Using social media to get students moving: MoveU

It can be a challenge to inspire busy students to add physical activity to their agendas. But new research from a University of Toronto master's student shows U of T's tri-campus MoveU campaign is making headway – and social media is the key.

The paper, by Tanya Scarapicchia, appears in the current issue of the Journal of American College Health.  

Researchers from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), led by Professor Guy Faulkner (CIHR-PHAC Chair in Applied Public Health), have been assessing the campaign’s progress since it launched in 2012. The team measured awareness of the campaign by including questions about MoveU and physical activity-related goals in the 2013 National College Health Assessment survey.

Of 2,784 U of T students surveyed, 36 per cent said they were familiar with the MoveU campaign. Researchers found that the target audience – first-year female students – were most likely to know about the social marketing campaign and that those who were aware of the campaign were also more likely to say that they intended to get more active and actually engage in physical activity.

Alicia Luciani, who just defended her thesis under the supervision of Faulkner, analyzed the social media component of the MoveU campaign, focusing primarily on Facebook and the role that social media can play in inspiring physical activity. While social media is often associated with sedentary behaviour, Luciani says the target audience has their phones with them all the time and that it’s actually the best way to connect with these students.

“Social networking sites are a useful tool for health promotion and physical activity promotion, no doubt about it,” she says.

Luciani found Facebook has been especially valuable for promoting MoveU events. “Students in our focus groups were interested in seeing photos from past events; it seemed to inspire them to want to go to future events.”

The research also showed it's important to speak to students using a tone and referencing topics that suit social media.

“Our analytics research determined that posts that used humour and pop culture references scored highest,” Luciani says. “We also found students like quick facts and tips on how to get active.

“The most popular of all the posts was a motivational, funny meme featuring [actor] Ryan Gosling.”
 
Michelle Brownrigg, KPE’s director of physical activity and equity, spearheaded the campaign and says that including this academic analysis of MoveU has ensured that organizers can make informed decisions about how MoveU develops and connects with students.

“This research is also an excellent example of how we can reap the benefits of being a part of this integrated Faculty,” Brownrigg says.

Because the campaign is still new, Faulkner emphasizes the importance of revisiting these baseline findings in a couple of years to ensure that awareness continues to increase.  Faulkner also advises that MoveU messaging gain more of a presence in the classroom.

“I think it’s important to get peer leaders right into the big lecture halls and to create stronger connections with other faculties to help make that happen.”

The success of the award-winning campaign has already garnered attention from other universities and academic institutions. Sheridan College in 2013 adopted and customized the campaign for their students.

“It would be great if the work that went into developing MoveU was picked up by other schools and used as a basis for developing their own home grown initiatives,” says Faulkner. “I believe that the MoveU messaging and brand would resonate at any Canadian university or college.”

(Read the full paper, “MoveU? Assessing a Social Marketing Campaign to Promote Physical Activity”.)

(Read the Toronto Star's coverage of MoveU.)

(Below: President Meric Gertler with MoveU students and Breakfast Television Crew; photo by Johnny Guatto)