The evaluation of nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs has provided important guidance to the field of health promotion and disease prevention. Evaluation results have told stories of program successes and failures and have lent rigor to program planning and implementation. The methods and results utilized in evaluation of nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs are a critical piece of the experience gained and vital to the interpretation of findings. A literature review was conducted to explore the nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs that have been evaluated, what evaluation questions have been asked, what methods have been used, key findings, and the lessons learned.
Evaluations of nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs have produced a wide variety of findings ranging from individual behaviors to organizational changes to community-wide impacts. These findings raise many questions about how effective nutrition and physical activity interventions have been in promoting and sustaining changes in diet and physical activity behavior. The often disappointing results may be due partially to the ineffectiveness of the intervention designs and partially to the inadequacy of the evaluation design in measuring the program effect.
A number of lessons learned from the evaluation experience are presented and a set of recommendations for future evaluation efforts are suggested. These recommendations will support an increased understanding of social marketing as a method to improve nutrition and physical activity, and will inform the development of innovative program strategies.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participants will be able to: 1. Recognize the limitations of past nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs. 2. Identify two limitations of past evaluations of nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs. 3. Articulate two reccomendations for future evaluations of nutrition and physical activity social marketing programs
Keywords: Social Marketing, Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Contractor to the UC Davis Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing.