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

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2023-11, Vol.26 (11), p.2514-2525
• Main Authors: Cordon, Ingrid M, Doerr, Celeste, Whetstone, Lauren
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advertising campaigns; Audiences; Benchmarks; Beverages; Billboards; Body mass index; California; Child; Child Health; Children; Chronic illnesses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dietary supplements; Eating behavior; Education; Evaluation; Exercise; Families & family life; Female; Food Assistance; Food stamps; Fruit; Fruits; Fruits and vegetables; Health Behavior; Health care; Households; Humans; Interventions; Lifestyles; Marketing; Mothers; Nutrition; Obesity; Population statistics; Poverty; Public health; Research Paper; SNAP-Ed; Social Marketing; Vegetables; Water; Water consumption; Womens health
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980023001301

Evaluation of California Department of Public Health's three-year social marketing campaign ( ) to encourage healthy eating and water consumption among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) California mothers. Andreasen's social marketing framework was used to outline the development and evaluation of the campaign. Quantitative, pre-post cross-sectional study with three cohorts nested within survey years. Generalised estimating equation modeling was used to obtain population estimates of campaign reach and changes in mothers' fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and facilitative actions towards their children's health behaviours. Healthy Living (California's SNAP-Ed). Three separate cohorts of SNAP mothers were surveyed (pre, post) between 2016 and 2018 inclusive. A total of 2229 mothers (ages 18-59) self-identified as White, Latina, African American or Asian/Pacific Islander participated. Approximately 82 percent of surveyed mothers were aware of the campaign as assessed by measures of recall and recognition. Ad awareness was positively associated with mothers' FV consumption (R = 0·45), with the proportion of FV on plates and with behaviours that facilitate children's FV consumption and limit unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks ( ranged from 0·1 to 0·7). The campaign successfully reached 82 percent of surveyed mothers. Positive associations between California's campaign and targeted health behaviours were observed, although the associations varied by year and media channel (i.e. television, radio, billboards and digital). Most associations between ad awareness and outcomes were noted in years two and three of the campaign, suggesting that more than 1 year of campaign exposure was necessary for associations to emerge.