Perception of the Effectiveness of Health-Related Campaigns among the Adult Population: An Analysis of Determinants

Background: Social campaigns focusing on health are commonly used within an attempt to change behavior. To date, there has not been a targeted analysis of societies’ general perception about social campaigns. The aim of this study is to assess citizens’ opinions on the effectiveness of health-related social campaigns. Methods: The data set used in the analysis was obtained from Poland’s nationwide “Social Diagnosis” study. The determinants of public opinion were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression. The independent variables included socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, social participation, and the use of digital media. Results: The logistic regression model was developed using 23,593 cases. Opinions about the effectiveness of campaigns depended on all the predictors included in the socio-demographic cluster, smoking, self-declared excessive alcohol consumption, physical activity, the use of mobile phones, and watching TV. A significant impact was found in all but one variable related to social participation. Conclusions: The analysis revealed that opinions about social campaigns present in the media “landscape” are influenced by many factors. Interestingly, persons exhibiting unhealthy behaviors are more resistant to health-related campaigns and surprisingly the need to make use of healthcare resources is not accompanied by an acceptance of the interventions.