Alaska’s Play Every Day Campaign Encourages Parents to Serve Healthy Drinks to Young Children

Abstract

Background

Sugary drink consumption by young children is a public health concern. The State of Alaska, partnering with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, implemented the Play Every Day social marketing campaign in 2019–2021 to encourage parents to serve healthy drinks to young children. The campaign’s intended audience was parents who experience disproportionately poor nutrition outcomes: Alaska Native people, those living in rural communities, and those with low incomes and/or educational attainment. We described campaign development, implementation, and performance.

Method

Parents from the identified disproportionately affected populations participated in formative research. Campaign awareness and engagement questions were added to Alaska’s child health surveillance system. Regression models assessed associations between campaign exposure and outcomes.

Results

The sample included 476 Alaska mothers of 3-year-old children. Of the 34% who reported seeing the campaign, 21% said they changed drinks served to their child because of the campaign. Campaign awareness, engagement, and reported changes in drinks given to children because of the campaign were greater among Alaska Native mothers than White mothers. Among all mothers, those who said the campaign gave them new information or that they shared the campaign had 7 to 8 times greater odds for reporting changes in behavior than those not engaged with the campaign.

Implications for Practice

Social marketing campaigns that encourage parents to serve healthy drinks to young children may change behavior. Resources should be systematically dedicated to research, implementation, and evaluation focused on specific populations. Partnering with trusted community-serving organizations likely improves outcomes in disproportionately affected populations.