Background/Aims: LiveLighter® is a comprehensive, whole-of-population program that encourages WA adults to lead healthier lifestyles by choosing healthy food, moving more, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. LiveLighter® uses various public education strategies including mass media campaigns delivered through TV, radio, newspaper, digital and outdoor advertising, and event sponsorships. Established in WA in 2012, LiveLighter® is funded by the WA Department of Health and delivered by Cancer Council WA.
Methods: Population-level impacts of the LiveLighter® campaign in WA were independently evaluated using cross-sectional surveys of approximately 1,000 adults aged 25-49 years, following each of the seven campaign waves, from 2012 to 2019. The sample was selected using random digit dialling (RDD) for all surveys except 2019 (50% RDD and 50% list sample) and surveyed using computer-assisted telephone interviews.
Results: Since the launch of LiveLighter®, knowledge of excess body weight as a risk factor for cancer has significantly increased from baseline (2012) to 2019 (55.2% cf. 40.9%). Significant increases in intentions to eat more fruit and vegetables in the next seven days were observed between baseline and 2019 (57.3% cf. 67.6%) The proportion of respondents meeting guidelines for daily vegetable intake increased significantly from baseline to 2019 (16.6% cf. 10.8%). However, the proportion of respondents who met the guidelines for daily fruit intake remained stable over the same time period (49.0% cf. 46.3%). Reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at least once or more per week decreased significantly between baseline and 2016 (60.2% cf. 46.0%) and was maintained in 2019 (41.3%).
Conclusions: LiveLighter® campaigns are associated with marked improvements in knowledge of health risks associated with excess body mass and with dietary behaviour change, including increased vegetable intake and reduced SBB consumption in WA adults.