P62 Impact Evaluation Results of Rethink Your Drink Nevada: A Campaign to Promote Healthful Beverage Choices Among SNAP Households

Abstract

<h3>Objective</h3> To evaluate the effectiveness of Rethink Your Drink Nevada (RYD), a multi-component campaign aimed at promoting healthful beverage choices and reducing intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among young, school-age children. <h3>Use of Theory or Research</h3> The approaches of the RYD campaign reflect the principles of social marketing and the social ecological theory. <h3>Target Audience</h3> SNAP-eligible households with 1 or more children between the ages of 6 and 12 located in select Nevada counties. <h3>Program Description</h3> RYD includes a blend of education; marketing; and policy, system, and environmental (PSE) approaches designed to encourage parents/guardians to limit children's consumption of SSB and to provide more healthful beverages. A stoplight theme (also referred to as "whoa, slow, go") was featured in all materials in FY 2019 as a way to convey the relative healthfulness of common drinks. <h3>Evaluation Methods</h3> An online survey was conducted with a random sample of SNAP households from 1 intervention county (Washoe County, n = 1000) and a comparison county where the intervention was not active (Clark County, n = 1000). A unique survey was used for the 2 groups but both surveys contained questions regarding knowledge and behavior related to SSB. The intervention county survey also included questions to assess respondents' self-reported exposure to each of the RYD components. Respondents received a $10 e-gift card. <h3>Results</h3> The survey response rate was 7.5%, including 64 households from the intervention county and 86 households from the comparison county. The results showed that the intervention county respondents with moderate or high exposure to the RYD campaign more often limited their child's intake of SSB vs the comparison county (<i>P</i> < .05). In addition, the intervention group respondents (all exposure groups) had higher knowledge of whoa, slow, and go drinks vs the comparison county respondents (<i>P</i> < .001). <h3>Conclusions</h3> These findings suggest that the RYD campaign may be useful in changing behaviors and increasing knowledge related to SSB. <h3>Funding</h3> Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education.