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.