Evaluation of NIIW/TIM Radio Campaign: “Up-to-date? Celebrate!”

Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to describe parental radio-listening behavior and discuss campaign effectiveness in promoting behavioral change.

Background:
During National Infant Immunization Week/Toddler Immunization Month 2007, Los Angeles County Immunization Program launched a radio campaign, using the statewide theme, “Up-to-date? Celebrate!” The campaign consisted of 60-second announcements, broadcasted for seven weeks on five stations that targeted households with children (<4 years). The campaign encouraged parents to check records or talk to children's doctors, to ensure up-to-date status. Messages emphasized preventive benefits of vaccination, importance of timely and age-appropriate immunizations, and where to access free/low-cost immunizations.

Objectives:
Assess message reach/recall and measure extent to which listeners adopted suggested behaviors/practices.

Methods:
Interviewer-administered questionnaire, delivered to parents at 10 WIC sites, six weeks after campaign completion.

Results:
Data included 177 participants (34%: African-American; 63%: Latino). Of respondents, 46% listened to the radio >2 hours/day and 54% listened in the car. Of those who listened to the radio, 58% listened weekday mornings and 44% listened weekend afternoons. Of listeners, 42 (25%) heard immunization messages over the past 3 months, of whom 19 (45%) heard messages once or twice in that period. When asked what they heard, 47% recalled the importance of immunizations, 19% heard immunizations were free, 17% heard about the schedule/need for timely immunizations, and 14% cited resource information. Of those who heard messages, 24 (57%) heard them on the stations that broadcasted the campaign and 29 (69%) indicated the messages motivated them to speak to their children's doctors. Of those who were motivated, 3 (10%) acted upon the advice and 1 (3%) got their child immunized.

Conclusions:
Respondents recalled key campaign messages and a high percentage were motivated by messages. Survey limitations presented difficulty in accurately determining if respondents followed the suggested advice.