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Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Health Promotion & Outreach School Health News - Winter 2003 |
“VERB” Campaign to Increase & Maintain Physical Activity
“VERB” A National Campaign to Increase and Maintain
Physical Activity Among Tweens
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed and has been promoting a
national social marketing campaign to increase and maintain physical activity called “VERB” that
focuses on “tweeners” or youth ages 9 - 13 years of age. The project is entering into its second
year and is starting to move from awareness building to program development.
The “VERB” campaign advertised heavily on national television and radio networks in its first year, developing name recognition among tweeners. VERB began communicating ideas for fun physical activities via television, radio, print and the internet as well as at movie theaters, on billboards and in schools.
In addition to focusing on tweeners, messages were developed that were directed towards parents and adult influencers such as teachers, youth leaders, physical education and health professionals, pediatricians and other health care providers, coaches and others. Almost 76% of tweeners surveyed nationally recognized the VERB advertisements and were aware of what the campaign was promoting and were highly supportive of the message and the direction that the campaign was taking.
The VERB program goals include an increase in knowledge and improved attitudes and beliefs regarding tweens’ regular participation in physical activity; to increase parental and other adult influencers support and encouragement of tweens’ participation in physical activity, to heighten awareness of options and opportunities for tweens’ participation in physical activity; to facilitate opportunities for tweens to participate in regular physical activity; and to increase and maintain the number of tweens who regularly participate in physical activity.
In this, the second year of its national campaign, VERB is expanding the advertising promotion to specific cultures (African-American, Latino, American-Indian and Asian-American), expanding its campaign partnerships, developing a larger research base and adding numerous community events and resources to its campaign goals.
The CDC has a link to the VERB website at www.cdc.gov/verb for more information regarding the VERB campaign. A listserv has also been created where a monthly e-mail is distributed with new information regarding the campaign and its materials and resources. The listserv is open to anyone with an internet address. To subscribe to the listserv, send an e-mail to listserv@cdc.gov with only the following in the body of your message: subscribe VERB-LIST and you will be added to the listserv.
For more information on the local level, you can contact Mike Heyl at the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department at 441-3889 or by e-mail at mheyl@lincoln.ne.gov
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