Best Bones Forever! Let's Dance Contest: Engaging Tweens in Bone-Building Behaviors

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health developed Best Bones Forever! to increase calcium and vitamin D consumption and physical activity among girls 9-14. To make the target behaviors appealing, easy, and popular, Best Bones Forever! launched the Let's Dance Contest featuring Savvy (an up-and-coming pop group) in June 2011. Girls nationwide were invited to choreograph a unique dance routine to a Savvy song and upload their video. By practicing their moves, girls engaged in physical activity. Messages about calcium and vitamin D were included on the website and in outreach to girls. A robust partnership network increased contest engagement. Ninety girls from 17 states participated. A majority of evaluation participants reported that they learned “a little” (48% and 31%) or “a lot” (45% and 59%) about which physical activities and which food and drinks help build strong bones, respectively. Additionally, all of the girls “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they planned to do more physical activity and learn more about ways to keep their bones healthy. Ninety seven percent “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they planned to eat more bone-strengthening foods. Lastly, all participants “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they would participate in another dance contest. Lessons learned from the Let's Dance Contest, including the importance of organizing fun and engaging activities, using new media effectively, creating appealing messages, engaging partners, and conducting grassroots outreach, can help other social marketing programs seeking to mobilize and engage a tween audience.