Heartfile's Communication Campaigns

Heartfile's communication campaigns go beyond the public service announcement (PSA) approach, utilising lessons from behavioural research and capitalising on the strengths of social marketing. The following examples illustrate this strategy, and its application within both print and electronic media:

• Newspaper Public Awareness Campaigns
  1. Heartfile provides weekly illustrated articles for placement on the inside front page of The News International, which organisers deem "the largest circulated English daily of Pakistan". Reaching out to literate urban and rural English speakers, Heartfile offers articles on cardiac disease (CVD) prevention that feature the Heartfile mascot in national dress and the logo lettering in red. The style of the article varies from a topic-oriented discussion on a specific aspect of a risk factor to a response to a particular question. Text boxes are inserted in the articles to prompt readers to submit questions via email; checklists are included in order to activate Pakistinians to adopt specific healthier behaviours.
  2. Reaching out to youth, Heartfile includes articles in US, the adolescents' magazine that accompanies The News once a week. These articles feature large graphics with the message contained in a thick 100-150 worded caption. The content focuses on CVD prevention issues that are relevant to adolescents, using the slang that resonates well with that age group; particular attention is given to tobacco use cessation, healthy eating, and the importance of physical activity. One article features 2 illustrated mascots, one male and one female, gorging themselves on junk food; the title reads "Fatso".
  3. Heartfile includes an article on heart disease prevention on the 'Sehat' (Health) page of what the organisation calls the "popular Sunday Jang magazine" on a weekly basis. The articles featured are translated (into the Urdu language) version of the (adult) English articles, with appropriate editing and language changes. Changes in the article also take into account the cultural differences between readers of Urdu and English newspapers.
• Public Awareness Leaflets - Heartfile has developed a set of 7 public information leaflets with the titles of "All about High Blood Pressure", "Smoking and Your Heart", "Food and Your Heart", "Prevent a Heart Attack", "Symptoms of Heart Disease:, "Cholesterol and Your Heart", and "Physical Activity and Your Heart". Click here (then click on the titles of each leaflet) to download these booklets in PDF format.
• Television Campaign - In an effort to reach 90% of the Pakistani population of 160 million, Heartfile created several 30-second spots on preventive and promotional aspects of health within a chronic disease framework. Broadcast on major national television channels, this public awareness intervention was initiated in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the implementation of the National Action Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases (NAP-NCD) Prevention, Control and Health Promotion. Click here to watch several of the TV spots online; they focus on topics such as blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and "rash driving". All campaigns incorporate a built-in mechanism for ongoing evaluation; the evidence thus generated is synthesised, published, and utilised for decision making.
• Lambi Zindagi Kay Raz (Learn to Live Longer Campaign) - Heartfile developed 14 television documentaries, each of 5 minutes duration, with a focus on non-communicable disease prevention and health promotion. The content of the campaign has been guided by locally conducted behavioural research, and draws on the principles of social marketing. It has been modeled to influence a set of nationally agreed-upon health indicators, and addresses issues including a healthy diet, regular physical activity, control of obesity, lowering of blood cholesterol, tobacco-use cessation, use of safe needles, road safety, injury prevention, and population screening for chronic disease. (Click here to watch these documentaries online.) Baseline levels of awareness and practices were established through a nationally representative survey, and ongoing evaluation is planned.

Health, Nutrition, Tobacco.