VERB: It’s what you do.
An Evidence-Based Practice
This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.
Description
Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the VERB campaign sought to increase and maintain physical activity among 9-13 year-old youth. This national social marketing campaign ran from 2002-2006.
The VERB campaign combined paid advertising, marketing strategies, and partnership efforts to reach its target audience, while also working to target a secondary audience of parents and other adults that could influence children. In order to develop VERB campaign messages, staff members worked with youth ages 9 to 13 (tweens), thus making this a for-kids-by-kids campaign. After campaign messages were developed, they were presented to the target audience through youth friendly media channels such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel.
The VERB campaign combined paid advertising, marketing strategies, and partnership efforts to reach its target audience, while also working to target a secondary audience of parents and other adults that could influence children. In order to develop VERB campaign messages, staff members worked with youth ages 9 to 13 (tweens), thus making this a for-kids-by-kids campaign. After campaign messages were developed, they were presented to the target audience through youth friendly media channels such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel.
Goal / Mission
The mission of “VERB: It’s what you do” was to increase and maintain physical activity among youth aged 9 to 13 through a national social marketing campaign.
Results / Accomplishments
The VERB campaign achieved 74% awareness among the nation’s 9 to 13 year-old youth, with 90% of those children demonstrating that they understood the messages. A significant positive relationship was found between weekly median sessions of free-time physical activity and the level of awareness of VERB, such that as awareness increased, so did levels of physical activity (p<0.05).
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Primary Contact
Division of Adolescent and School Health
4770 Buford Hwy NE
MS K-29
Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
(800) 232-4636
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
4770 Buford Hwy NE
MS K-29
Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
(800) 232-4636
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Children's Health
Health / Children's Health
Organization(s)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date of publication
2005
Date of implementation
2002
Location
USA
For more details
Target Audience
Children, Teens
Additional Audience
9 to 13 year olds