2002 Conference Abstract
E5: Media and Health: Building Powerful Partnerships
in Crises
Using the Media to Help Eliminate Leprosy
Roy Head
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants attending this session will be able to understand the potential
of large-scale media campaigns.
PROJECT
In September 1999, DFID awarded The Trust a 1.1 million grant to carry out
the world's largest-ever media campaign to help eliminate leprosy.
SETTING
he campaign focused on five states in India over a 12-month period. In accordance
with the BBC World Service Trust's philosophy of working in partnership
with national broadcasters in developing countries, the programming was
created by Doordarshan TV and All-India Radio. Over 257 million people were
reported to have viewed these programs in five north Indian states.
PARTNERS
The Indian Ministry of Health, Doordarshan TV, All-India Radio.
RESULTS
In addition to helping the Ministry of Health persuade some 186,000 patients
to come forward for treatment, there has been a real impact on attitudes.
The radio and TV spots were seen by 59 percent of the total population (275
million of the 467 million people) of the five states. The impact on stigma
was dramatic. The percentage of the total population believing leprosy is
hereditary fell from 56 percent (12 months ago) to 32 percent (after Phase
1) to 19 percent now (after Phase 2). This means some 172 million people
changed their attitudes on this issue over the 12-month period. The percentage
of people believing leprosy is transmitted by touch fell from 52 percent
to 37 percent to 27 percent (i.e., 117 million people changed their minds).
CONCLUSIONS
Media, if used on a large enough scale, can promote behavior and attitude
change. This project is being repeated for AIDS in India and for blindness
in Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Nepal and Egypt. |
Tackling HIV/AIDS in South Africa Through the Media
Shereen Usdin
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants attending this session will be able to understand the Soul
City methodology and its interventions to date as well as the key findings
from its evaluations.
PROJECT
Soul City is a South African NGO, established in 1991 to use the power of
the mass media to promote health and development. It was established against
the backdrop of numerous health and development problems. In more recent
years, HIV/AIDS has become the biggest threat to the health and development
of the people of South Africa. In the year 2000, the HIV/AIDS prevalence
rate was 24.2 percent.
METHODOLOGY
Understanding that mass media is perhaps the most powerful social change
agent in the world today, Soul City decided to use the media with the following
principles: access prime time through entertainment to reach the maximum
audience; use more than one medium so as to get to diverse audiences; use
a formative research process that consults stakeholders and audiences; and
use an ongoing media vehicle to deal with multiple issues over time, rather
than a campaign to deal with one issue once.
With this as a basis, Soul City has developed the following vehicles: a
primetime TV drama that has become one of the three most watched TV shows
in South Africa; a daily radio drama in nine languages; high-quality support
print material on the issues covered for the general public as well as for
schools (16,000,000 copies have been disseminated to date) and an advocacy
strategy that uses our credibility for its interventions. The series runs
for six out of every 18 months. Each new series looks at a different range
of issues. The one recurring issue is HIV/AIDS.
SETTING
Primary audience: the people of South Africa. Secondary audience: the people
of eight countries in the southern African region.
PARTNERS
The 31 staff members at Soul City, independent research companies.
RESULTS
These findings are based on large-scale independent research. Soul City
reaches 79 percent of its target audience, which has led to significant
and measurable shifts in individual behavior and attitude toward HIV/AIDS
as well as national policy shifts.
CONCLUSIONS
Entertainment is a powerful force for social change if used correctly. The
Soul City: IHDC model provides a template for the use of the media through
entertainment. The model is being used by eight African countries and reviewed
for use by another four countries internationally.
ADDITIONAL AUTHOR
Garth Japhet |
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