Earlier this year, the North Country Healthy Heart Network, along with partners in and around Hogansburg in northern Franklin County, was able to demonstrate that clever, fun marketing of fruits and vegetables can influence consumer choices.
The FNV (fruits and vegetables) campaign, created by the Partnership for a Healthier America and presented locally by the Heart Network, aims to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables by leveraging the popularity of athletes and entertainers in its advertising. The Heart Network’s local FNV partners included Saint Regis Mohawk Elementary School and Saint Regis Mohawk Health Services, and Bear’s Den, Akwesasne Mini Mart, Speedway, and Twinleaf convenience stores.
“We kicked off the campaign in early 2020 by surveying customers at convenience stores in the Hogansburg area and workplace sites,” said Kat Haney, coordinator for the Heart Network’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program. “Then, we ran print and billboard ads and placed marketing materials at the various sites.”
The campaign demonstrated success at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.
“It was a quasi-experimental study so we shouldn’t lend the results too much statistical significance,” Haney explained. “But, there is potential evidence of a positive association between the program’s implementation and increased fruit and vegetable consumption. In-store and point-of-sale promotional materials appeared to have the greatest impact on overall campaign awareness and behavioral influence.”
Heart Network staff conducted a total of 285 surveys — 138 prior to the FNV campaign launch, and 147 after its conclusion. Respondents were asked about their shopping habits, fruit and vegetable consumption, and campaign awareness.
- The number of people who reported eating fewer fruit and vegetable consumption over a three-month timespan dropped from pre-campaign to post-campaign, from 14.5% before the campaign to 7.5%.
- People whose fruit and vegetable consumption increased went up from about 23.2% up to 32.0%.
- The unchanged group fell slightly from 62.3% to 60.5%.
“There was a big change in consumption for the people who responded that they were aware of the campaign,” Haney said. “There’s obviously a risk of bias influencing the data, but overall, we find the results encouraging from a health policy perspective. The FNV results suggest a campaign with good potential for influencing fruit and vegetable consumption.”
For more information about the Heart Network’s FNV campaign, contact Kat Haney at (518) 891-5855 or khaney@heartnetwork.org.
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