Evaluation of Soda Free Summer 2008: Findings from a six county effort to decrease sweetened beverage consumption

Background: The 2008 Bay Area Nutrition & Physical Activity Collaborative (BANPAC) Soda Free Summer (SFS) campaign was designed to encourage San Francisco Bay Area residents to “rethink their drink” and reduce or eliminate sweetened beverage consumption. The centerpiece of the campaign was an effort to recruit residents to pledge to be “soda free” for 10 weeks over the summer and to maintain a log documenting each “soda free” day. Participants took the pledge by signing a pledge card and returning it to BANPAC.

Methods: The SFS campaign evaluation employed a multi-method design to create a full picture of SFS implementation and impact. Methods included interviews with stakeholders and a telephone survey of 600 participating residents living in the six Bay Area counties.

Results: The SFS campaign was well received by stakeholders and residents. Stakeholders representing a variety of community organizations used the SFS campaign and materials to reach an estimated 100,000 Bay Area residents. Residents participating in the SFS phone survey liked the SFS materials – 72% found the brochure very useful. Almost half of the survey respondents who took the SFS pledge said they decreased soda consumption and 40% increased water consumption. Survey respondents showed strong support for proposed policies to improve the healthfulness of food environments and large majorities wanted government to do more to combat childhood obesity.

Discussion: Findings from the BANPAC SFS campaign evaluation are valuable for communities, both in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, seeking to replicate the SFS campaign in the future.