1% or less: a community-based nutrition campaign.
OBJECTIVE
The authors evaluated the effectiveness of a community education campaign to encourage a switch from high-fat (whole and 2%) milk to low-fat (1%, 1/2%, and skim) milk as a way to reduce consumption of saturated fat.


METHODS
Milk sales data were collected from supermarkets in the intervention and comparison communities for three one-month time periods: at baseline, immediately following the campaign, and six months after the campaign. In addition, trained volunteers conducted pre- and post-intervention telephone surveys.


RESULTS
Overall milk sales increased by 16% in the intervention cities following the campaign and remained high at follow-up. Low-fat milk's market share increased from 18% of overall milk sales at baseline to 41% of overall milk sales in the month following the end of the campaign, an increase in market share that was sustained at the six-month follow-up. In the post-intervention telephone survey, 38.2% of those respondents who reported drinking high-fat milk at baseline reported having switched to low-fat milk.


CONCLUSIONS
A focused message communicated through paid advertising, public relations activities, and community-based education programs increased low-fat and overall milk consumption in one community.
Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
B
B
Reger
M G
MG
Wootan
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Booth-Butterfield
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H
Smith
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk / Q000191:economics; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D014903:West Virginia
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids