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Biomedical subjects

Bill Reger-Nash

Publications and source records attributed to Bill Reger-Nash.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Statewide implementation of the 1% or Less Campaign.

The 1% or Less Campaign is an effective research-tested program for reducing saturated fat intake by encouraging individuals to switch to low-fat milk. All published studies have been conducted in small communities with mostly White populations. The 6-week intervention included a media campaign, public relations, and taste tests. Campaign effectiveness was measured using sales data and cross-sectional telephone surveys. Survey results showed a significant increase in low-fat milk consumption from 30.2% to 40.8% of milk drinkers (p < .001) with a reduced yet sustained increase at 3 months. This translates to approximately 65,000 people switching to low-fat milk during the campaign with a sustained effect of approximately 32,000 people three months postcampaign. Sales data show an increase of low-fat milk sales from 32.7% to 39.9%. Results are similar to smaller community initiatives, indicating the program is effective in promoting population behavior change but may need booster sessions for sustained effects.

Adult↗

BC Walks: replication of a communitywide physical activity campaign.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals not engaging in recommended amounts of moderate-intensity physical activity are deemed insufficiently active and are at greater risk of chronic disease. Social marketing strategies may promote positive changes in physical activity levels among insufficiently active individuals. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used to determine whether the results of a previous communitywide physical activity social marketing campaign conducted in Wheeling, WVa (population, 31,420) could be replicated in the larger community of Broome County, New York (population, 200,536). BC Walks promoted 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity daily walking among insufficiently active residents of Broome County, New York, aged 40 to 65 years. Promotion activities included paid advertising, media relations, and community health activities. Impact was determined by preintervention and postintervention random-digit-dial cohort telephone surveys in intervention and comparison counties. We assessed demographics, walking behavior, moderate and vigorous physical activity, and campaign awareness. RESULTS: The paid advertising included 4835 television and 3245 radio gross rating points and 10 quarter-page newspaper advertisements. News media relations resulted in 28 television news stories, 5 radio stories, 10 newspaper stories, and 125 television news promotions. Exposure to the campaign was reported by 78% of Broome County survey respondents. Sixteen percent of Broome County participants changed from nonactive to active walkers; 11% changed from nonactive to active walkers in the comparison county (adjusted odds ratio, 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-2.95). Forty-seven percent of Broome County respondents reported any increase in total weekly walking time, compared with 36% for the comparison county (adjusted odds ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-2.44). CONCLUSION: The BC Walks campaign replicated the earlier Wheeling Walks initiative, although increases in walking were smaller in the BC Walks campaign.

Adult↗

The cost-effectiveness of 1% or less media campaigns promoting low-fat milk consumption.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of four strategies using components of 1% Or Less to promote population-based behavior change. 1% Or Less is a mass-media campaign that encourages switching from high-fat (whole or 2%) to low-fat (1% or skim) milk. Using a quasi-experimental design, campaigns were previously conducted in four West Virginia communities using different combinations of 1) paid advertising, 2) media relations, and 3) community-based educational activities. Telephone surveys and supermarket milk sales data were used to measure the campaigns' effectiveness. METHODS: Using data from the previously completed studies, we analyzed the cost of each campaign. We then calculated the cost per person exposed to the campaign and cost per person who switched from high- to low-fat milk. RESULTS: The combination of paid advertising and media relations was the most cost-effective campaign, with a cost of 0.57 dollars per person to elicit a switch from high- to low-fat milk, and the combination of media relations and community-based educational activities was the least cost-effective campaign, with a cost of 11.85 dollars per person to elicit a switch. CONCLUSION: Population-based campaigns using a combination of paid advertising and media relations strategies can be a cost-effective way to promote a behavior change in a community.

Advertising↗

Wheeling walks: evaluation of a media-based community intervention.

Mass media community-wide physical activity intervention to promote and sustain changes in walking was assessed using a 2-community longitudinal design. The intervention targeted sedentary 50- to 65-year-old residents of Wheeling, West Virginia. Telephone surveys of a probability sample followed cohorts at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month post-intervention with comparison communities. The intervention, consisting of paid advertisements, public relations, and community participatory planning, attained high levels of awareness and effected significant sustained population-wide changes among the most sedentary in Wheeling.

Cohort Studies↗