Marketing Research and Segmentation Problem

Marketing Research

Inova Fairfax Hospital located in Fall Church, VA, is the inova's flagship hospital; it ranked in the United States among the top healthcare providers. Inova Fairfax Hospital is an 833 bed hospital that is a nationally recognized medical center serving within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Inova Fairfax Hospital is ranked as the country's best hospital for innovation and excellence, also was named by Health Grades as one of America's 50 Best Hospitals in 2009.

The reason we need to do a market assessment of the lifestyle profile of adolescents in our neighborhood is because this assessment will help in collecting and analyzing lifestyle changes that is needed for middle and high school children.

Who are the targets? Parents of adolescents ages 15-21.

This assessment will make a valuable and effective lifestyle change for the adolescents that will promote exercising and nutrition choices that will lead to a healthier life as an adult. I attended the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in November, and one of the major topics was project planning on how to recognize children who are more at risk of becoming obese. They discussed how obesity is becoming a serious problem for middle and high school children. They think that it is because of the unhealthy choices that children are allowed to make for lunch at school or when they are with their friends eating "fast foods." The obesity of children and adolescents is a problem in the United States according to" Huang, J, Pokala, P, Hill, L, Boutelle, KN (2009), "HOPE project is a multidisciplinary, healthy living counseling curriculum to educate pediatric clinicians in training on how to recognize children who are at risk for obesity and its co-morbidities and how to promote healthy weight among children and their families." It is great that schools are trying to develop weight training programs to try to get children to exercise and eat healthy. Schools should assist children when they come through the lunch lines. They think children in middle school are old enough to make wise decisions. They are not making the right choices when it comes to selecting foods. "Childhood obesity increases the risk of obesity in adulthood. The medical illnesses associated with obesity usually occur in adulthood, but adults rarely achieve sustained weight loss. Therefore, prevention of obesity in childhood and effective treatment of overweight children are essential." Whitaker, RC, Wright, JA, Pepe, M, Seidel, KD and Dietz, W (1997).

What are they like? Eat fast foods and do not like to exercise. Their Lifestyle Traits are listed below: According to Prizm My Best Segments.

* Low balance in savings account

* Low balance in checking account

* Does not have HMO/PPO

* Go to movies

* Read Ebony

The lifestyle profile of adolescent's behavior patterns makes daily life choices that have an effect on their future health through the transition from youth to adulthood. Adolescent's everyday life is a struggle in doing physical activity and eating a nutritious diet. The majority of adolescents' (middle school and high school), are fast food eaters, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and sits at home playing video games. Exercising is not important to the middle school and high school groups. They do not realize that the lifestyle choices they make as young people will have an effect on their overall health when they become an adult and that can lead to the risk of developing chronic diseases. A change in behavior is important and has to be taught to parents and their children. In order for this change to take place a lifestyle analysis has to be done and then a program needs to be put together that will teach how to transition to healthier behavior.

Where can I find them? In Mount Vernon near the Fort Belvoir, Virginia area the average income is around