australian adults over 15 are considered overweight.
Described by health professionals as a growing epidemic, obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness in Australia and drains the national budget each year by $58.2 billion.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says people who are overweight - particularly those who are obese - have higher rates of death and illness than those of healthy weight.
Obesity causes almost one-quarter of type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis, about one-fifth of cardiovascular disease, and contributes significantly to colorectal, breast, uterine and kidney cancer, psychological problems and reproductive problems in women.
Under international standards, obese means having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. BMI is calculated by dividing one's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in metres. For people 18 and over, a BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight.
The campaign is part of a new generation approach in government advertising and goes beyond traditional media formats. A high-tech smartphone application will be available for download and the campaign will rely on and use social media to get the message out to a broad audience.
