Social marketing campaign is associated with increased Food Stamp Program awareness and participation among Connecticut inner-city residents

We conducted 250 interviews in Hartford to assess the impact of a culturally sensitive social marketing campaign seeking to increase participation in the Food Stamp Program. Respondents' demographic characteristics included: average age 39 y old, 75% female, and 87% Latinos (half of which were Puerto Rican). The campaign included: i)English and Spanish public service announcements (PSAs) in local radio stations, ii) one queen size bus ad (n=10 buses), iii) a large banner hung outside the Hispanic Health Council building, and iv)bilingual flyers and posters distributed in supermarkets, bodegas, WIC offices, and other community locations. An evaluation survey indicated that over 78% of respondents reported being exposed to at least one campaign item. Almost 60% saw the bus ad, followed by banner (24.5%), Spanish radio PSA (22.6%), flyers (15.4%), and English radio PSA (10.5%). Among those reporting exposure to the campaign, 85% to 95% reported that the campaign items were easy to understand, and 70% to 80% were very satisfied with them. Respondents felt that the Spanish radio PSA, the banner and the bus ad were the most helpful. There was a significant (p<0.05) dose-response relationship between the number of exposures to the social marketing campaign materials and the proportion of participants that applied for food stamps, ranging from 10.7% among those exposed to one item to 34.4% among those exposed to three campaign items. In conclusion, the social marketing campaign was successful at improving awareness about and at promoting likely eligible individuals to apply to the Food Stamp Program, particularly among those exposed to multiple media channels. Funded by USDA-FNS.