iChoose600® - A Calorie Awareness Campaign

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis:  In 2011, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) designed, implemented and evaluated the “iChoose 600®” media campaign.  The goal of the campaign was to encourage restaurant customers to notice and use posted calorie information when making fast food selections.  The hypothesis was that a message about number of calories per meal would be more actionable than a message about consuming 2000 calorie/day.

Methods: The target audience was 25-44 year old women with children.  To address disparities in the prevalence of obesity in the population, an emphasis was on low income and minority women that frequently eat at fast food restaurants. Formative research was conducted to develop a message that resonated with the target audience. In each of the four media campaign counties, focus groups were conducted with 25-44 year old women with children to critique messages, review ads, and to discuss their media habits.  The process began by looking at previously conducted campaigns and implementing an internet survey to the target population about fast food purchasing practices and potential motivators for fast food behavior change.  A ‘2,000 calorie a day’ message and a creative comparing two similar looking meals were not repeated, partly because the target audience struggled with the math needed to follow the 2,000 calorie a day recommendation.  Eventually, the calorie recommendation was reframed to ‘600 calories per meal’—an actionable message that tested well in all of the focus groups.  Based on the market research, the main campaign message developed was meal-specific (“iChoose 600®”) and urged consumers to choose fast food meals under 600 calories.  Ancillary materials provided tips and rationale for reducing calories.  The six month campaign was conducted in the four counties in New York State enforcing calorie posting regulations in restaurants. Media channels were selected to saturate the footprint of the target audience:  billboards, transit ads, radio spots, a Facebook page, food court signage, outreach to local food bloggers, and materials in primary care offices.  These paid activities were supplemented by local activities such as oral presentations at schools and social service agencies. 

Results: Customer surveys and meal receipts were collected at fast food burger chain restaurants before and after the “iChoose600®” campaign.  Results:  56% of the target audience reported seeing the campaign; 66% said it grabbed their attention; and 53% said it made them think about ordering meals under 600 calories.  Meal receipts showed that the target audience was more likely to order fewer than 600 calories if they reported seeing the campaign messages versus not seeing the messages.  

Conclusions: The messaging attracted attention and generated thought and some action around calories purchased when eating out. 

Implications for research and/or practice: The magnitude of change in purchasing behavior was smaller than anticipated. It’s not clear if the audience was unclear on how to make purchasing changes to reduce calories or was not sufficiently motivated by the ads to make changes. The campaign messages should be tested with a broader audience and refined for additional testing in new communities.