Would you Find Thirty online? Website use in a Western Australian physical activity campaign
J. E. Leavy A D , M. Rosenberg B , R. Barnes A , A. Bauman C and F. C. Bull A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for the Built Environment and Health, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, M707, 35 Stirling Highway Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
B School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, M408, 35 Stirling Highway Crawley, vvWA 6009, Australia.
C School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: justine.leavy@uwa.edu.au
Health Promotion Journal of Australia 24(2) 118-125 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE12916
Submitted: 27 November 2012 Accepted: 7 April 2013 Published: 16 May 2013
Abstract
Issue addressed: Mass media campaigns have used a range of traditional media (television, radio and print) to communicate health messages. In the past decade the Internet has added to these traditional methods with Web 2.0, smart phone technology and interactive media. ‘Find Thirty every day®’, a Western Australia population-wide mass media campaign delivered over 2 years, used a combination of traditional mass media, a website, online resources and banner advertising. The aim of the present study is to describe the use of the Find Thirty every day® website during the campaign media activities of May 2008–June 2010.
Methods: Cross-sectional self-reported survey data were collected from a random sample of adults using a computer-assisted telephone interview over the period February–March 2010. Objective online analytical measures of unique visits to the Find Thirty every day® website were collected between June 2008 and June 2010.
Results: Monthly visitors to the Find Thirty every day® website increased from 3193 in 2009 to 4374 in 2010. During the last two media waves (October 2009 and February 2010), site visits were 5388 and 5272 per month, respectively.
Conclusion: The impact of the Find Thirty every day® website was a positive outcome, considering the minimal online presence.
So what?: Health communication campaign planners should maximise the potential synergy of traditional mass media and new social media in future campaigns. Accordingly, a multidisciplinary approach that includes communication researchers, experts in information systems and a creative team experienced in online environments will need to be the way forward.
Key words: evaluation, Internet, mass media, physical activity, social media, websites.
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