I can’t believe that Norm is 46 years old!
I remember when the ‘Life. Be in it.’ campaign featuring Norm burst onto our TV, radio and newspaper – there was no internet back then! That was back in 1975.
The ‘Life. Be in it.’ campaign aimed to educate us about exercise and to get us active and fit. It ran for 6 years and became one of the most iconic, recognisable and best-known health promotion campaigns in Australian history.
And it worked… a report released in 1979 evaluating the programme claimed that over 40% of respondents felt that the ‘Life. Be in it.’ campaign had made them think about being active and 20% actually identified taking action to be more active. It was a huge success.
We know that keeping physically active is important for good health and wellbeing at any age, and physical inactivity can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia.
For older Australians the Department of Health guidelines state that “people aged 65 and over should do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days.”
However a recent survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [2017-18 National Health Survey] found that 2/3rds of respondents aged 65+ did not do enough physical activity.
Rachel Ely from Australian Leisure Management suggests that Australia needs a new ‘Life. Be in it.’ Campaign. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
It seems to me that bringing a new iteration of ‘Norm’ back is a good idea!
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/insufficient-physical-activity
*The brand is now under the custodianship of Life. Be in it. International Pty Ltd and is managed in each state by associations or companies.