Online Program

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Just One More Drink CAN Hurt: Development and implementation of a citywide media campaign to reduce binge drinking in NYC


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Aviva B. Grasso, MPH, CHES, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use, Prevention, Care, and Treatment, NYC DOHMH, Long Island City, NY
Caroline Burwell, MS, Health Media, Marketing & Digital Communications, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY
Jeffrey Escoffier, MA, Health Media, Marketing & Digital Communications, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY
Arpi Terzian, PhD, MPH, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention Care and Treatment, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Reena Sam, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY
Hillary Kunins, MD, MPH, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention Care and Treatment, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Ellenie Tuazon, MPH, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
While prominent media campaigns contributed to reductions in drunk driving, the impact of media campaigns on alcohol consumption is not well documented.  A 2010 NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) public awareness campaign produced high recall (52%) but only 35% of viewers reported taking action as a result. DOHMH developed the “Just One More Drink Can Hurt” campaign in 2014 emphasizing preventing a friend’s excessive drinking. 

Campaign development included ideas generated within DOHMH, pitches from media firms, and two rounds of focus groups. The final ads included the call to action: “Keep your friends from hurting themselves or others. Cut them off before they’ve had too much.”  The campaign ran in subways, alcohol outlets, in periodicals, and on radio and digital platforms. The campaign was evaluated using an online survey completed by a convenience sample selected to be representative of NYC adults.  The survey included respondents’ demographic characteristics, drinking patterns, recall of the campaign (with and without reminders) and actions taken or anticipated as a result of exposure to the campaign.

Half of the 808 respondents recognized the campaign, most often online ads (31%) or the subway (18%).  Seventy-five percent reported taking action as a result of this campaign: 37% reported taking a taxi or car service and 26% reported cutting off a friend who was drinking too much. Further analyses will examine differences in impact by media platform and other variables. 

Campaign findings indicate that delivering a clear call to action to bystanders can prompt action and inform future binge-drinking campaigns.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the development and design of a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene media campaign to educate New Yorkers about risks associated with excessive drinking, and encourage the public to intervene with friends who drink “too much.” Identify the multi-platform campaign communication methods implemented for this campaign. Describe the actions taken as a result of exposure to the campaign.

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a Masters in Public Health specializing in Health Behavior and Health Education. For most of the past decade, I have been focused on reducing alcohol-related problems, through policy change, programmatic activities and media campaigns.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.