title: Longer term impact of the mass media campaign to promote the Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®: increasing the saliency of a new public health program.
abstract: The Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service® (GHS) was introduced in New South Wales in February 2009. It used mass reach media advertising and direct mail and/or proactive marketing to recruit participants. This article reports on the long-term impact of the campaign on GHS participation from July 2011 to June 2012. A stand-alone population survey collected awareness, knowledge, and behavioral variables before the first advertising phase, (n = 1,544, August-September 2010), during the advertising period (n = 1,500, February-March 2011; n = 1,500, June-July 2011; n = 1,500, February 2012), and after the advertising period (n = 1,500, June-July 2012). GHS usage data (n = 6,095) were collated during July 2011-June 2012. Unprompted and prompted awareness of GHS mass media significantly increased (0% to 8.0%, p < .001; and 14.1% to 43.9%, p < .001, respectively) as well as knowledge and perceived effectiveness of the GHS. Those from the lowest three quintiles of socioeconomic disadvantage and respondents who were overweight or obese were significantly more likely to report prompted campaign awareness. The majority (84.4%) of new GHS calls occurred when television advertising was present. Participants who cited mass media as their referral source were significantly more likely to enroll in the intensive coaching program. Mass media campaigns remain an effective method of promoting a telephone-based statewide lifestyle program.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia blythe.ohara@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Blythe J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Philayrath
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Phongsavan
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gebel
authors.affiliation: NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Banovic
authors.affiliation: NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kym M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Buffett
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bauman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013689:Telephone; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: lifestyle intervention; mass media; recruitment; telephone-based counseling