Healthy Habits

Healthy Habits is a statewide campaign in Washington State that applies social marketing concepts to television reduction interventions. This campaign's primary audience is women and children participating in Washington State's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The program is delivered in two modules focused on family meals and family physical activity. Both modules emphasis television viewing reduction, and include background materials, staff-training materials, banners, posters, interactive handouts for clients, bookmarks to be distributed with WIC vouchers, children’s coloring materials, detailed plans for group sessions, and other supportive material.

Healthy Habits was designed to enhance the capacity of local WIC programs and partner agencies to promote healthy lifestyles in families with young children.

At baseline, 64.2% of WIC clients reported watching 2 or less hours of television per day. At 6 months, 70.5% reported meeting the recommendations for limiting television viewing to 2 or less hours per day. This change was statistically significant (p<.001). At baseline, 65% of respondents reported that they do not usually or never watch television during meals, but after 6 months, 69% of respondents reported not watching television during meals (p<.001). Greater changes were in families with lower parental education and those from non-white ethnic groups.