Background: The LiveLighter ‘Sugary Drink’ (SD) campaign, originally produced in WA, was launched in Victoria in October 2015. The campaign targeted adults 25-49 and aimed to reduce SD consumption as part of a systems approach to preventing obesity-related chronic disease.
Methods: Using a pre-post cohort design, population surveys (N=900) were undertaken in the campaign (Victoria) and comparison state (SA) with 78% followed-up after the campaign (Vic N=673; SA N=730).
Results: Almost half (48%) of Victorian adults were aware of the campaign and parents were more likely to be aware. Awareness was equitable between socio-economic groups and metro versus rural adults. Almost half (47%) perceived the campaign was self-relevant, and more so among those with higher baseline SD consumption and BMI. Tests of interactions between state (Vic, SA) and time (pre-, post-campaign) showed among overweight/obese adults, there was a nonsignificant trend towards increased awareness of the health effects of SD consumption in Vic (64% cf. 72%) but not SA (63% cf. 64%) and increased self-referent thoughts about its relationship to weight gain in Vic (50% cf. 55%) but not SA (50% cf. 47%). The campaign was associated with a significant reduction in frequent sugary drink consumption (4+ cups p/wk) in Vic (31% cf. 22%) and not SA (30% cf. 29%). This was accompanied by a nonsignificant trend towards an increased proportion of overweight/obese SD consumers who consume 4+ cups water p/day in Vic (66% cf. 73%) and not SA (68% cf. 67%).
Conclusions/Implications: These findings provide compelling evidence that the LiveLighter campaign reduced SD consumption among Victorian adults. This outcome is notable in a context where public health campaigns occur against a backdrop of heavy commercial product advertising promoting increased consumption. With continued investment, LiveLighter should yield further improvements in public knowledge and behaviour, which could ultimately contribute to reducing obesity-related chronic disease over the longer-term.