title: The "sugar pack" health marketing campaign in Los Angeles County, 2011-2012.
abstract: As part of a comprehensive approach to combating the obesity epidemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched the "Sugar Pack" health marketing campaign in fall 2011. Carried out in three stages, the campaign sought to educate and motivate the public to reduce excess calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. The primary Sugar Pack creative concepts provided consumers with information about the number of sugar packs contained in sugary drinks. Data from formative market research as well as lessons from previous campaigns in other U.S. jurisdictions informed the development of the materials. These materials were disseminated through a multipronged platform that included paid outdoor media on transit and billboards and messaging using social media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and sendable e-cards). Initial findings from a postcampaign assessment indicate that the Sugar Pack campaign reached broadly into targeted communities, resulting in more than 515 million impressions. Lessons learned from the campaign suggest that employing health marketing to engage the public can lead to increased knowledge, favorable recognition of health messages, and self-reported intention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, potentially complementing other obesity prevention strategies in the field.
authors.affiliation: 1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Noel C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.forename: Ali J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Noller
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Robles
authors.forename: Lauren N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Gase
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Leighs
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bogert
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose
keywords: health marketing; mass media; obesity; sugar-sweetened beverages