Does Exposure to the Choose Water Campaign Increase Parental Intentions to Promote More Water and Less Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption?

PURPOSE: To assess if exposure to the Choose Water public health media campaign increased parents' intentions to promote healthier beverage consumption in their household. DESIGN: A cross-sectional evaluation administered post-campaign. SETTING: A 2017 internet panel survey in Los Angeles County, California. PARTICIPANTS: The survey included 499 parents of young children. INTERVENTION: The Choose Water media campaign included digital media and out-of-home advertisements (eg, transit shelters, interiors of buses) in both English and Spanish. MEASURES: Dichotomous outcome variables were parental intentions to give child(ren) (1) more water and (2) less sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in their households. The independent variable was campaign exposure, categorized as no exposure, exposed but did not discuss visual, and exposed and discussed visual with someone. ANALYSIS: Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions. RESULTS: Among those who were exposed and discussed a campaign visual, the adjusted odds of intending to promote water consumption were 2.82 times greater than for those who reported no exposure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46-5.46). Similar odds to promote less sugar-sweetened beverage consumption were observed for those who were exposed and discussed a campaign visual (adjusted odds ratio: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.76-6.08). Those with the lowest educational attainment discussed the visual(s) less (10.5%). CONCLUSION: Word of mouth may enhance health messaging by allowing time for intended audiences to process campaign content within their interpersonal network.

The Break Up: Evaluation of an Anti-Smoking Educational Campaign for Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals in Los Angeles County.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults in the United States have a higher prevalence of smoking than their heterosexual counterparts. In 2013, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched a social marketing and outreach campaign called Break Up to reduce the prevalence of smoking in LGB communities. Break Up was evaluated using cross-sectional, street-intercept surveys before and near the end of campaign. Surveys measured demographics, campaign awareness, and self-reported smoking-related outcomes. Bivariate statistics and logistic regression models were used to identify whether campaign awareness was associated with smoking-related outcomes. Calls by LGB persons to a smokers' helpline were also measured. Among those interviewed at endline, 32.7% reported Break Up awareness. Awareness was associated with thinking of quitting smoking and ever taking steps to quit but not with smoking cessation (defined as not smoking in the past 30 days among those who had smoked in the past 6 months). There was a 0.7% increase in the percentage of weekly calls by LGB persons to the helpline in the year after the campaign. Break Up reached about a third of its intended audience. The campaign was associated with smoking cessation precursors and may have led to an increase in helpline utilization, but there is no evidence it affected quit attempts. This study adds to the limited literature on tobacco programs for LGB persons and, as far as we know, is one of the first to evaluate tobacco-free social marketing in this important yet understudied population.

Media Outlet and Consumer Reactions to Promotional Activities of the Choose Health LA Restaurants Program in Los Angeles County.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to assess promotional activities undertaken to raise public awareness of the Choose Health LA Restaurants program in Los Angeles County, an environmental change strategy that recognizes restaurants for offering reduced-size and healthier menu options. DESIGN: We used multiple methods to assess public awareness of and reactions to the promotional activities, including an assessment of the reach of core promotional activities, a content analysis of earned media, and an Internet panel survey. SETTING: The study was conducted in Los Angeles County, home to more than 10 million residents. PARTICIPANTS: An online survey firm recruited participants for an Internet panel survey; to facilitate generalization of results to the county's population, statistical weights were applied to analyses of the survey data. INTERVENTION: Promotional activities to raise awareness of the program included community engagement, in-store promotion, and a media campaign. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes included media impressions, the number of people who reported seeing the Choose Health LA Restaurants logo, and a description of the themes present in earned media. RESULTS: Collectively, paid media outlets reported 335 587 229 total impressions. The Internet panel survey showed that 12% of people reported seeing the program logo. Common themes in earned media included the Choose Health LA Restaurants program aims to provide restaurant patrons with more choices, represents a new opportunity for restaurants and public health to work together, will benefit participating restaurants, and will positively impact health. CONCLUSIONS: Promotional activities for the Choose Health LA Restaurants program achieved modest reach and positive reactions from media outlets and consumers. The program strategy and lessons learned can help inform present and future efforts to combine environmental and individually focused strategies that target key influences of consumer food selection.

Pharmacists' perceptions of participation in a community pharmacy-based nicotine replacement therapy distribution program.

The community pharmacy has been proposed as an ideal location for providing smoking cessation therapy to large numbers of patients. Studies of public health initiatives providing free nicotine replacement products through telephone quitlines have found increased call volumes and cessation rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a program where nicotine replacement therapy starter packs were provided to patients through community pharmacies at no cost. An online survey was developed to assess community pharmacists' participation in the program, perceptions of the initiative as a whole, and perceptions of smoking cessation counseling activities. Eighty-three pharmacists working at participating pharmacies completed the survey (65% response rate). Ninety-nine percent of pharmacists provided smoking cessation counseling during the study period; the median (IQR) number of patients counseled over the initial 3.5-months of the NRT distribution program was 50 (24-100), and the median number of minutes per counseling session was five (3-7). Most (89%) agreed smoking cessation counseling was accommodated into the pharmacy work-flow. A majority (85%) agreed the community pharmacy is an ideal location for distributing free NRT products and that the program should be replicated in other pharmacies (78%). Participating pharmacists viewed the program positively and perceived it to be effective in helping patients quit smoking. In conclusion, the community pharmacy is a viable location for implementation of community-based public health initiatives related to smoking cessation.