Receptiveness to Healthy Eating Messages of Low-Income Families Experiencing Food

Crisis or at Risk for Food Insecurity

Paul McConaughy, M.A.Michigan Nutrition Network, Michigan Fitness Foundation

2011 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media

August 9, 2011

Session Objectives

• Describe the campaignGrow Your Kids With Fruits and Veggies

• Explain what was learned each year, with special attention to the 2010 Paper Plate Project

2007 Pilot Campaign Question:Can A Campaign Be Successful

Without Mass Media?

• Are there places where the audience can be reached directly?

• How will the message be delivered directly?

• When you think “promotion” you don’t have to think mass media.

2007 Pilot Campaign

• Literature Review

• Formative focus groups

• Develop plan/produce materials

• Pilot plan – test materials

• Post pilot focus groups

• Post pilot survey of providers

2007 Campaign Lessons Learned• Going directly to the target audience is not a problem.

• Key material revisions

PostersRecipe Cards

• Key plan revisionTools for educators didn’t get used.Taste Testing is very desirable.

2008Planning & Material Revision

2009Campaign Question

Are campaign processes effective?

2009 Summer Campaign

• Educators presented materials and taste testing at summer program venues.

• Educators were engaged by providing funding for supplies for taste testing and mileage to and from events.

• Evaluation was done by Michigan State University Health & Risk Communication Center.1

1 Grow Your Kids Program Evaluation Report. 2009. Kami J. Silk, Samantha Nazione, & Kristin Pace

• Training should be provided to educators to provide more fidelity of information distribution

• More incentives for kids to make learning more of a family activity

• Physical activity messages need to be more memorable

• Campaign should be modified for implementation with targeted cultures

2009 Recommendations

2010 Food Bank Campaign Questions

• Will the materials stand alone?

• Can a food portion plate make an impression on a target audience during a time of food crisis?

• Will a mail back survey be successful under campaign conditions?

2010 Plan

• Product: Increased fruit and Vegetable consumption

• Price: Time to go through bag, effort to complete and mail survey

• Place: Food banks and other sites serving SNAP recipients

• Promotion: 60,000 shopping bags with kitchen items for fruit/vegetable preparation, recipes to prepare fruits/vegetables,

tips/activities to motivate children to eat fruits/vegetables, jump rope)

10,000 shopping bags ALSO included paper plates illustrated with food groups and healthy portions

Evaluation: Postage-Paid Survey Card

1. Are there any children living with you? If so, how old are they? (Check all that apply.)

ages 0-5 ages 6-17 no children

2. Do you buy most of the food for your household? yes no3. Do you expect to use the items from this bag?

▪ adult items (measuring cups and spoons, cutting board, shopping list)▪ children’s items (jump rope, book, activity pages)▪ paper plates

yes no yes no yes no

4. Do you think these items will help your family eat more fruits and vegetables?

yes no not sure

5. Is it easy for you to get to a place that sells fruits and vegetables

(fresh, frozen, or canned)?

yes no

6. Do you feel you can afford to buy fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)?

yes no

7. What is your zip code? (optional) 8. May we send you a follow-up postcard? If you return that

card, you will be entered into another drawing.(Note: Your name and address must be printed clearly on the

other side of this card.)

yes no

WMU HSIRB Project 10-09-22

Survey Respondents (n=1801)

n=1370

Region

Southeast Michigan

Central/Northeast Michigan

West Michigan

Upper Peninsula

n=681

n=429

n=541

n=150

2010 Campaign Questions & Findings

• Use items in bag?

• Will items help you eat more fruit/veggies?

• Eating more fruit/veggies w/wo plates?

• Easy to get to place selling fruit/veggies?

• Fruit/veggies are affordable?

Do you expect to use items in the bag?

Expect to use adult items

Expect to use children's items

Expect to use paper plates

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

YesNo

n=1785 n=1613 n=424

n=16n=188

n=4

Will GYK items help family eat more fruits and vegetables?

Items will help family eat more fruits/vegetables0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

YesNo

n=431

n=1370

Will items help family eat more fruits/vegetables? (with/without paper plates)

Paper plates included Paper plates not included

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Items help family eat more fruits/vegetablesItems do not help family eat more fruits/vegeta-bles

n=1020

n=89 n=342

n=350

Is it easy to get to a place that sells fruits and vegetables?

Easy to get to a place that sells fruits and vegetables0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

YesNo

n=1613

n=176

Are fruits and vegetables affordable?

Fruits and vegetables are affordable0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

YesSometimesNo

n=432n=132

n=1237

2010 Recommendations

1. Continue GYK Campaign through SNAP programming and outreach sites (Assuming positive outcome on follow-up campaign.).

2. Continue use of GYK Bag (Explore cost effectiveness of a more permanent plate.).

3. Continue to use incentivized mail back short survey for evaluation.

4. Explore ways to address concerns around the purchase of fresh fruit and veggies.

2011 Plans

• People who agreed, on the survey card, will be contacted to assess fruit and veggie consumption behavior change.

• SNAP program site promotion with refrigerator thermometers and door hanger to increase knowledge of selecting and storing fruits/veggies.

• Harvest of the Month school-based campaign built on California’s work to explore effectiveness of targeting campaign through both kids and moms.

• Gear up for next Bag Campaign in 2012.

For More Information

www.michigannutritionnetwork.orgOr contact

pmcconaughy@michiganfitness.org

This material was partially funded by the State of Michigan with federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by way of the Michigan Nutrition Network at the Michigan Fitness Foundation. These institutions are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. People who need help buying nutritious food for a better diet call the Michigan Food Assistance Program Hotline: (800) 481-4989.