Effectiveness of a social marketing strategy aimed at people with excess body fat

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate  the effectiveness of a social marketing strategy targeting individuals with excess body fat in enrolling in and completing the comprehensive SIN MEDIDA program.

Materials and methods: A mixed research was carried out, with descriptive and cross-sectional scope carried out in two phases, the first without and the second with social marketing strategies.

Results: In the first phase of thirteen locations visited, only 66 people expressed interest, and eleven completed the program, achieving a completion rate of 16.7%. These participants primarily came from the Municipal Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences (FACICO). In the second phase, when the SIN MEDIDA social marketing campaign was launched, the completion rate increased to 43.1%, mainly from individuals who learned about the program through FACICO's Facebook page and via institutional email. There was a statistically significant difference between phases one and two, indicating that SIN MEDIDA's social marketing strategies were effective (χ² = 10.46; p = 0.001).

Conclusions: Implementing social marketing strategies makes health programs visible on social networks. With half of the spaces visited, almost the same number of participants who started the intervention was achieved, but the number of people who completed the program doubled. This represents an opportunity to save time and effort in finding participants for primary care interventions.

Keywords: Social Marketing; Obesity; Primary Health Care.