Enhancing a Public Health Intervention with Eco-Friendly Messaging to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption

Principal Investigator: Allison Sylvetsky, PhD
Co-Investigators: William (Doug) Evans, PhD; Jennifer Sacheck PhD; and Nia Bodrick MD
Consultant: James Krieger, MD MPH (University of Washington)

Description:

DC-SIPS (Decreasing Children’s Sugar Intake through Pediatricians and Social Marketing) is a six-week program designed to reduce sugary drink intake among Black children and parents from households with low-income in Washington, D.C. DC-SIPS was developed in collaboration with pediatricians at THEARC in Ward 8 of the District and with input from children and families seen at THEARC using a community-engaged approach.

This GFI-supported project aims to enhance DC-SIPS by developing and refining additional messaging that focuses on the adverse environmental impacts of sugary drinks. The additional messages will be developed to resonate with the target population’s cultural norms and values and emphasize the adverse environmental effects of sugary drink intake.

The research team plans to incorporate the environmentally focused messages into the existing DC-SIPS intervention and subsequently evaluate the impact of those messages on reducing sugary drink intake and increasing tap water intake in the target population.