Using social marketing to promote cold and flu prevention behaviors on an Australian university campus

Background:

Cold and influenza transmission is a serious public health issue for

universities. This case study describes a coordinated social marketing campaign

that incorporated health messages and products. It was designed to motivate

behavior change to prevent the spread of colds and influenza on a university

campus.

Methods:

The aims of this multi-component intervention were to raise awareness

of the importance of individual behavior in preventing the spread of colds and flu

and to encourage staff and students to adopt three simple habits: hand washing,

cough or sneeze in sleeve, and stay at home if sick. A repeated, cross-sectional

survey design assessed the following pre- and post-campaign: salience of colds

and flu; perceived severity of, and susceptibility to, colds and flu; beliefs about

effective prevention strategies; and engagement in preventative behaviors.

Campaign message and product recall were assessed post-campaign.

Results:

Campaign message recall was high (over 80% of staff and 70% of

students); fewer staff (one-third) or students (one-quarter) recalled campaign

products. Few pretest-posttest differences were observed in perceived

susceptibility or severity. Recognition of “cough or sneeze into your sleeve” as

an effective prevention strategy increased pre- to post-campaign (a percentage

increase of 39.6% for staff and 25.1% for students); campaign exposed

respondents were significantly more likely than unexposed to rate this strategy as

effective post-campaign. Substantial pretest-posttest percentage increases in the

top ranked prevention strategies were found for the three core messages: “hand

washing” (51% for students); “cough in sleeve” (59.2%, staff; 71.1%, students);

and “stay at home if sick” (120%, staff).

Conclusions:

This setting-based intervention clearly reached staff and students

with the primary messages. Success can be attributed to using consumer insight

to develop multiple marketing messages and strategies, rather than a single-

strategy communication campaign.