title: Mass media health communication campaigns combined with health-related product distribution: a community guide systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health communication campaigns including mass media and health-related product distribution have been used to reduce mortality and morbidity through behavior change. The intervention is defined as having two core components reflecting two social marketing principles: (1) promoting behavior change through multiple communication channels, one being mass media, and (2) distributing a free or reduced-price product that facilitates adoption and maintenance of healthy behavior change, sustains cessation of harmful behaviors, or protects against behavior-related disease or injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using methods previously developed for the Community Guide, a systematic review (search period, January 1980-December 2009) was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of health communication campaigns that use multiple channels, including mass media, and distribute health-related products. The primary outcome of interest was use of distributed health-related products.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two studies that met Community Guide quality criteria were analyzed in 2010. Most studies showed favorable behavior change effects on health-related product use (a median increase of 8.4 percentage points). By product category, median increases in desired behaviors ranged from 4.0 percentage points for condom promotion and distribution campaigns to 10.0 percentage points for smoking-cessation campaigns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health communication campaigns that combine mass media and other communication channels with distribution of free or reduced-price health-related products are effective in improving healthy behaviors. This intervention is expected to be applicable across U.S. demographic groups, with appropriate population targeting. The ability to draw more specific conclusions about other important social marketing practices is constrained by limited reporting of intervention components and characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Maren N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Kristin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Tansil
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta. Electronic address: relder1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Randy W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Robin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Magdala P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Labre
authors.affiliation: Community Guide Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Analysis and Library Services, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services , CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Shawna L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mercer
authors.affiliation: Office of Associate Director of Communications, Office of the Director, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Dogan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eroglu
authors.affiliation: Office of Associate Director of Communications, Office of the Director, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.affiliation: Office of Associate Director of Communications, Office of the Director, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lyon-Daniel
authors.affiliation: Office of Associate Director of Communications, Office of the Director, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fridinger
authors.affiliation: Office of Associate Director of Communications, Office of the Director, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sokler
authors.affiliation: Georgia; University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Lawrence W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dearing
authors.affiliation: The George Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Leslie B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasisomayajula Viswanath
authors.affiliation: Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Beistle
authors.affiliation: SciMetrika, Durham.
authors.forename: Doryn D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Chervin
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Barbara K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Rimer
mesh_terms: D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015438:Health Behavior; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D040241:Social Marketing