Maternal Alcohol and Marijuana Awareness (MAMA) and Prevention Campaign

Building off an assessment of NH women’s perceptions of alcohol and marijuana use conducted by JSI (Maternal Substance Use Prevention), JSI executed a multi-media social marketing campaign with the goal of reducing the use of alcohol and marijuana among women of reproductive age and increasing guideline adherence by healthcare providers serving women planning or experiencing a pregnancy. Research findings underscored the need for a health campaign aimed at reducing alcohol and/or marijuana that emphasizes the health of the developing fetus and the autonomy of the pregnant woman.

New Hampshire has some of the highest rates of substance misuse in the country. Prevalence of past 30-day use of alcohol and marijuana and marijuana use in the past year are significantly higher than average rates in the United States and the northeast region of the US. 

The campaign took a 2-prong approach to:

• Employ a mix of digital media to reach women directly.
• Develop tools for healthcare providers to educate and engage patients.

Given that national and state data indicate significant differences in the demographics and sociographic of those at risk of use during pregnancy, JSI created a campaign that focuses on avoiding all types of alcohol during pregnancy in the first year of the project. Messaging and print material for providers  focusrd on the clinical guidelines, talking points for a brief intervention and available behavioral health treatment resources if needed. Further research is needed to understand the factors placing those at risk of marijuana use during pregnancy. Key activities included:

• Campaign planning to select strategies
• Key message development
• Consumer research
• Provider research on clinical guideline adherence and marijuana use
• Media asset production (i.e., video, message and image bank, microsite)
• Material production
• Digital and traditional campaign execution

Consumer focus groups provided key insights about what makes a compelling campaign and provider interviews and a facilitated discussion informed professional material. A variety of data mining tools precisely targeted the intended audience. On-going A/B testing assessed consumer engagement to ensure effectiveness for specific content. Data from A/B testing optimizes the best performing imagery and copy. Other insights and key performance indicators are: impressions, engagement, reach and frequency. Long-term JSI will monitor PRAMS data.