A recent article in WSJ (yes, WSJ not an SSJ) includes using electronic media to share noms about drinking as a technique to reduce student drinking. Click here to read the article.
Who does well in groups where unhealthy behaviors are the norm? One frequent concern about the social norms approach is, “what if the majority of a population engages in the unhealthy behavior?” In social norms marketing, we believe that there’s always a positive norm that can be highlighted: for example, even if the majority of [...]
Do you want to learn more about the population you work with? Many college health professionals want to better understand the attitudes and behaviors of the students they work with, so they can design effective interventions and social marketing campaigns. There are a huge number of existing questionnaires that are designed to measure all kinds [...]
We were recently challenged to address a seemingly simple question. However, as with most questions worth asking, the seeming simplicity is deceptive. Here's the question and how we addressed it. Is “positive” advertising better than “negative” advertising? To answer this question, we have to consider a number of variables, including domain, audience, focus and purpose. Domain: [...]
Unplugged is "an effective school-based program for the prevention of substance use among adolescents" implemented in several European countries and containing a social norms component. We give you the Preface to "Eudap Final Technical Report n.1." Preface EU-Dap, the European Drug Addiction Prevention trial, is a multicenter study implemented by nine partners from seven different European [...]
This systematic review, published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, suggests that the internet is more effective than print-based interventions but less effective than face-to-face interventions for binge drinking among college students. The title links to the full article. The Use of the Internet for Prevention of Binge Drinking Among the College Population: A Systematic Review of [...]
Our colleagues at "The Well" at Virginia Commonwealth University recently found an interesting way to capture students' opinion of the Stall Seat Journals (SSJ) that are a core part of the social norms intervention program there: Linda Hancock, PhD, CFNP, RN, Director of the Well, describes what she did: "I just gave out 3x5 cards [...]
Bystander Training for Drinking Situations among College Students How can bystanders become rescuers? Bystander training programs help give individuals skills and confidence to intervene in risky situations like sexual violence, bullying, drug overdoses, and drunk driving. However, people intervening often face dilemmas in balancing concern for the safety of others with maintaining their own social [...]
Six key ingredients can increase success Social marketing uses conventional marketing tools and techniques with the aim not of making profit, but of promoting individual and group behavior changes that reap health or social benefits. There are 6 key elements in the social marketing approach that work best when used all together. A new literature [...]
Adrienne Keller, Ph.D., Research Director, National Social Norms Institute I recently had the opportunity to think about what I considered the essential ingredients to reach college students about health issues. First of all, I realized that my thoughts immediately went to health education and health promotion1 rather than personal clinical information. Secondly, four thoughts came very [...]
