Dr. Lisa Hynes:

The way to put it is that we need to think about the action piece. Awareness is a vital piece of the puzzle but it is not enough alone. We know from behavioural science that knowing is one thing. We all know what is good for our health, so to speak, but doing is another thing altogether. As the Deputy said, the activation of people through our messaging is so important, but it is a really difficult thing to achieve and kind of an emerging science. One word out there at the moment is the idea of "neuromarketing", which is actually utilising the same types of strategies that really effective marketers are using to activate people but with a public health agenda in mind. Croí is part of a very large EU joint action for health at the moment focusing on cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention. That messaging and communication piece using these kinds of strategies is a central characteristic and aim of the four-year programme. Campaigns and messaging are a huge core activity in Croí, obviously, as has been outlined by the Irish Heart Foundation. However, it is about how to do this really well. We cannot take it for granted that by providing compelling information, people will be empowered or able to act. The way we do it is, therefore, really important.