Implementing an Extreme Heat and Health Digital Media Campaign in Heat Vulnerable Areas in New York State

Background: Average summer temperatures across New York State (NYS) have been increasing and are expected to continue to rise. Increases in summertime temperatures and the frequency of extreme heat events can put more New Yorkers at risk for heat-related illness. Simple measures like avoiding prolonged exposure or using air conditioning (AC) during extreme heat events can reduce the impact on health. However, not all New Yorkers have access to a spot to cool off (e.g., an air-conditioned home) during hot weather.

Program background: Some populations are more vulnerable than others to extreme heat. One aim of the NYS Department of Health’s (NYSDOH) Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) program is to prevent heat-related illness and protect vulnerable populations by developing heat mitigation planning tools and resources, improve awareness of heat-health safety among the general public, and enhance partnerships with key stakeholders. A key stakeholder for NYS BRACE is the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). OTDA’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Cooling Assistance Benefit offers free AC units or fans to New Yorkers with low income. Many New Yorkers, however, lack awareness of the program.

During the summers of 2020-2022, NYS BRACE implemented social media campaign on various social media platforms and a search ad campaign on Google. The NYSDOH Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) was used to identify areas in the state that were more vulnerable to extreme heat. The primary target audiences for the campaign were New Yorkers with low income and elderly. The campaign promoted extreme heat safety tips and the OTDA Cooling Benefit in heat vulnerable areas. The campaign also provided extreme heat safety tips during heat waves to all adults 18 and older in the areas identified.

Evaluation Methods and Results: Evaluation of the campaigns included analyzing social media metrics and assessing the number of HEAP Cooling Assistance Benefit Applications during the campaign period. Social media metrics showed the 2020 campaign resulted in over 8 million social media impressions and 11,000 clicks. Messages from the 2020 campaign were evaluated for effectiveness and improved for use in the 2021 campaign. The 2021 campaign produced over 11 million social media impressions and 14,500 clicks. The 2022 campaign produced over 16 million social media impressions and nearly 45,000 clicks. HEAP Application data analysis showed a gradual increase in applications over the years.

Conclusions: Expanding the scope of the campaign to include more impressions and a longer timeline proved to increase general awareness of extreme heat tips and the HEAP Cooling Benefit. It also improved number of applications to the HEAP Cooling Benefit program, which has been under-utilized in previous years.

Implications for research and/or practice: Digital media campaigns can be effective in improving general awareness of extreme heat tips and resources to older adults and people with low income.