America's Healthiest Hometown

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Old 01-29-2015, 12:41 PM
Villages PL Villages PL is offline
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Originally Posted by Barefoot View Post
As Mikeod said, it's a marketing slogan, not an earned distinction!
That's a valid point to which I already agreed. Marketing slogans are used all the time. It's no big deal when used in marketing.

But I would like to know why USF Health adopted it as their slogan for their very first lecture at Savannah Center(June 21, 2011). They handed out an information leaflet/flyer with the words "America's Healthiest Hometown" on the front.

What were they marketing?
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Old 01-29-2015, 01:05 PM
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Originally Posted by dotti105 View Post
It is a slogan and a goal. Just like being the "Friendliest HomeTown".
Not real sure what point you are trying to make.
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Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
But I would like to know why USF Health adopted it as their slogan for their very first lecture at Savannah Center(June 21, 2011).
I'm not sure why a slogan used in 2011 is important in 2015.
There may be more recent developments that deserve focus.
This was recently posted by pqrstar.

USF pulls out of its $4 million specialty care clinic at the Villages | Tampa Bay Times
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Old 01-29-2015, 01:45 PM
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If The Villages can claim that it is America's Healthiest Hometown, without validations, then I guess that I have the right to claim my home is the healthiest home in America's Healthiest Hometown. that's my story and I am sticking to it
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Old 01-29-2015, 02:12 PM
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In legitimate studies, testing comes at the very beginning before anything is done and sometimes nothing is done, depending on the type of study.

One example of a study is the study for Alzheimer's. The first thing researchers do is give each participant a memory test. Then comes the intervention, whatever it may be. Also, there's a control group that gets no active ingredient or intervention. Then at the end of a year they repeat the same memory test and compare one group with the other to see if the intervention had any value. It's a double-blind study so that the participants don't know whether they're getting a placebo or the active ingredient. Not even the person who hands out the pills would know. This is to keep participants from being unduly influenced.

An example of a poorly designed study is where the participants are highly influenced, as in The Villages Health Study.

What they should have done is take a survey before they did anything at all - no lectures, no slogans, no telling people they would be compared with other communities to see who's the healthiest. They should have simply sent out a letter announcing The Villages/USF Health Alliance. A simple statement that they hope to achieve some helpful suggestions/innovations for better health care in The Villages would have been sufficient.

Then they could have said: "In order for us to know where we need to concentrate our attention, we ask everyone to please complete the enclosed health survey. It's very important and we thank you in advance."

Then at the end of X number of years, perhaps five, they could retest to see what health improvements have been achieved, if any.
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Old 01-29-2015, 04:36 PM
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I heard we are America's Threadiest Hometown.
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Old 01-29-2015, 05:09 PM
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I remember when Chesterfields was the cigarette brand that more doctors preferred. Just advertising hype not backed up with hard evidence.
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Old 01-29-2015, 07:47 PM
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They should have simply sent out a letter announcing The Villages/USF Health Alliance. A simple statement that they hope to achieve some helpful suggestions/innovations for better health care in The Villages would have been sufficient.


Well, they did.
They had a number of group meetings with residents chosen at random.

These were small groups which met before the health survey was sent out to the villagers.

Each of these groups consisted of 10-12 residents and all comments were tape recorded. They listened carefully to all the comments.

I know because I was a member of one of the groups and I have friends who did this also.
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Old 01-29-2015, 11:30 PM
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I sent this (long) post to The Villages Media on 9/4/2012. I also participated in a small group where the survey was discussed and we were told that USF would publish results, etc. To date, I am not aware of any peer reviewed, journal articles from USF or any other credible entity. So, I believe that my original concerns are valid.

"The design, analysis and evaluation of results of these surveys leave a lot to be desired. The Health survey had a sub-tagline as "America's Healthiest Hometown" in the caption when it was distributed, before the data was collected and results compiled. This a priori assumption seems to have been a significant factor in the survey construction and subsequent analysis, evaluation, and reporting of results.

Any competent student of survey methodology can easily point to issues that call the reported results into question. Both surveys are biased, as respondents self-selected their participation. The sample is biased. The published reports mix the number of residents with the number of respondents with erroneous or miss-leading results. Although the actual number of respondents to the Resident survey has not been given (to the best of my knowledge), one reported result was that 100% of Residents visited the town squares weekly. Perhaps 100% of the Respondents so reported, but it is difficult to believe that 100% of the 89,000 residents do so. Poor analysis, poor reporting, or both?

The September issue of the Villages Voice boldly proclaims "Villagers Happiest And Healthiest in U.S." Based upon what metrics, one asks? The first sentence points to the answer- Villagers have rated themselves so! Based upon another self-selected sample, with its inherent biases. So, it must to factually true, right? And, what metrics of health were compared, with other populations, before the conclusion was reached and announced? Surely something besides the answers to Questions 21 and 64 in the survey were used to reach this conclusion!

I have been a resident in The Villages for over 9 years. I believe that I have been a respondent to each annual Resident survey. Each year I have anticipated some improvement in the methodology, analysis, and reporting. And each year I have been more disappointed. Responses to open-end questions seem to be ignored. Statistics about participation and responses to the actual questions are not provided. Selected (favorable?) information is presented in dribs and drabs, and negative results (there must be some!) are noticeably absent.

Unfortunately, some of these same issues seem to be emerging from the USF/Villages Health survey. Results from a biased sample of some 33,00 are being extrapolated to the entire 89,000 population. No statement of quantitative or qualitative metrics (there are a lot of healthiness metrics that could be used) is given; no specifics are given about comparable studies for comparison; and selected results are being dribbled out, as opposed to publication of total results, complete with data sets and methodology. One mark of a competent study is the ability for it to be replicated by others. Maybe even suitable for publication in professional journals. Thus far, this study is woefully lacking in so many ways. In fact, I am surprised and dismayed that USF links its name to such a pedestrian approach. Basic reliability and credibility questions need answers I do not see enough results to support the a priori assumption that Villagers are happiest and healthiest in the U.S.

Yours for reliable and credible studies, improved methodology and evaluation, and full/complete disclosure of all results (at least via Internet) to all participants and other interested parties."

BTW, I believe that a diligent search will find that TV applied for a FL a trade/sales mark or something similar about the time the survey was launched. I have not idea as to its status.
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Old 01-30-2015, 01:35 AM
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Regarding America's Friendliest Hometown and America's Healthiest Hometown -- neither are true.

I have met more nasty people here than I have met in any other place I've lived. Yes, I've met plenty of nice ones, too, but the nasty ones win the prize.

How could TV ever become America's Healthiest Hometown when we are predominantly a senior community? We all are destined to have things go wrong relatively soon and ultimately become ill or incapacitated and die.

Both of these "marketing tools" are laughable!
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Old 01-30-2015, 07:33 AM
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Default The Charade Continues

Tumbleweed: I moved here in 2006 and I agree with your assessment. The residents survey reads like one that could be found on a cruise line trying to determine how best to entertain their customers. The survey has no substance and does little to get at the root of actual concerns of its residents.

The allusion to an adult Disney World is indeed damaging because the hyperbolic marketing here plays off that fantasy. Its deceptive and dishonest and the Daily Sun and VHA are complicit in this charade which is unnecessary because it causes expectation that are too high to meet

I don't want to live in someone's vacation destination. I paid top dollar to be settled in a retirement community and all this fake pollyannish publicity distracts from the real issues that face this community. It is unnecessary because there are many better ways to promote this community preserve its character and properly manage its budget
  #26  
Old 01-30-2015, 10:50 AM
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Default America's Healthiest Hometown

THE VILLAGES DECLARED HAPPIEST, HEALTHIEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL, MOST ENJOYABLE HOMETOWN!!!

No survey or study. Just the opinion of some of my friends.

Last edited by Polar Bear; 01-30-2015 at 12:26 PM.
  #27  
Old 01-30-2015, 11:29 AM
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I just checked. "AMERICA'S HEALTHIEST HOMETOWN" is a trademark. https://trademarks.justia.com/855/50...-85550971.html

It is owned by HOLDING COMPANY OF THE VILLAGES, INC..

"AMERICA'S HEALTHIEST HOMETOWN PROMOTING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE" is also trademarked by HCOTV, INC.
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Old 01-30-2015, 12:25 PM
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This too shall pass................................
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Old 01-30-2015, 12:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon View Post
Tumbleweed: I moved here in 2006 and I agree with your assessment. The residents survey reads like one that could be found on a cruise line trying to determine how best to entertain their customers. The survey has no substance and does little to get at the root of actual concerns of its residents.

The allusion to an adult Disney World is indeed damaging because the hyperbolic marketing here plays off that fantasy. Its deceptive and dishonest and the Daily Sun and VHA are complicit in this charade which is unnecessary because it causes expectation that are too high to meet

I don't want to live in someone's vacation destination. I paid top dollar to be settled in a retirement community and all this fake pollyannish publicity distracts from the real issues that face this community. It is unnecessary because there are many better ways to promote this community preserve its character and properly manage its budget
Very well said.

Your views on this are identical to mine. At times I find this constant barrage of pollyanish publicity having a negative effect on me.
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Old 01-30-2015, 01:03 PM
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Of course, their are options.
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