Impact of High School Based Wellness Program on Adolescent Attitudes Toward Fruits, Vegetables and Physical Activity

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: Peer-to-peer (“buzz”) marketing may be effective when used with a teenage audience due to that particular audience’s methods of communication and their tendency to be influenced by their peers. For teenagers, peer-to-peer marketing and social influence are important factors as they impact teens’ behaviors and decisions, and ultimately their growth and development (Linn, 2003). Communication techniques that involve word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing are often more effective with this audience than traditional forms of media because teenagers are more media savvy than other target groups, and can more quickly identify marketing tactics (Linn, 2003). Because of this, they tend to be less trusting of traditional marketing techniques. Additionally, WOM is often more effective than traditional marketing methods with a teenage audience because of the influence of peer networks. The application of the principles of buzz marketing to a public health campaign for teens could provide an innovative and effective way to positively impact attitudes and behaviors. Hypothesis: Utilizing peer-to-peer or "buzz" marketing principles will contribute to positive attitudes toward the public health marketing campaign itself, which in turn will positively impact the attitudes and behaviors targeted by the campaign as reported by the adolescents themselves.

Methods: Over seven years, a high school-based wellness program utilized teens themselves as the communications channel for messages crafted to improve consumption of fruits and vegetables and amount of physical activity. These small groups of adolescents were dubbed "buzz agents" for the purposes of the campaign and were given training and materials to conduct the marketing campaign in their high school in their own customized way. The campaign was created using advertising and marketing principles rather than information and education principles, using approaches such as stealthy "under the radar" guerilla tactics and a wide array of intriguing teen-developed materials. Extensive formative and summative evaluation each year for seven years was analyzed at the conclusion of the program to calculate buzz agent attitudes toward the campaign and to test for correlation to attitudes and self-reported behaviors around fruit and vegetable consumption and amounts of physical activity.

Results: Statistical analysis indicates that buzz agents significantly improved their attitudes toward fruits, vegetables and physical activity and also improved their self-reported behaviors concerning the consumption of fruits and vegetables and the amount of physical activity. More exposure to the campaign tactics at their schools was positively correlated to favorable attitudes about the campaign, attitudes about fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, and self-reported behavior changes in these areas.

Conclusions: Carefully planned buzz marketing campaigns positively impacted attitudes and behaviors among teen participants.

Implications for research and/or practice: Engagement in a school-based public health campaign utilizing principles of buzz marketing can produce significant changes in attitudes and behaviors among the most engaged participants, the campaign buzz agents. This low-cost, scalable concept could be utilized for any number of public health issues, applying the fundamentals of advertising to the creation of word-of-mouth based campaigns.