Community Response to Persuasive Messages Pairing Outdoor Activity and Litter Cleanup.
Abstract
Engaging individuals who regularly participate in outdoor activities in coastal areas to participate in coastal cleanups can increase both community physical activity (PA) and the environmental health of coastlines. The purpose was to focus group test visual communications promoting litter cleanup during outdoor PA to elicit feedback on themes such as relevance, importance, novelty, and persuasiveness. The messages featured visuals like a woman picking up litter with the text "Healthy Body, Healthy Planet" and a side-by-side image of a traditional gym and a group of individuals participating in coastal cleanup with the tagline "Choose Your Gym." Six focus groups totaling 30 participants were conducted via Zoom. Eligible participants lived in one of six coastal Georgia counties and participated in outdoor activities. Focus group data was transcribed and salient themes were identified for all six messages. Community reception to targeted messaging was positive and members were invested in the enhancement of messages. Participants noted the importance of outdoor activity and litter cleanup through several messages stating it is essential in maintaining a healthy environment and more education efforts should be taken to inform the community of coastal cleanup. Despite this, participants admitted the concept of engaging in PA on beaches was novel. The persuasiveness of the messages was shown to be impacted by the perception that litter cleanup and PA are inspirational, motivating, and a responsibility community members share. However, some participants expressed a lack of understanding of some messages that may have decreased persuasiveness, stating that further visual context may prove to improve persuasiveness and relevance. Results will inform future messaging to better reflect the diversity and culture of the Georgia coast. Future research should include community-oriented development and testing to generate persuasive messages for community-wide campaigns to promote outdoor recreation and litter cleanup.
Keywords
Physical Activity, Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Community Engagement, Visual Messaging, Coastal Cleanup
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Community Response to Persuasive Messages Pairing Outdoor Activity and Litter Cleanup.
Engaging individuals who regularly participate in outdoor activities in coastal areas to participate in coastal cleanups can increase both community physical activity (PA) and the environmental health of coastlines. The purpose was to focus group test visual communications promoting litter cleanup during outdoor PA to elicit feedback on themes such as relevance, importance, novelty, and persuasiveness. The messages featured visuals like a woman picking up litter with the text "Healthy Body, Healthy Planet" and a side-by-side image of a traditional gym and a group of individuals participating in coastal cleanup with the tagline "Choose Your Gym." Six focus groups totaling 30 participants were conducted via Zoom. Eligible participants lived in one of six coastal Georgia counties and participated in outdoor activities. Focus group data was transcribed and salient themes were identified for all six messages. Community reception to targeted messaging was positive and members were invested in the enhancement of messages. Participants noted the importance of outdoor activity and litter cleanup through several messages stating it is essential in maintaining a healthy environment and more education efforts should be taken to inform the community of coastal cleanup. Despite this, participants admitted the concept of engaging in PA on beaches was novel. The persuasiveness of the messages was shown to be impacted by the perception that litter cleanup and PA are inspirational, motivating, and a responsibility community members share. However, some participants expressed a lack of understanding of some messages that may have decreased persuasiveness, stating that further visual context may prove to improve persuasiveness and relevance. Results will inform future messaging to better reflect the diversity and culture of the Georgia coast. Future research should include community-oriented development and testing to generate persuasive messages for community-wide campaigns to promote outdoor recreation and litter cleanup.
