Poster Presentation Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Conference 2023

Which media channels are most impactful in promoting dietary knowledge, intentions and behaviours aligned with LiveLighter® campaign messaging? (#223)

Rebecca Godwin 1 , Belinda Morley 1 2 , Mamaru Awoke 1 , Helen Dixon 1 3
  1. Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, East Melbourne
  2. Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
  3. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville

Background: The LiveLighter® healthy weight and lifestyle program aims to motivate adults to adopt healthy eating habits and attain and maintain a healthy body weight. Using a TV-led integrated communications strategy, incorporating supplementary media such as outdoor, radio and digital, LiveLighter® campaigns promote dietary-related knowledge, intentions, and behaviours that align with this aim. This study explores whether exposure to LiveLighter® campaigns via various media channels differentially affect those dietary-related outcomes.  

Methods: Cross-sectional telephone tracking surveys were undertaken with WA adults (n=3,516) aged 25-49 from 2019-2021 assessing awareness of various campaign media, and diet-related outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed whether exposure to LiveLighter® campaigns via supplementary media, TV/catch-up TV, or both, were differentially associated with dietary-related knowledge, intentions, and behaviours, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Preliminary findings suggest that exposure to campaign messaging via different media channels may differentially affect some outcomes. In comparison to respondents who did not recall being exposed to the campaign (51%), respondents exposed to the campaign either via TV (61%) or TV plus supplementary (61%), but not supplementary media only (55%) were more likely to know that overweight is a risk factor for cancer. Whereas, for the cognitive outcome, thinking about the benefits of becoming a healthy weight, an alternate pattern was found whereby a greater proportion of those exposed to supplementary media only (81%) or TV plus supplementary (80%) in comparison to those with no exposure (73%) contemplated this. Further analyses will examine additional outcomes and investigate whether response patterns vary among key target audience subgroups.

Conclusions: Preliminary findings reveal that exposure to campaign communications via different media channels may promote improvements in specific areas of dietary-related knowledge, intentions, and behaviour. This will assist in tailoring future healthy weight and dietary-related messaging across different media channels and in targeted media buying.