The public health campaign Love is a kiss, not food, jointly carried out by Poliklinika Salvea and Abeceda komunikacije, won the IPRA Golden World Award in the healthcare category. It is one of the most important international recognitions in the field of public relations, often referred to as the PR Oscar. The award was given to the campaign for the way it took the topic of childhood obesity out of a narrow professional framework and turned it into a public conversation, without stigmatizing children and parents.
The campaign was launched around one of the more serious public health challenges in Croatia. Although obesity is most often discussed when it comes to adults, the problem increasingly begins much earlier, in childhood and even during pregnancy. According to data cited by Poliklinika Salvea, more than one third of children in Croatia aged 8 to 9 have excessive body weight, while only 14 percent of parents are aware of it.
This gap between the real situation and parental perception was one of the key reasons for launching the campaign. Instead of a message that warns from a distance, Love is a kiss, not food opened space for a conversation about habits, emotions, family patterns, prevention and professional support.
“With this award, the joint work of top Croatian experts on one of the key health challenges has been recognized. Although there is a lot of public discussion about obesity in adulthood, it is well known that today everything begins in early childhood and pregnancy. More than one third of children in Croatia aged 8 to 9 have excessive body weight, while only 14% of parents are aware of it. There is a serious difference between the real situation and parental perception,” said Marija Bošnjak, director of Poliklinika Salvea.
The campaign attracted the attention of the media, the professional public and parents. The topic was covered in online and print media, opened through 30 radio shows, television appearances and podcasts on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify, with visible engagement on social media.
The campaign was supported by well-known public figures, including Marin Čilić, Aleksandar Petrović and Dr. Natko Beck, as well as numerous doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, kinesiologists and other experts. Project partners also joined the campaign, including the Japanese association Ito Supporting Committee, the Croatian Pediatric Society, the Croatian Society for Preventive Medicine, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Vitaminoteka.
Together, they showed that a diagnosis listed in medical classification under code E66 cannot be viewed only as a matter of individual discipline. Childhood obesity requires prevention, understanding, support for parents and cooperation among different experts.
“We believe that professional knowledge and empathy are key tools when it comes to childhood obesity, and that lasting changes can only be achieved through a holistic approach and joint action. I thank Abeceda komunikacije for their sincere engagement, the team of experts who voluntarily joined the campaign, as well as the entire team of Poliklinika Salvea, which continues to work diligently every day, through numerous educational sessions, webinars and workshops on healthy nutrition, as well as through regular check-ups and individual conversations with children and parents, on raising awareness and solving this problem,” added Bošnjak.
For Abeceda komunikacije, this is another recognition at the IPRA Golden World Awards. The agency now has a total of seven awards won and six consecutive years among the laureates of this international recognition. For Poliklinika Salvea, which has been operating for two and a half years, the award confirms the continuity of public health initiatives focused on children, young people and families.
