MOST of Us partnered with the Montana Team Nutrition Program to pilot test a survey instrument for the development of a social norms marketing approach to promote healthful beverage consumption among middle school youth in Montana schools. The project sought to assess actual versus perceived behaviors concerning beverage consumption among the target audience and began to develop the informational messages and delivery plan for one or more Montana schools. The team conducted a literature review, developed and pilot, tested an online nutrition survey, administered a refined survey in two Montana middle schools, and analyzed and summarized the survey results.
Three main conclusions were drawn from the beverage consumption survey data. First, the way in which parents socialized their children in the home, with regard to beverage consumption, was a strong influence on student beverage consumption behavior. Second, the availability of beverages in the school environment was critical in influencing students’ intention to drink unhealthy beverages. Third, on average, students in this study reported healthy drinking behaviors.
Sponsor: Montana Office of Public Instruction, Health Enhancement, and Safety Division