Inclusivity

Understanding Barriers: Beyond Individual Willpower

Our team approached obesity not as a failure of willpower but as a systemic condition influenced by Social Determinants of Health (SDOH):the social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape people’s well-being.

According to Healthy People 2030, SDOH encompass factors such as safe housing, transportation, and neighborhood design; access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities; education, job security, and income; language and literacy; and protection from discrimination or violence.

These conditions collectively determine who has the ability to live a healthy life — long before individual “choices” come into play.

In this context, obesity cannot be separated from structural inequities:

• Individuals living in areas without grocery stores, walkable spaces, or safe parks are systematically disadvantaged in maintaining healthy weight or lifestyle habits.
• Marginalized populations facing discrimination, economic instability, or limited healthcare access are more likely to experience chronic stress, poor diet quality, and restricted mobility.
• Even in high-income settings, language barriers and low health literacy can block access to accurate medical information and preventive care.

Recognizing these realities, Team Essential Korea reframed obesity as both a medical and social issue — one that mirrors broader accessibility gaps in science and health education. By documenting these barriers, our Inclusivity initiative aims to highlight that effective publichealth innovation must address environmental and systemic conditions, not just behavior modification.

Expanding Access through Multilingual and Accessible Communication

To ensure inclusivity across languages and cultures, we distributed our global survey in six languages — Spanish, French, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, and English — through the iGEM Slack community and international partner schools.

The survey, structured in four parts (Participant Background, Perceptions & Knowledge, Health Behavior, and Social Views), collected over 50 responses worldwide and revealed recurring barriers such as:

• Concerns about side effects and relapse,
• Financial burden of long-term treatments, and
• Persistent stigma and misinformation.

In parallel, we launched an Instagram campaign with short, fact-based, and stigma-free posts that promoted body positivity, empathy, and scientific literacy.

All materials were designed in plain language, infographic format, and mobile-optimized layouts, ensuring readability for diverse audiences — including adolescents, non-native English speakers, and individuals with limited scientific background.

Dialogue and Responsiveness

Although our interaction with participants was primarily through digital channels, the multilingual survey and Instagram feedback created a valuable two-way dialogue. Participants’ repeated concerns about side effects, relapse, cost barriers, and social stigma directly informed project updates:

• We added clear explanations of side-effect risks and relapse management strategies.
• A Glossary and FAQ section were created to clarify technical terminology.
• Our outreach materials incorporated practical habit-tracking and lifestyle guidance, promoting small, sustainable changes rather than “quick fixes.”

This feedback loop ensured that our communication was not only informative but also responsive to real human experiences and emotions.

Documentation and Reusability

We openly documented our survey templates, distribution guide, social media post designs, and an accessibility checklist, allowing other iGEM teams to replicate or adapt our approach. These resources are archived in both English and Korean, with references to design accessibility standards (e.g., color contrast, readability, and screen-reader compatibility). We also proposed a basic Inclusivity Evaluation Framework, which other teams can use to measure inclusivity metrics such as language coverage, demographic reach, and accessibility compliance.

Reflection and Lessons Learned

Through this process, we learned that linguistic and cultural diversity is not a decorative feature but a foundation of ethical science communication.

• Multilingual outreach broadened participation and revealed social barriers invisible in singlelanguage studies.
• Empathy-based messaging — emphasizing health, not blame — built trust and engagement.
• Technical solutions alone are insufficient; true inclusivity also requires psychological safety, accessible language, and community participation.

Figure 4: Team Essential Korea’s Instagram campaign illustrating accessible, stigma-free communication that combines public health education with positive social messaging.

Future Commitments

We plan to strengthen inclusivity through measurable next steps:

• Oversampling underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, low-income households, and youth populations to reduce sample bias.
• Expanding offline channels (schools, local clinics, and community centers) to overcome digital access gaps.
• Quantitatively tracking accessibility metrics, including readability scores and visual-summary ratios in educational materials.
• Hosting annual Inclusivity Review Meetings to assess, update, and improve inclusivity standards across future projects.