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Project Wellness and The Social
Norms Method for Health
Enhancement and Harm Reduction
(and Implications for Physical Activity Promotion)
Goals of Project Wellness
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Correct campus misperceptions that most KState students are heavy drinkers who do not
know how to use alcohol safely or responsibly
and therefore cause harm to themselves or
others.
Reduce heavy drinking among K-State
students to more moderate and safer levels.
And increase use of protective behaviors.
Reduce harm experienced as a result of
heavy drinking and/or infrequent use of
protective behaviors.
Theory and
Research Behind
the Social Norms
Method
Social Norm


An expected standard of behavior and belief
established and enforced by a group
A pattern or trait taken to be typical in the
behavior of a social group
People’s perception of social norms
are often a good predictor of
what they will say and do
October 1987: Students Carrying
Backpacks
March 2003: Students Carrying Backpacks
Sociological Theory

Norms are fundamental to
understanding the social order and
variations in human behavior
(Campbell, 1964; Durkheim, 1951)
Sociological Theory

Sociologist Wesley Perkins (2002) notes that
“social psychologists have long argued that
people tend to adopt group attitudes and act
in accordance with group expectations and
behaviors based on affiliation needs and
social comparison processes (Festinger,
1954), social pressure toward group
conformity (Asch, 1951, 1952), and the
formation and acquisition of reference group
norms (Newcomb, 1943; Newcomb and
Wilson, 1966: Sherif, 1936, 1972)
Research of W. Perkins and A.
Berkowitz, Sociologists

Found that college students regularly
and grossly overestimated the drinking
of their peers, and thus created a false
norm of heavy drinking
A Premise of
Social Norms Method

A powerful determinant of college
student behavior (particularly related to
drinking) is what they perceive or
believe other students are doing – what
is the norm
Why peer influence is so
powerful during college years

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Time of personal development
Time of Forming and Norming lifetime
attitudes
Distance from family
Availability of peers
Low influence of campus adults
Mechanisms that cause and
perpetuate the false norm

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Media Attention to
sensational, atypical
events
Images from
popular culture
Causes of false norm (cont.)

Public conversation:
“Did you see Jack at the party last
night …”

Vividness effect

Attribution error
Perception vs. Actual: False Norm at
K-State?
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Perceived
Actual
Dr
in
ks
/p
Ni
g
ar
ty
ht
s/
w
ee
k
How a False Norm Can
Function in a Social Group

Pluralistic Ignorance
When one falsely believes one’s private
attitudes, judgments, or behaviors are
different from the majority.
Individual adjusts actions to fit in; increases
participation in what he/she thinks is socially
desirable.
Social Norms Model
Alcohol-Related Harm
Alcohol Use
Misperceptions
Alcohol Use
Behaviors
Harmful
Consequences
The Opportunity

College students’ actual drinking norm
is much less than what they perceive it
to be
Social Norms theory
hypothesis

If students know the true norm of their
peers their own behavior will be more
consistent with this behavior than with
the false norm.
Social Norms Model
Reducing Harm
Correct
Information on
Alcohol-Use
Norms
More Moderate
Alcohol Use
Less Harmful
Consequences
Applying Social Norms Method:
Media Campaign Procedures


Get information from target population -Survey student body
Inform target population about alcohol
use norms of students through
consistent media messages
Project Wellness 2003 Survey
Data
Responsible drinking is the norm at
K-State!
• K-Staters average about one drink per hour
when they party.
• Most (56%) party one or fewer nights per
week.
2003 Survey Data (cont.)
K-Staters know how to keep themselves and
others safe when they use alcohol!
Of those who drink:
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88% choose to drink in places they know they will be
safe
88% report they never pressure someone to drink
84% report they usually or always have a designated
driver
62% report they keep track of the number of drinks they
have
2003 Survey Data (cont.)
Alcohol-related harm is low

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98% Report they have not required medical attention
because of their drinking
90% Report they have not been in a physical fight
due to their drinking
85% Report they have not damaged property due to
their drinking
82% Report they have not done poorly on a test or
important project because of their drinking
Getting information on norms
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Classroom Survey
Media Testing
Focus Groups
Poster Incentive Project
Freshman Focus Groups
Seminar: Investigating
The Student Experience
VIP/Influential Students
Project (Tippers)
On-line Journaling &
Discussion Group With
Leadership Students
What We Learned
Consequences Students Want to
Avoid
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Doing something
embarrassing,
humiliating
Hangovers
Late for or miss
class/work
Weight gain & decrease
physical fitness
Assault, accident, DUI:
terrible, but not likely
What We Learned
Protective Behaviors Utilized by Students
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Designated drivers
“Buddy system”
Time management
Limit money
Idiosyncratic ways of
“knowing” when to stop
Upperclassmen learned
how to drink more
safely from experience
What We Learned
What’s Important to Students
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Academic success
Graduating, getting
desired job
Physical health
Healthy relationships
and friendships
Fun, stress relief,
letting go
Delivering Social Norms
Messages
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127 advertisements
(~ 27 Fall, 12 Spring)
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Posters (2000, 2001)
Flyers
Give-away items
Banner
Web site
Advertising in the Collegian
Progression of Media Development
Give basic consumption messages
Advertising in the Collegian
Progression of Media Development
Highlight protective behaviors
Advertising in the Collegian
Progression of Media Development
Link drinking with important issues & emphasize safer partying
Advertising in the Collegian
Progression of Media Development
Improve the link between other health/important issues and drinking
Characteristics of Social Norms
Marketing

Positive –
Promotes, supports, and affirms the healthy
behaviors of students
Motivates them to use the skills they already
possess

Inclusive –
No one is excluded from access to wellness

Empowering –
Encourages people to act on their own behalf and
identifies what they can do to realize wellness
Measuring Outcomes of
Intervention
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Survey data
Focus group data
Mall intercept data
Auxiliary data
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Qualitative interviews with KSU student
services personnel
Data from KSU student services
Outcome measures
Data on Perception of Consumption (Nights Party/Week)
Perception of Nights Party
2.8
Nights Party (mean)
2.75
2.7
2.65
2.6
2.55
2.5
2000
2001
2002
Year
- - - - - No media
2003
Outcome measures
Data on Perception of Protective
Behaviors
Perception Drink in Safe Environments
80
Percent Usually or Always
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2000
2001
2002
Year
2003
Outcome measures
Harmful Consequences
Harmful Consequences
Percent One or More Times in Last Year
25
20
Poor Test/Project
Performance
15
Damaged Property
10
5
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year
- - - / - - - No media
Other Social Norms
Implementations
Injunctive (Attitudinal) Norms

Addressing students’ attitudes about and comfort
with high risk health behaviors.
Can Social Norms be used for
Physical Activity Promotion?
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Combine Social Norms and Theory of
Reasoned Action
Recall:
Subjective norm = perceived social pressure
to to perform or not perform the behavior
 Normative beliefs = perceived expectations
of important others
 Motivation to comply with normative beliefs
Theory of Reasoned Action
Behavioral
Beliefs
Evaluation of
B. B
Attitude
Intention
Subjective
Norm
Normative
Beliefs
Motivation to
Comply
Behavior
Example: PA in Older Adults
(50+)
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Godin and Shephard (1990):
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Adult population held favorable impression
of physician’s attitude toward exercise.
People had desire to comply with such
beliefs.
Possible Social Norms
Marketing Strategies
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To increase normative beliefs that
important others (physician and peers)
approve of regular PA and to increase
motivation to comply -Advertise normative beliefs of
physicians and older adults toward PA
for older adults
Possible Social Norms message:
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Most Physicians in Sometown strongly approve of
regular exercise for older adults.
Most seniors in Sometown believe staying PA is
important.
Here are typical ways Sometown seniors stay active:
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Attend water aerobics at YMCA
Walk the mall with mall walkers group
Engage in 20-30 minutes of yard and house work
Participate in movement classes at community center