TSET’s Healthy Youth Initiative Campaign Uses Beverage Choices to Educate and Empower
OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 1, 2023) – Swap Up, an obesity prevention campaign aimed at Oklahoma teens and part of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s (TSET) Healthy Youth Initiative, is launching two new ads on Monday. The spots, called “The Choice is Yours,” show teens the power of their decisions and how their beverage choices can be the difference between feeling refreshed or sluggish.
“Informing teens on how to make easy healthier choices is pivotal for their well-being and future,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET’s executive director. “These creative ads show Oklahoma teens how to create healthier habits.”
There are two versions of “The Choice is Yours.” One is geared toward youth living in metro areas while the other is focused on rural teens. Both versions parody sportscasts with student commentators explaining how water can improve concentration and focus while sugar-sweetened drinks can cause an energy crash. The spot was entered into the 2023 Digital Health Awards and won gold in the ‘Health Media: Video’ category.
When tested with Oklahoma teens last fall, focus group participants said they found the messaging believable and motivational. They agreed about feeling the difference in their energy and performance levels when choosing to drink water instead of sugary drinks.
“The Choice is Yours” started running across Oklahoma on multiple social media platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube on Dec. 6. The ads will begin airing on television and cable networks on Feb. 5 during family programming to help spark conversation between teenagers and their parents.
To view “The Choice is Yours” and other youth tobacco and obesity prevention messages, visit the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative website at TSETHealthyYouth.com. Additionally, TSET has free healthy youth resources for educators and health care providers available for order at TSETHealthyYouth.com/order.
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The TSET Healthy Youth Initiative empowers Oklahoma youth to improve health outcomes for themselves and future generations. The initiative includes statewide public health education messaging, a youth-led advocacy program and character-building to reduce tobacco use and obesity. The initiative also gives parents resources to support their children in maintaining or developing healthy habits for a lifetime. Visit TSETHealthyYouth.com to learn more.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health