Objective: To assess the efficacy of utilizing dining hall napkins as a novel health messaging strategy to promote mindfulness.
Participants: Undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university.
Methods: Utilizing a place-based promotional strategy, mindfulness messages were printed on over 8-million napkins at dining halls. Surveys (N = 573) were used to measure message viewership, and attitudes toward mindfulness.
Results: While only a few small significant effects for students who read the messaging were found (e.g., increases in self-efficacy for keeping ones phone out of sight while speaking with someone), napkins appeared to be a successful channel for reaching students. About 97% of students who dined in-person indicated they saw the napkin messaging. Additionally, students were more likely to read the napkin messaging when dining in-person rather than when they took their food "to-go."
Conclusion: Future research should continue to test napkins' efficacy as a messaging channel for health messaging for college students.
Keywords: Campus dining channels; mindfulness; napkins.