“Follow the Whistle: Physical Activity Is Calling You”: Evaluation of Implementation and Impact of a Portuguese Nationwide Mass Media Campaign to Promote Physical Activity

• Main Authors: Marlene Nunes Silva, Cristina Godinho, Marta Salavisa, Katherine Owen, Rute Santos, Catarina Santos Silva, Romeu Mendes, Pedro J. Teixeira, Graça Freitas, Adrian Bauman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: physical activity; healthy lifestyles; mass media campaign; evaluation; social marketing
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/8062
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

To raise perceived capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) for physical activity (PA) behaviour (B) among adults, the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health developed a mass media campaign named “Follow the Whistle”, based on behaviour change theory and social marketing principles. Comprehensive formative and process evaluation suggests this media-led campaign used best-practice principles. The campaign adopted a population-wide approach, had clear behavioural goals, and clear multi-strategy implementation. We assessed campaign awareness and initial impact using pre (<i>n</i> = 878, 57% women) and post-campaign (<i>n</i> = 1319, 58% women) independent adult population samples via an online questionnaire, comprising socio-demographic factors, campaign awareness and recall, and psychosocial and behavioural measures linked to the COM-B model. PA was assessed with IPAQ and the Activity Choice Index. The post-campaign recall was typical of levels following national campaigns (24%). Post-campaign measures were higher for key theory-based targets (all <i>p</i> < 0.05), namely self-efficacy, perceived opportunities to be more active and intrinsic motivation. The impact on social norms and self-efficacy was moderated by campaign awareness. Concerning PA, effects were found for vigorous activity (<i>p</i> < 0.01), but not for incidental activity. Overall the campaign impacted key theory-based intermediate outcomes, but did not influence incidental activity, which highlights the need for sustained and repeated campaign efforts.