title: An evaluation of the "TrEAT Yourself Well" restaurant nutrition campaign.
abstract: This study examined the effect of the "TrEAT Yourself Well" campaign on diners'menu choices using data from four restaurant chains in California. Within each chain, two locations in the greater San Diego area were selected as experimental sites and either one or two locations outside the greater San Diego area were selected as control sites. Various promotional activities, including in-restaurant promotions, community events, and paid media advertising, were conducted in the experimental region to promote healthy menu entrées. The results show that the campaign was successful in reaching diners and had positive effects on their beliefs and attitudes toward healthy dining. The campaign directly increased the probability of a consumer purchasing a healthy menu item by 3.7% (p = .05). By improving consumer attitudes toward healthy menu items, the campaign indirectly increased purchases of these items by 4.4%.
authors.affiliation: Morrison School of Agribusiness & Resource Management, Arizona State University, Mesa, 85212, USA. acharyar@asu.edu
authors.forename: Ram N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Esther P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Troy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bohm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012147:Restaurants; D040241:Social Marketing