Use of a Social Marketing Campaign to Promote Healthy Eating Behaviors Among Low-Income Caregivers

Abstract

Social marketing is a community and public health approach used in nutrition education that helps to complement programming. Researchers evaluated an eight-week social marketing campaign to promote healthy eating behaviors and encourage fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income caregivers. The campaign focused on the benefits of modeling healthy fruit and vegetable intake behaviors for caregivers of young children through television, radio, digital media, billboards, gas pump toppers, posters, and promotional materials. A survey was conducted to measure campaign awareness. Online data tracked digital reach, frequency, and total impressions. The main study findings were campaign awareness and correctly understanding the campaign’s tagline. We used descriptive analyses to evaluate the social marketing campaign. Data were collected by calling 7,802 phone numbers, 192 respondents agreed to participate in the baseline survey. Among those, 101 remembered seeing/hearing the campaign, and 70 agreed to complete the survey. Sixty-six out of 70 respondents correctly understood the campaign’s message. The campaign was effective in creating awareness of campaign messages. More than 50% of respondents recognized the campaign. Future studies should consider having pre-and post-test surveys, longer-term campaigns, and placing marketing ads at locations that “prompt” behavior change.

California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) Be Better social marketing campaign: mothers’ fruit and vegetable consumption and facilitation of children’s healthy behaviours

“…An increasing number of SNAP-Ed implementing agencies have included (or plan to include) a social marketing campaign (39) . The number of published social marketing projects that focus on SNAP-Ed populations remains relatively limited in number (28)(29)(30)34,35,40) ,with most focusing on FV consumption in adults (39) . The present study contributes to this literature with a multi-year campaign based on Andreasen's benchmark criteria, including an evaluation utilising population-based analyses.…”

“…Participants wanted to connect with, and hear from, other moms who were similarly motivated to make healthy changes. Mothers were interested in pursuing activities that would create memories and strengthen family bonds while using strategies that were presented in simple and approachable waysobservations noted in other SNAP-Ed formative work (28)(29)(30) . Stress relief, health benefits and feeling and looking better were strong motivators to individual change.…”

Application of Social Marketing Mix Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…We could say that social marketing promotes actions that benefit both the individual and the larger community. The welfare of individuals, groups, the public, or the community is primary goal of social marketing (Haynes-Maslow et al, 2020). Instead of competing products, social marketing competes with people's unpleasant thoughts, behaviours, and actions (Alves, 2010).…”

“…Social marketing mix strategies are currently used to raise health-related awareness (Haynes-Maslow et al, 2020) to prevent the spread of COVID-19 diseases. It has been highly implemented in reaching its objective of increasing public awareness.…”

“…Social marketing campaigns build solid public knowledge of a problem or issue through media, messaging, and other print and digital communication mediums (Haynes-Maslow et al, 2020). These campaigns target many people and generate specific results or achieve goals organized with non-profit motives.…”