Development and evaluation of a social marketing campaign to address methamphetamine use in Los Angeles County

Abstract

Background This study describes the development and impact of a social marketing campaign in early 2020 intended to prevent and reduce methamphetamine use in Los Angeles County (LAC). We used social marketing principles and the transtheoretical model to design the campaign, which was intended to avoid stigmatization of methamphetamine users and communicate compassion, empathy, and support. Methods To evaluate its impact, we collected cross-sectional online survey data post-campaign (n = 1,873) from LAC residents in population segments considered higher risk for methamphetamine use. We examine associations between campaign exposure and outcomes using bivariate analyses and binary logistic regression models, which control for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on methamphetamine use or likelihood of use. Results The analyses revealed that campaign exposure was associated with having more negative attitudes toward methamphetamine, calling LAC’s substance abuse service helpline, using methamphetamine fewer days, and considering abstaining. Frequency of exposure to campaign advertisements was positively associated with calling the helpline, suggesting a campaign dose effect. COVID-19-related factors were associated with using methamphetamine in the past 30 days. Conclusions Social marketing campaigns hold promise for impacting methamphetamine prevention and cessation behaviors. This study adds to the limited literature on mass marketing interventions to address this major health issue.

The impact of fentanyl on state- and county-level psychostimulant and cocaine overdose death rates by race in Ohio from 2010 to 2020: a time series and spatiotemporal analysis

“…In the absence of medication assisted treatment for stimulants, a comprehensive harm reduction approach is needed. But the benefit of education programs as a supplement to overdose prevention efforts is unclear [ 55 ]. Informational campaigns on the physiological long-term effects of stimulant use [ 56 , 57 ] have not been evaluated for effectiveness.…”