health awareness campaign essay

Essay on Health Awareness

Students are often asked to write an essay on Health Awareness in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Health Awareness

Understanding health awareness.

Health awareness is about knowing and understanding health issues. It’s like learning about different diseases, their causes, and how to avoid them. Health awareness helps us make better choices for a healthier life.

Importance of Health Awareness

Health awareness is important because it can save lives. It helps us know what’s good and bad for our health. With this knowledge, we can avoid harmful habits like smoking and eating junk food, and adopt healthy habits like exercising and eating balanced meals.

Health Awareness and Disease Prevention

Health awareness helps in preventing diseases. It tells us about vaccines and regular check-ups that help catch diseases early. Also, it teaches us about hygiene practices like washing hands to prevent disease spread.

Role of Schools in Health Awareness

Schools play a big role in health awareness. They teach students about nutrition, physical education, and hygiene. Schools also organize health camps and invite doctors to talk about different health topics.

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250 Words Essay on Health Awareness

What is health awareness.

Health awareness is about knowing and understanding health issues. It helps us make the right choices for our health. It is about learning how to stay fit, eat right, and take care of our bodies.

Why is Health Awareness Important?

Being aware of health is important for many reasons. It helps us live longer and better lives. When we know about health issues, we can prevent them. For example, knowing that smoking is bad for our lungs can stop us from starting to smoke.

How Can We Improve Health Awareness?

There are many ways to improve health awareness. We can read books, watch videos, or talk to doctors. Schools can also help by teaching students about health. Parents can set a good example by eating healthy food and exercising regularly.

Role of Media in Health Awareness

Media plays a big role in health awareness. TV shows, news, and social media can spread information about health. They can tell us about new research or health risks. But, we must be careful to check if the information is correct. Not all information on the internet is true.

In conclusion, health awareness is very important. It helps us make good choices for our health. We can improve health awareness by learning and sharing information. Let’s all try to be more aware of our health.

500 Words Essay on Health Awareness

Health awareness is knowing about the state of your body, how to keep it healthy, and what can harm it. It is like a guide to help you live a healthy life. It tells you about good habits like eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep. It also warns you about bad things like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, or not getting enough exercise.

Health awareness is very important for everyone. It helps you stay healthy and avoid diseases. If you are aware of your health, you can take steps to prevent illness. For example, if you know that eating too much sugar can lead to diabetes, you can choose to eat less sugar. This can help you avoid getting diabetes in the future.

Ways to Increase Health Awareness

There are many ways to increase health awareness. One way is to learn about health from reliable sources. You can read books, watch videos, or talk to health professionals like doctors and nurses. You can also learn about health in school or at health awareness events.

Another way to increase health awareness is to practice healthy habits. This means eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and avoiding harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol. By doing these things, you can improve your health and learn more about how your body works.

Schools also organize health awareness events. These events can include health fairs, where students can learn about different health topics and get free health screenings. They can also include campaigns to promote healthy habits, like eating fruits and vegetables or walking to school.

In conclusion, health awareness is very important. It helps us stay healthy and avoid diseases. We can increase our health awareness by learning about health and practicing healthy habits. Schools play a big role in health awareness by teaching students about health and organizing health awareness events. By being aware of our health, we can live healthier, happier lives.

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Health Awareness Essay

Introduction.

When our children fall sick, we immediately call a doctor or rush to a nearby hospital. These children are lucky because they have ample means and resources to get themselves treated. Do you know that some unfortunate ones do not realise that they are ill and deny treatment? Here lies the importance of the health awareness essay, as it will help our kids to understand the issues that revolve around health.

Although we have an efficient healthcare system, it is disheartening to know that every citizen does not get access to it. People fail to comprehend health issues in them and eventually do not receive treatment on time. Through this short essay on health awareness, we can familiarise ourselves with such issues and see how we can create health awareness.

Related essay: World Health Day essay

Importance of Health Awareness

Even while we do not have any illness or injury, it is essential to do a thorough checkup to identify any serious problems in our health. Maintaining good health is important for all, which is emphasised in this health awareness essay.

Though we stress that health is wealth, not everyone pays much attention to it. A slight delay in treatment or simple carelessness could cost your life, and this is why people should have proper health awareness. The short essay on health awareness focuses on how we can prevent the issues of lack of treatment or healthcare facilities.

Some people do not know if they have any diseases, and they continue living in ignorance till their health situation turns severe. Hence, it is necessary that we educate them about different diseases, their symptoms and treatment options, as well as raise their awareness about health. In this way, they will be motivated to make the right decisions regarding their health.

Ways to Raise Health Awareness

As we have discussed the importance of health awareness in the previous section, we will now see how we can raise awareness of this topic through the short essay on health awareness. We might have come across many awareness days like World AIDS Day, World Polio Day, World Hepatitis Day etc., each year, which are aimed to promote health and call attention to various health problems. These awareness programmes impart a better understanding of several communicable diseases and how we can prevent them.

The health awareness essay also highlights the significance of making people realise the value of physical, mental and social health. While it is easy for us to discover physical health problems through symptoms, mental health awareness is often overlooked. Organising campaigns is an effective way to raise awareness among people. Through vaccination drives and by arranging workshops and seminars, we can reach people and inspire them to improve their lifestyles and habits for their good health.

The short essay on health awareness can be a learning tool for children to understand more about the topic. To discover more interesting essays from BYJU’S, keep an eye on our website.

Frequently Asked Questions on Health Awareness Essay

What is meant by health awareness.

In basic terms, health awareness is the knowledge regarding one’s health. It can be described as the awareness of various health problems, symptoms and treatment options.

What is the significance of the health awareness essay for children?

The health awareness essay will be useful for children to know about various health concerns and preventive measures, which will empower them to keep themselves healthy by following the right regime.

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• Published: 10 May 2023

Mental health awareness: uniting advocacy and research

Nature Mental Health volume  1 ,  pages 295–296 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Mental Health Month has been observed to reduce the stigma that is associated with mental illness and to educate the public and encourage individuals to make their mental health and wellbeing a priority. It is an important moment to bring the strengths of advocacy groups and researchers together to promote mental health awareness and to improve equity.

Observances have become a popular tool to garner media and notice for topics deserving attention, from medical conditions to public health concerns, commemoration of notable events, or celebration of cultural groups. Codifying the scope and needs connected to an issue or illness through awareness campaigns can provide opportunities for imparting useful information, reducing stigma and marshalling support for policy change. The impact of awareness campaigns can be difficult to measure beyond tallying social media mentions or news stories. Effective advocacy, however, extends beyond traffic and paves the way for the creation of knowledge and partnerships among allies and with those whose interests are being represented. When the magnitude of an issue and the potential for improvement are great and are matched by broad involvement and recognition by stakeholders, the possibility for impact is also great.

Held annually in May, Mental Health Month , also called Mental Health Awareness Month, is an observance with such reach, resonating with many people. Nearly everyone has experience with the challenges that are associated with mental health, either first-hand or through loved ones or in their community. There is a need for education, support and initiative to improve our understanding of the causes of mental health disorders and to increase the availability of resources for prevention and treatment. Mental Health Month also offers the possibility of bringing together groups who often work in parallel, such as mental health advocates and mental health research organizations, that can mutually benefit from each other’s functions and expertise.

Mental Health Month was first established in the US in 1949 by the National Mental Health Association, now known as Mental Health America . At a time more often associated with the outset of the Cold War and Marshall Plan than setting an agenda for domestic mental health and wellbeing advocacy, in the more than 70 years since, Mental Health Month has grown into an international event designed to reduce exclusion, stigma and discrimination against people with mental health conditions or disorders. Mental Health America are joined by other prominent mental health advocacy groups to sponsor related observances: Mental Health Awareness Week Canada (1–7 May, 2023) and Europe (22–28 May, 2023); and federal agencies such as the Substance Use Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMSHA ) in the US, promoting related public education platforms, including National Prevention Week (7–13 May, 2023).

Observances and awareness campaigns also provide occasions to put mental health in context. Increasing acknowledgment of the role of social determinants, for example, as mechanisms that can increase vulnerability for developing disorders and that drive disparities in mental health are an important framework to underscore as part of promoting mental health awareness. Given the complex and broad scope of people, disorders, conditions and issues under the umbrella of mental health, observances also give us the chance to focus more closely on specific problems or experiences. The theme for Mental Health Month in 2023 is ‘Look Around, Look Within’, which emphasizes the interdependence of mental health and wellness with an individual’s internal and external experiences and environments.

“The ‘Look Around, Look Within’ theme builds on the growing recognition that all humans have mental health needs and that our available resources to build resilience and heal come in many forms — including in the natural world,” explains Jennifer Bright, Mental Health America Board Chair and President of Momentum Health Strategies. “Mental Health America’s strategic plan, focused on NextGen Prevention, carries a similar theme — that the social factors supporting mental health are essential building blocks. These encompass basic needs like healthy food, stable housing, and access to treatment and supports, but they also include spirituality, connection with peers with lived experience, and safe and natural spaces.”

Overlapping with Mental Health Month, Mental Health Foundation sponsors Mental Health Week in the UK (15–21 May, 2023), dedicating this year to raising awareness around anxiety. It shares an individual-centered approach to advocacy. In addition to providing toolkits and resources that point to how prevalent stress and anxiety can be to reduce stigma, it also promotes the accessibility of coping strategies for managing anxiety. As part of the Mental Health Awareness Week campaign, Mental Health Foundation and others use the international symbol of wearing a green ribbon or clothing to physically raise awareness around mental health. Nature Mental Health also incorporates the symbol of the green ribbon on the cover of this month’s issue and as our journal theme color. Green evokes the ideas of vitality, growth, new beginnings and hope — powerful imagery in mental health awareness.

Alongside stories, sponsorships and social media resources, mental health advocacy toolkits and strategy documents include fact sheets and messaging that are shaped and informed by research. Yet, there is often a perception that a divide exists between the mental health advocacy and research spaces, but observances such as Mental Health Month can bridge the two.

According to Lea Milligan, Chief Executive Officer of MQ: Transforming Mental Health , an international mental health research organization, there are complementary approaches and priorities in advocacy and research: “Mental health research can be used to bolster awareness by providing evidence-based information and resources that can help individuals and communities better understand mental health and the factors that contribute to mental health problems. This can include information on risk factors, prevention strategies, and available treatments.”

In addition, increased efforts to involve people with lived experience of mental illness in the research enterprise is a goal that is well-served through connection with advocacy. “While MQ is primarily focused on promoting mental health research, it also recognizes the importance of advocacy in advancing the mental health agenda” suggests Milligan. “MQ advocates for increased funding and support for mental health research, as well as policies that promote mental health and wellbeing. Additionally, MQ seeks to empower individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions to be involved in research and advocacy efforts, and to have their voices heard in the development of policies and programs that affect their lives. MQ provides resources and support for individuals with lived experience who wish to be involved in research or advocacy efforts, including training programs, research grants, and opportunities to participate in research studies.”

Involvement or engagement is certainly one of the most important metrics of advocacy. By strengthening collaboration between advocacy and research organizations and identifying the mutual areas of benefit, such as engagement and increased funding, we may find new ways to green light mental health awareness and action toward mental health equity.

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Mental health awareness: uniting advocacy and research. Nat. Mental Health 1 , 295–296 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00072-6

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Published : 10 May 2023

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Featured Campaigns

Take a look at what CDC programs are doing to reach their target audiences. Explore these links to current campaigns, health communication and social marketing materials, and interventions. Knowing what has worked may help you develop your health promotion materials and campaigns.

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Our campaigns and resources cover a range of health topics, including healthy eating, accessing NHS services and quitting smoking.

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Evaluating Communication Campaigns

Health communication and marketing campaigns that promote positive behavior change are a cornerstone of public health and behavioral science. Designing and implementing quality campaigns on a tight budget and in an urgent timeframe is a challenge that most health communication professionals share. Research and evaluation are critical for a successful campaign. CDC is using leading research and evaluation methods to develop quality campaigns, while keeping costs low and sticking to tight timelines.

CDC identified several methods to get tailored messaging to our target audiences. Based on the work for this campaign, there are 10 methods that can help you reduce costs and improve the efficacy of your communication or health marketing campaign.

Formative Research

• Use “mixed” methods or alternative approaches . When feasible, mixed assessment techniques can enhance and complement different types of data collection. Your budget may not allow you to conduct in-depth formative research, but you can use one primary research or evaluation method and then supplement with other methods that are less costly. For example, conducting qualitative focus groups might not account for all of your audience segments, but you could perform a literature search to complement your qualitative data. Additionally, when circumstances dictate, sometimes substituting one evaluation activity for another may be just as effective (or close to it). During the Domestic Zika Campaign we used “triad” interviews, which only involved three participants, when we did not have the time or the budget to conduct a full suite of focus groups, and this was supplemented with previous survey data on closely related topics.
• Invest in market data. Public, non-proprietary market data, such as data from the US Census , PEW , and Gallup , allow you to get to know your audience at no cost. Outside marketing firms may also be willing to share “older” proprietary data that may be from a year or two ago at little or no cost. During the Domestic Zika Campaign , secondary data donated from Annenberg surveys(?) were key to our analysis of each of our target demographics’ media habits and informed the mass media and digital media strategies and plans. The cost is your time in building relationships with like-minded partners and analyzing the data for a specific purpose.
• Identify alternative data. When traditional surveying of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors is not feasible, sometimes you can use alternative data (usually less expensive). During the Domestic Zika Campaign, we did not have sufficient time to get approval for our survey from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and field a traditional campaign evaluation survey. Instead, to meet our tight timeline, we acquired data about our audiences’ insecticide purchasing behavior in the stores where our advertisements had been placed, and compared them to similar product purchasing data from stores that did not display our advertisements. Building partnerships with organizations who have data, even from related issues, that can offer insights to you is a great long-term investment in both implementing and evaluating programs—especially when we have a shared commitment to protecting people from diseases.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Take advantage of social media analytics. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google AdWords allow you to target specific geographic areas and have built-in analytics tools that the user has access to at no additional cost. The Domestic Zika Campaign used data analytics to look at the performance of specific advertisements and the corresponding click-through rate to Zika-related campaign websites. Using social media platforms as a primary channel for the campaign allowed for more precise audience targeting, rapid message modifications, and real-time metrics. Using the data, we developed tailored advertisements that engaged key audiences and encouraged them to take preventive actions. For example, one of our treatments, the “carousel advertisement format” on Facebook, had the highest engagement with our target audience and provided a platform to communicate in-depth information about actions people could take to prevent Zika infection. Most organizations have access to someone who specializes in web analytics who can offer their insight.
• Conduct A/B testing. A/B testing is a way to compare two versions of something to figure out which performs better. A/B testing is used to assess different options of campaign messages or creative concepts in real time and measures which one people actually use more among different channels, such as Facebook and Twitter. The Domestic Zika Campaign tested messages and materials on a number of social and digital platforms to determine which channels our audience preferred. For example, we conducted an A/B test of an existing “Cover Your Body and Use Repellent” advertisement against two new advertisements that presented the “Cover” and “Repellent” content as two separate messages. We conducted a qualitative analysis of user comments on the advertisements and found that users had a negative reaction to the “Cover” action step given the high temperatures in areas with risk of Zika.
• Refresh your materials. Build in regular measurements to track and observe public response and evaluate public complacency towards your campaign to avoid a decrease in behavioral change outcomes. This can occur for two reasons: 1. Message fatigue, when the attention of your target audience is reduced because they have had repeated exposures to the campaign messages; or 2. Risk fatigue, when your audience no longer receives or responds to messages about the health threat.  You can refresh and adjust your campaign messages without creating new messages from scratch. During the second phase of the Domestic Zika Campaign we revised materials that were targeted towards men by adding images of males with their pregnant partners because we were informed by both women and men that they had become complacent about behaviors men could perform to protect both themselves and their partners from Zika virus infection and transmission.

General Rules of Thumb

• Do not reinvent the wheel. Know what is available in your organization.  Do you have existing contracts in place to purchase things quickly.  If you have to get permissions to do research, do you have processes in place to navigate them efficiently? As a federal agency, anytime we want to ask more than 9 people a question, we have to get approval from the Office of Management and Budget, which typically takes many months. Knowing this, CDC set up a process called the Health Message Testing System, which is generic request set up in advance with OMB that programs can use to quickly get permission to test a specific message with a specific audience. These approvals can be obtained in days instead of months.
• Track current events . Scan and track prominent news and social media. Be aware of current events and issues that arise over the course of your campaign. The news media will cover what is timely, and you can take advantage of this coverage to enhance your campaign efforts. During the initial phase of the Domestic Zika Campaign, the proposed use of the chemical pesticide Naled in Puerto Rico created a controversy for public health and government officials on the island. Tracking the controversy allowed us to address this issue by adding a media relations effort to the campaign and provided more opportunities to disseminate the most effective prevention messages.
• Partner with influential bloggers . Influential bloggers can help enhance and further disseminate your campaign messages, increasing the reach to and saturation of your target audience. One of the main goals of the Domestic Zika Campaign was to amplify CDC’s Zika prevention messages. We worked with a well-known television news celebrity who was pregnant and chose not to attend the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We pitched the story to mom and parenting bloggers and packaged it with CDC-branded messaging and the opportunity for an interview with a CDC subject matter expert. The cost of working with a blogger can vary, and you need to vet them carefully, but there can be great benefits by partnering with someone who is a natural fit for your cause and/or message content AND who is already reaching your target audience.
• Welcome donated media. Opportunities may arise for you to take advantage of “value-added” or donated media, which can help extend your communication efforts and increase the number of measurement points to evaluate. If you purchase a large number of services, the outside vendor might be willing to add additional advertising or other activities so the campaign will not incur any additional costs. For instance, we acquired donated time for the public service announcements developed by the Domestic Zika Campaign to run in movie theaters in Puerto Rico.

Do you have any other suggestions to improve the quality and timeliness of health marketing and communication campaigns on a budget? Please leave a comment below.

Fred Fridinger is a Senior Health Communications Specialist in the Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC). During his 22- year career at CDC, he has worked on various campaigns and communication efforts, including those addressing moderate physical activity and healthy eating, genetics, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Zika prevention. In his current position, he oversees the market research function for OADC, which involves the Porter Novelli Styles and Nielsen Scarborough syndicated data bases.

The Communication Research and Evaluation blog series highlights innovative research and evaluation methods used at CDC to improve behavior change campaigns.

11 comments on “Evaluating Communication Campaigns”

Comments listed below are posted by individuals not associated with CDC, unless otherwise stated. These comments do not represent the official views of CDC, and CDC does not guarantee that any information posted by individuals on this site is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. Read more about our comment policy » .

Could Dr. Fridinger please communicate to major healthcare providers in the United States that the CDC no longer recommends Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)?

GET and CBT are still the norm for ME/CFS clinical care, even though the CDC no longer recommends them.

Why is the CDC unwilling or unable to properly communicate their own treatment changes for ME/CFS?

This essay claims that CDC was able to develop an effective communications campaign for Zika. I’m willing to accept that claim.

So why is CDC unable to do the same for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)? Thirty years after CDC renamed ME to the demeaning label “chronic fatigue syndrome”, most physicians believe ME to be psychological, that “fear of exercise” keeps us sick, as even CDC’s own Dr Elizabeth Unger admits. CDC has made no effort to change this perception or stop the abuse of ME patients by physicians, social service agencies, and society at large.

Recently CDC quietly dropped graded exercise therapy from its “ME/CFS” treatment recommendations but no one outside the ME patient community knows this. Meanwhile the CFS Advisory Committee is struggling to “reinvent the wheel” and trying to figure out how to inform physicians about proper diagnosis and treatment.

In the face of CDC competence in regards to Zika, and incompetence in regards to ME, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that there is an unwritten policy of keeping physicians and the public deliberately misinformed. Please prove me wrong.

In my opinion, publishing in specific groups and with large numbers of people would help as well.

Great info!

It’s amazing to see how efficient and fast, important information gets out to the general public. The CDC website is always a great site to get most up-to- date health information but to learn about so many ways that health communication through marketing campaigns happens is very informational. As mentioned above with the Domestic Zika Campaign that was launched in 2016, the numbers of 350 million impressions and 555,000 clicks through various avenues were phenomenal. Through CDC’s various methods to increase efficacy to communicate to the general public on any health issues not just imperative but also can prevent further spread of infections, diseases and helps the healthcare industry treat any population faster and correctly. Great Information!!

Health communication is the study and practice of communicating promotional health information, such as in public health campaigns, health education, and between doctor and patient. The purpose of disseminating health information is to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy.

Hi Dr. Fridinger. Has there been an update to the Cultural Competency piece you did on Latinos.

Has there been any updates to the Latino Cultural Competence article you wrote a while ago?

Do you have a recommendation as to what % of the budget should be devoted to evaluation for a youth campaign re: prevention?

You’ve made some really good points there. I checked on the net to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.

This Articla is very good it givess so much information for the students who want to learn A/B testing. very nice article.

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Use of mass media campaigns to change health behaviour

Mass media campaigns are widely used to expose high proportions of large populations to messages through routine uses of existing media, such as television, radio, and newspapers. Exposure to such messages is, therefore, generally passive. Such campaigns are frequently competing with factors, such as pervasive product marketing, powerful social norms, and behaviours driven by addiction or habit. In this Review we discuss the outcomes of mass media campaigns in the context of various health-risk behaviours (eg, use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, heart disease risk factors, sex-related behaviours, road safety, cancer screening and prevention, child survival, and organ or blood donation). We conclude that mass media campaigns can produce positive changes or prevent negative changes in health-related behaviours across large populations. We assess what contributes to these outcomes, such as concurrent availability of required services and products, availability of community-based programmes, and policies that support behaviour change. Finally, we propose areas for improvement, such as investment in longer better-funded campaigns to achieve adequate population exposure to media messages.

Introduction

Over the past few decades, media campaigns have been used in an attempt to affect various health behaviours in mass populations. Such campaigns have most notably been aimed at tobacco use and heart-disease prevention, but have also addressed alcohol and illicit drug use, cancer screening and prevention, sex-related behaviours, child survival, and many other health-related issues. Typical campaigns have placed messages in media that reach large audiences, most frequently via television or radio, but also outdoor media, such as billboards and posters, and print media, such as magazines and newspapers. Exposure to such messages is generally passive, resulting from an incidental effect of routine use of media. Some campaigns incorporate new technologies (eg, the internet, mobile phones and personal digital assistants), but recipients have so far generally been required to actively choose to seek information, for example by clicking on a web link, and discussion of these methods is not included in this Review.

Media campaigns can be of short duration or may extend over long periods. They may stand alone or be linked to other organised programme components, such as clinical or institutional outreach and easy access to newly available or existing products or services, or may complement policy changes. Multiple methods of dissemination might be used if health campaigns are part of broader social marketing programmes. 1

The great promise of mass media campaigns lies in their ability to disseminate well defined behaviourally focused messages to large audiences repeatedly, over time, in an incidental manner, and at a low cost per head. As we discuss in this Review, however, that promise has been inconsistently realised: campaign messages can fall short and even backfire; exposure of audiences to the message might not meet expectations, hindered by inadequate funding, the increasingly fractured and cluttered media environment, use of inappropriate or poorly researched format (eg, boring factual messages or age-inappropriate content), or a combination of these features; homogeneous messages might not be persuasive to heterogeneous audiences; and campaigns might address behaviours that audiences lack the resources to change.

Search strategy and selection criteria

We searched Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, Soclit, Eric, and Communication and Mass Media Complete electronic databases to identify full-text review articles and non-reviewed notable studies published from 1998 onwards, in English, that we judged to represent advances in assessment methods or substantial increments in knowledge. We integrated review findings with evidence from robust and influential empirical studies that were published after the last review article identified.

Search terms included “review” and either “health promotion”, “health education”, “social marketing”, “marketing of health services”, “campaign*”, “mass media*”, “mass communication campaign*”, “publicity campaign*”, “information campaign*”, or “community intervention*”, along with and the individual health behaviours of interest, which we termed “tobacco or smoking”, “alcohol”, “marijuana”, “street drugs”, “crack cocaine”, “heart health or heart disease prevention or physical activity or obesity or nutrition or high fat* or high sodium* or diet”, “family planning or contraception or child spacing”, “sex or sexual behaviour”, “HIV or AIDS or HIV/AIDS or sexually transmitted disease or STD”, “skin neoplasms or sunburn or sunscreening agents”, “uterine cervical neoplasms”, “breast neoplasms”, “colorectal neoplasms”, “immunization or vaccination”, “diarrhea or diarrhoea or oral rehydration therapy or ORT or oral rehydration”, “breastfeed*”, “SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome or cot death”, “Reye’s syndrome”, “organ donation”, “blood donation”, “domestic abuse or violence prevention or child abuse prevention”, “mental health or youth suicide prevention or depression”, or “seat belt use or road safety”.

Direct and indirect methods to affect behaviour change

Mass media campaigns can work through direct and indirect pathways to change the behaviour of whole populations. 2 Many campaigns aim to directly affect individual recipients by invoking cognitive or emotional responses. Such programmes are intended to affect decision-making processes at the individual level. Anticipated outcomes include the removal or lowering of obstacles to change, helping people to adopt healthy or recognise unhealthy social norms, and to associate valued emotions with achieving change. These changes strengthen intentions to alter and increase the likelihood of achieving new behaviours. 3 For instance, an antismoking campaign might emphasise risks of smoking and benefits of quitting, provide a telephone number for a support line, remind smokers of positive social norms in relation to quitting, associate quitting with positive self-regard, or a combination of these features.

Behaviour change might also be achieved through indirect routes. First, mass media messages can set an agenda for and increase the frequency, depth, or both, of interpersonal discussion about a particular health issue within an individual’s social network, which, in combination with individual exposure to messages, might reinforce (or undermine) specific changes in behaviour. Second, since mass media messages reach large audiences, changes in behaviour that become norms within an individual’s social network might influence that person’s decisions without them having been directly exposed to or initially persuaded by the campaign. For example, after viewing televised antismoking campaign messages, several members of a social group might be prompted to form a support group to help them stop smoking. Another individual who has not seen the television campaign could decide to join the support group and change his or her own behaviour. Finally, mass media campaigns can prompt public discussion of health issues and lead to changes in public policy, resulting in constraints on individuals’ behaviour and thereby change. For example, a campaign discouraging smoking because of its second-hand effects on non-smokers might not persuade smokers to quit, but it might increase public support for a new policy that restricts smoking in specific places, which might have the secondary effect of persuading smokers to quit.

Evidence for health behaviour change

We discuss a range of media campaigns, from constrained experimental programmes with complex research apparatus funded specifically to test the promise of public communication, such as the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program, 4 , 5 to campaigns mounted as large-scale interventions on a regional or national scale, not operationally constrained by the need for outcome assessment, but to which analysis was later applied, such as the US National Youth Antidrug Media Campaign. 6 These distinctions matter because the strength of the claims of causality is affected by the campaign design. For example, campaigns designed to maximise scale and operational success but that do not carefully assess outcomes might be expected to make weak claims compared with those that include carefully planned experimental assessments. Large-scale media campaigns do, however, have higher population exposure and can exploit the indirect pathways that can increase overall population response to campaigns. Careful experimental designs are more often used to assess only the direct effects of small-scale campaigns, which might not provide the potential for maximum effectiveness. 7

Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs

One in three long-term tobacco users die prematurely, largely from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer. Without intervention, 1 billion premature deaths globally are predicted to be related to tobacco by the end of this century. 8 Tobacco use is also a major contributor to social inequalities in mortality in many populations worldwide. 9 Far more studies have been done to assess the effects of media campaigns on tobacco use than on any other health-related issue and, consequently, the evidence for benefit is strong ( table ). Between the 1970s and mid-1990s, the studies were controlled field experiments forming part of research demonstration projects, whereas from the mid-1990s onwards, large-scale media campaigns have been assessed as key components of state and national tobacco control programmes.

Summary of reviews of mass media campaign features and effects on behaviour, by health topic *

CVD=cardiovascular disease.

Comprehensive reviews of controlled field experiments and population studies show that mass media campaigns were associated with a decline in young people starting smoking 10 and with an increase in the number of adults stopping. 10 , 11 Smoking prevention in young people seems to have been more likely when mass media efforts were combined with programmes in schools, the community, or both. 10 Many population studies have documented reductions in adult smoking prevalence when mass media campaigns have been combined with other tobacco control strategies, such as increases in tobacco taxation or smoke-free policies. 10 , 11 In the absence of formal control groups not exposed to mass media campaigns, however, it is difficult to separate the effects of the different strategies. Some studies have used time series analyses 12 or natural experiment designs that exploit variation in degree of exposure to the media campaign and adjust for exposure to other tobacco control policies, and have found beneficial independent effects of campaigns. 13 , 14

The achievement of adequate exposure to media campaigns seems important for reducing population tobacco use; withdrawal of media campaigns has been associated with a decline in beneficial effects. 10 , 12 , 15 , 16 This outcome is unsurprising while influences that promote tobacco use remain (eg, marketing and the addictive nature of tobacco).

Most evidence has been generated from studies in high-income countries because the highest number of campaigns have been done there and research capacity is substantial there. Evidence is mixed on the ability of mass media campaigns to redress the disparities in smoking prevalence between subgroups with high and low socioeconomic status. 17 One cohort study has suggested that high exposure to antitobacco campaigns that elicit negative emotions, such as fear, disgust, and sadness, promotes increased cessation rates in lower socioeconomic populations. 14 This finding is consistent with evidence in many population subgroups of the positive effects of antitobacco campaigns that use negatively emotive advertising messages. 10 For example, media campaigns that graphically link smoking to serious health damage to motivate adult smoking cessation ( figure ) have also been associated with prevention of smoking uptake among young people. 10 This outcome might be an indirect consequence of reductions in adult (eg, parental) smoking attributable to campaigns, which exerts a protective effect on youth uptake. 18 Direct effects of such campaigns on young people have, however, also been suggested. 10 , 19 A future challenge for media campaigns related to tobacco control is to ensure their evidence-based application in low-income and middle-income countries, which have infrequently received such programmes, and in groups with low socioeconomic status in high-income countries.

Smoking is linked graphically to arterial damage and the caption “Every Cigarette Is Doing You Damage” was used. The campaign was associated with a decline in adult smoking rates. 12 Reproduced courtesy of the Department of Health and Ageing, National Tobacco Campaign.

During the late 1990s, several tobacco companies began to broadcast mass media campaigns internationally to advocate that young people should not smoke. Studies of forced (non-incidental) exposure, in which young people had to watch then recall and appraise advertisements, have concluded that these messages were appraised poorly by the target audience. 10 The Philip Morris tobacco company in the USA also broadcast campaigns encouraging parents to talk with their children about tobacco use. Population-based studies found high exposure to the industry’s youth-directed campaign was associated with strengthening intention to smoke in the future, 20 , 21 whereas high exposure to the parent-directed campaigns strengthened intentions to smoke in the future, lowered perception of harm from smoking, and increased the risk of current smoking behaviour. 21 A theory for these outcomes is that few reasons beyond simply being a teenager were offered as to why young people should not smoke. By giving a subtle message that smoking is an adult activity, tobacco can seem like a forbidden fruit and attractiveness can increase.

Misuse of alcohol contributes to around 4% of the global burden of ill health and premature death, principally from alcohol-use disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver cirrhosis, and injury. 22 With the exception of mass media campaigns to reduce drink driving, campaigns to lessen alcohol intake have had little success. 23 , 24 Most have been targeted towards young people, 23 , 25 , 26 but the potential effects have generally been overshadowed by widespread unrestricted alcohol marketing strategies and the view of drinking as a social norm. Safe drinking campaigns sponsored by alcohol companies have been ineffective in changing drinking behaviour, because the messages are viewed as ambiguous by recipients. 27 , 28 No assessments have been conducted of whether the publicising of alcohol drinking guidelines affects alcohol-related harm. 25

Little peer-reviewed research is available on the effects of mass media campaigns to change behaviours related to illicit drug use; nearly all work has been undertaken in the USA. One study found positive effects of a campaign that ran from 1987 to 1990 and addressed use of marijuana and crack cocaine by young people. 29 By contrast, another study found the effects to be overstated for a campaign that ran in Montana, USA, against methamphetamine use. 30 Between 1998 and 2004, the US Congress spent nearly US$1 billion on a national antidrug media campaign aimed at young people aged 9–18 years, their parents, and other influential adults. The campaign used television and radio advertising, accompanied by other media and community programmes, to provide education, with the goals of preventing initiation of marijuana use and persuading occasional users to stop. Messages directed at parents encouraged them to talk with their children about drugs and to closely supervise and monitor their behaviour. Although some localised time-limited studies showed positive effects among young people who require substantial novelty and stimulation (termed high-sensation young) 31 and those who also received school-based drug prevention information, 32 a comprehensive national assessment showed that the campaign did not positively affect attitudes towards or behaviour related to marijuana use among young people. 5 Indeed, some evidence suggested that greater exposure would have increased intention to use marijuana, possibly because the underlying message of the campaign was that marijuana use was common place and thus normal. 5 Among parents, the campaign had favourable effects in terms of their attitudes towards and behaviour in relation to talking with children about drugs. No improvement was reported, however, in attitudes towards or monitoring of their children’s behaviour. 33 The evidence for the success of campaigns focusing on illicit drug use is inconsistent.

Nutrition, activity, and prevention of heart disease

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and is a major contributor to health-care costs in developed countries. In addition to tobacco use, risk factors include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol concentrations, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity. 34 , 35 Whereas rates of heart disease and stroke have lessened since the 1950s, those of obesity have increased strikingly among adults and particularly among children in high-income countries. 35 – 38

In the 1970s and 1980s, large-scale community-based public communication interventions aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease, including the North Karelia Project in Finland, and the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program and the Minnesota Heart Health Program in the USA, were among the first to be formally assessed for effectiveness. 39 Smaller-scale cardiovascular disease prevention programmes followed in the mid-1980s and 1990s. In aggregate, these programmes yielded high awareness and improvements in risk-reducing behaviours, such as changes to diet and increases in physical activity. Cross-sectional independent sample outcome effects, particularly on overall risk for cardiovascular disease, however, were short-term, small in size, and similar in magnitude to secular declines in communities not exposed to mass media campaigns. 40 Researchers have argued convincingly, though, that large-scale, uncontrolled, national campaigns with large mass media components, such as the National High Blood Pressure Education Program and the National Cholesterol Education Program in the USA, contributed to these substantial secular declines in blood pressure, blood cholesterol concentrations, or both. 41

Since the mid-1980s, the scale of mass media campaigns related to heart health has decreased, whereas the size of those directed towards improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, or both, has increased. Before 1990, campaigns related to diet frequently focused on reducing fat intake, but the results in terms of improving food choices seem to have been mixed. 35 Later media campaigns focused on increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and low-fat milk, and were deemed more successful, especially when people were provided with access to healthy foods or had health disorders for which changes in diet would be beneficial. 34 , 35 , 42 , 43 Campaigns aimed at increasing low-fat-milk consumption have also motivated governmental policy changes. 44 The introduction of signs and labels providing nutritional information at the point of purchase in restaurants, grocery stores, and vending machines, have also increased the likelihood of people selecting healthy food. 35

Campaigns with mass media components aimed at changing physical activity behaviours have yielded short-term increases in physical activity, mainly in highly motivated individuals. 45 – 47 Success has been seen with community-wide walking campaigns targeting adults, especially older adults (eg, >50 years), 48 , 49 and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s VERB campaign, which targeted children aged 9–13 years. 36 , 46 The latter campaign used commercial marketing techniques and had achieved population-level changes at year 2, with evidence being reported for an exposure-response relation. 36 , 46 Small-scale interventions that have used motivational posters to encourage use of stairs instead of elevators have also changed behavior. 35 , 47 Mass media programmes for prevention of childhood obesity have shown encouraging results, with improvements in body-mass index Z scores being associated with the exposure to the campaigns. 37 , 38

Assessment of campaigns to promote nutrition and physical activity, like those promoting tobacco control, shows that while short-term changes can be achieved, sustained effects are difficult to maintain after campaigns end. 34 , 38 , 45 , 46 , 49 , 50 Competing environmental factors, such as easy access to and marketing of energy-dense food, 51 the complexity of recommendations for nutritional and physical activity behaviour in different population subgroups, 50 and changes over time in recommendations made by health educators are notable obstacles to achieving longer-term population-level changes. 46 Sufficient exposure to campaign messages, 52 including in high-risk and underserved populations, 41 , 46 , 47 is also a concern. Finally, almost all assessed mass media campaigns have included multiple programme components (eg, other community, school, and worksite interventions) and, therefore, the effects of mass media campaigns are difficult to isolate. 41 , 45 , 47

Birth-rate reduction and prevention of HIV infection

Reductions in birth rates and prevention of HIV infection require changes in human behaviour on a large scale. Unsurprisingly, therefore, both these issues have been continuing focuses for mass media campaigns. Those intended to encourage family planning have been particularly important in low-income countries, 53 whereas those aimed at preventing HIV infection have been relevant in low-income and high-income countries. 54 , 55

The transition from high to low birth rates has been argued to require a climate of opinion “supportive of modern contraceptive use and the idea of smaller family sizes”. 56 This opinion is supported by substantial evidence that the spread of information through mass media, along with efforts to promote family planning, is associated with adoption of contraception. 57 , 58 Positive outcomes can be shown whether comparisons are made across geographic areas, over time within geographic areas, or between individuals. 57 For example, Cleland and Ali 58 have noted a sharp growth in the use of condoms for protection against pregnancy among young women across Africa (from 5% to 18% between 1993 and 2001), which they attribute to HIV-related condom promotion campaigns. Although these temporal or cross-sectional associations are noteworthy and, in some cases, are independent of potential confounders, separation of the effects of exposure to modern values through ordinary media content from effects of exposure to specific procontraceptive campaign content is not always clear-cut.

Evidence from discrete projects complements that from population-level and aggregated studies. Effective family planning communication strategies have included the embedding of pro-family-planning messages in entertainment programmes, particularly in a soap opera format, social marketing with expanded distribution of family planning devices, and focused promotional advertising. The greatest short-term increases in demand have been reported for people who were exposed to campaign messages and were already considering use; the effects in people who were not previously committed to use are less convincing. 57

Programmes for prevention of HIV infection have received substantial funding worldwide, and mass media campaigns have been major components of those programmes. Behavioural targets have included uptake of HIV testing, use of condoms, and lowering the number of sex partners. Bertrand and colleagues 54 noted mixed results for mass media interventions in low-income countries: a few studies yielded small to moderate effects, but others achieved no change. Wellings 55 summarised a series of European AIDS campaigns with major mass media components run in the early 1990s. She found that campaign activity and trends in the proportions of people with casual sexual partners who used condoms increased linearly, especially in countries with more vigorous campaigns, but there was no effect on the number of sex partners. Noar and co-workers 59 built on an earlier review 60 and judged that only ten of 34 identified campaigns had robust quality assessment components, but of these eight showed significant effects on behaviour.

Of the campaigns aimed at reducing birth and HIV infection rates, reviews have shown consistently that discrete mass media programmes can affect behaviour.

Cancer screening and prevention

Screening of asymptomatic individuals for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers is recommended for early detection. 61 Mass media campaigns to encourage women to have Papanicolaou (Pap) smears and undergo screening mammography have been run in many high-income nations since the early 1990s. Initial experience, predominantly from Australia and the USA, suggested that mass media campaigns supported by tailored reminder letters prompted short-term increases in Pap-smear uptake, especially when there was good availability of screening services. 62 , 63 Later research indicated that short-duration screening programmes that offered easy access to screening services, used reminder letters, and specifically included television broadcast components were associated with short-term population-wide increases in attendance for Pap smears, 64 including in ethnic minority populations 65 and those of low socioeconomic status. 66 Likewise in the case of mammography, use of mass media campaigns and reminder letters in areas where screening was already organised and available led to increases in uptake. 65 Snyder and colleagues 42 did a meta-analysis of US-based campaigns and the findings suggested a small but significant effect. Mass media campaigns without organised screening services, however, have produced little or no detectable increases in use of cervical cancer screening; 61 , 62 no such studies have been done for breast or colorectal cancer screening. 61

Skin cancer is caused mainly by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. 67 , 68 Mass media campaigns aimed at prevention of skin cancer have concentrated on reducing patterns of sun exposure, mainly in fair-skinned populations. The types of behaviours most frequently recommended have been avoidance of direct exposure in high ultraviolet periods and the wearing of protective clothing and sunscreen products. A systematic review showed insufficient evidence of an association between mass media campaigns—alone or accompanied by comprehensive community programmes—and changes in sun-exposure behaviours. 67 A study from Australia that assessed sun protection attitudes and behaviours for 15 years in the presence of variable amounts of media campaign exposure (SunSmart), however, has provided convincing evidence of improvements in attitudes and behaviour in the presence of skin cancer prevention media campaigns. 69 Furthermore, reductions in the incidence of melanoma have been observed, especially among young people, over the decades of this media campaign. 70 The researchers of this Australian study advocate as crucial the need for sustained community-wide organised efforts that include mass media to maintain the positive preventive effects and counter competing forces that promote sunbathing and tanning, such as fashion trends and solarium marketing. 70

Child survival

In many low-income countries, a substantial portion of premature mortality and associated morbidity occurs between birth and age 5 years. Major causes of poor child survival include inadequate treatment of dehydration resulting from diarrhoea, non-vaccination for preventable diseases, and failure to breastfeed exclusively and for sufficient time. 71 , 72 Each of these causes has been the target of mass media campaigns, with mixed evidence for success.

One review found four of six childhood vaccination programmes that used mass media achieved substantial improvements in vaccine use, and the effects were incremental with increasing exposure to the campaign. 73 , 74 One cost-effectiveness analysis in Bangladesh attributed increasing use of immunisation services to national campaign exposure. 75 A later review of vaccination interventions found no additional examples of mass media campaigns alone. 76 Rather, mass media was a strategy widely used in multicomponent vaccination campaigns worldwide, and substantial improvements in childhood vaccination were repeatedly recorded. As with other campaigns, effects cannot be specifically attributed to the mass media campaign component. 77

In a review of five diarrhoea treatment programmes that used mass media to promote home-mixed or premixed rehydration solutions, three were associated with increased adoption of rehydration solution. 73

Although mass media programmes to promote breastfeeding have been mounted, reviews from the 1990s onwards seem scarce or non-existent. Two studies—one from Jordan in the late 1980s 78 and one from Armenia 79 , 80 —show positive effects.

In countries where mortality from sudden infant death syndrome has been monitored, death rates have sharply declined, attributed mainly to a change in the position in which infants are put down to sleep (on their backs). National campaigns with strong mass media components have been part of distribution of this message and have been aimed at members of the public and medical practitioners. Sharp reductions in prone sleeping have accompanied reductions in deaths from sudden infant death syndrome of well over 50%. 81

A reduction in the use of children’s aspirin, owing to this drug’s association with Reye’s syndrome, might partly indicate an indirect, non-campaign-led mass media effect. In the USA the media coverage of the public debate over risks of children’s aspirin consumption was associated with an abrupt decline in use of and in incidence of the disease. The introduction of warnings on aspirin bottle labels was associated with a further smaller but still notable drop in the disease until it almost disappeared. 82

Other health behaviours

Road safety mass media campaigns have promoted reductions in the frequency of road accidents and deaths through increases in uses of seat belts, booster seats for children, and helmets for bicyclists, skateboarders, and motorcyclists, and reductions in speeding, driver fatigue, and drink driving. The average associated decline in vehicle crashes has been estimated to be at least 7%, 83 and of alcohol-impaired driving to be 13%. 84 Results of designated driver programmes have been less conclusive. 85 The most notable road safety campaigns have promoted seat belt use. 86 The Click It or Ticket programme in North Carolina, USA, was associated with an increase in seat belt use from 63% to 80% and lowered rates of highway deaths, and became a model for other state and national programmes. 87 A version in Washington state, USA, reported gains from 83% up to 95% of seat belt use. 88 Law enforcement and repeated cycles of short-term mass media exposure seem, therefore, to have been important components of road safety campaign effectiveness. 83 , 84 , 87 , 88

The need for organ donation and transplantation is increasing worldwide. 89 , 90 Organ donation campaigns have been infrequent, and the few assessed have had mixed results. Public misconceptions and mistrust of physician’s end-of-life decisions have been cited as key barriers to change. 90 News media surrounding the World Transplant Games Federation international events seems to be associated with increased organ donations in the cities where events were held, but increases were not sustained after media exposure dropped. 89

Although few data for blood donation campaigns have been published, a few studies report sizeable increases in blood donors in association with mass media campaigns. For example, during China’s national campaign to promote safe donation, which used celebrities and a patriotic message, the number of voluntary blood donors rose from 55 to 96 320 in one city between 1993 and 2001. 91 In Ghana, analysis of a low-cost radio campaign that promoted voluntary blood donation from 2003 to 2006 showed an associated high response from young male donors attending for repeat donation who had not previously done so. 92

Panel: Policy recommendations for national governments, practitioners and professional bodies

Mass media campaigns should be included as key components of comprehensive approaches to improving population health behaviours

Sufficient funding must be secured to enable frequent and widespread exposure to campaign messages continuously over time, especially for ongoing behaviours

Adequate access to promoted services and products must be ensured

Changes in health behaviour might be maximised by complementary policy decisions that support opportunities to change, provide disincentives for not changing, and challenge or restrict competing marketing

Campaign messages should be based on sound research of the target group and should be tested during campaign development

Outcomes should undergo rigorous independent assessment and peer-reviewed publication should be sought

According to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO, youth violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment (sexual and physical abuse), and mental disorders are preventable behaviours that have negative effects on national rates of injuries and deaths, and on physical health conditions. 93 – 95 Researchers have begun to call for the abandonment of victim-perpetrator models and instead advocating mass media interventions to redress risk factors, such as skill deficits and parental dysfunctions. 94 , 95 As yet, campaign effectiveness is unclear. 95 Examples of promising programmes with mass media components include a campaign for professional training that lowered rates of child maltreatment outcomes, 96 an intimate partner violence programme for which increased reported bystander responses were reported, 97 and a campaign that was associated with reduced rates of bullying in schools among children aged 12–14 years. 94 A review of suicide prevention campaigns undertaken in several countries found improvements in attitudes about causes and treatment of depression, but outcomes, such as the rate of suicide acts, did not change. 98

Mass media campaigns to reduce delays in prehospital response for heart attacks and other emergency health disorders have been related to increased understanding of symptoms but no sustained lowering of response times or mortality rates. 99 Researchers have called for extension of campaign duration to increase exposure, and strengthening of the messages by concurrently offering community programmes, targeting of high-risk and rural populations, and investigation of patients’ barriers to action. 99

Conclusions

Mass media campaigns can directly and indirectly produce positive changes or prevent negative changes in health-related behaviours across large populations. Our careful reading of topic-specific individual studies and more-general mass media reviews, 42 , 100 , 101 and our collective experience in campaign research and evaluation across health behaviours has led us to the following conclusions about the conditions under which media campaigns work.

The likelihood of success is substantially increased by the application of multiple interventions 102 and when the target behaviour is one-off or episodic (eg, screening, vaccination, children’s aspirin use) rather than habitual or ongoing (eg, food choices, sun exposure, physical activity). Concurrent availability of and access to key services and products are crucial to persuade individuals motivated by media messages to act on them. The creation of policies that support opportunities to change provides additional motivation for change, whereas policy enforcement can discourage unhealthy or unsafe behaviours. Public relations or media advocacy campaigns that shape the treatment of a public health issue by news and entertainment media also represent a promising complementary strategy to conventional media campaigns. 103

Various hindrances to the success of mass media campaigns exist. Pervasive marketing for competing products or with opposing messages, the power of social norms, and the drive of addiction frequently mean that positive campaign outcomes are not sustained. Greater and longer-term investment will be required to extend effects. The increasingly fractured and cluttered media environment poses challenges to achieving adequate exposure to planned media messages, rather than making wide exposure easier. Careful planning and testing of campaign content and format with target audiences are, therefore, crucial (panel). 98 , 102

For all the reasons described above, isolation of the independent effects of mass media campaigns is difficult. Substantial evidence has, however, been garnered from study designs that, in isolation, are less than classically excellent, but in aggregate yield a substantial body of support for the conclusion that mass media campaigns can change population health behaviours.

Acknowledgments

MAW is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Principal Research Fellowship. RCH is supported by a grant from the US National Cancer Institute P20-CA095856-06. We thank Susan Mello and Judith Stanke for assistance in literature searches.

Contributors

Conflicts of interest

We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.

Mental Health Campaigns and the Rise of Mental Health Problems

Do we need to consider how we manage mental health campaigns.

Posted June 26, 2023 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

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In recent years, mental health has gained increased attention and recognition as an important aspect of overall well-being. Efforts to raise awareness about mental health issues have grown significantly, with campaigns, initiatives, and discussions aimed at reducing stigma and promoting help-seeking behaviours. But is there a relationship between mental health awareness efforts and the reported prevalence of mental health problems? By examining the potential factors at play and considering empirical evidence, we can gain a deeper understanding of this complex issue.

Reduction in Stigma

Mental health awareness efforts have contributed to a more open and public dialogue surrounding mental health issues. This has helped to break down long-standing stigmas, encouraging individuals to share their experiences and seek support. Mental health awareness campaigns have led to increased availability of information and resources. This has empowered individuals to better understand mental health, recognize symptoms, and seek appropriate help when needed.

Efforts to raise mental health awareness have been successful in reducing the stigma associated with mental health conditions. This has created an environment where individuals feel more comfortable disclosing their struggles and seeking help, leading to increased reporting. Increased awareness initiatives have improved mental health literacy, enabling individuals to recognize and label their mental health symptoms. This enhanced understanding may contribute to a higher reporting rate as people become more aware of their mental health concerns. Several societal factors, such as increased stress levels, changing social dynamics, and evolving cultural norms, may also contribute to the rise in reported mental health problems. While mental health awareness efforts can facilitate identification and reporting, these broader contextual factors should be considered.

Promotion and Recognition

Extensive resources have been poured into raising public awareness about mental health problems. One positive outcome of mental health awareness efforts has undeniably brought about positive changes by reducing stigma, promoting help-seeking behaviours, and connecting individuals with necessary support services. These initiatives have provided platforms for education , empathy, and community-building.

While mental health awareness campaigns are essential, it is crucial to acknowledge potential unintended consequences. While the goals have been admirable, there is an increasing realization, that they may be creating an escalation in the reporting of ‘mental health problems’ especially in younger age categories. In an interesting paper by Foulkes and Andrews, (2023), on the prevalence inflation hypothesis, they argue that mental health awareness efforts are leading to more accurate reporting of previously under-recognized symptoms, which they say is one beneficial outcome, but secondly, they propose that awareness efforts are leading some individuals to interpret and report milder forms of distress as mental health problems and that this may lead to some individuals experiencing a genuine increase in symptoms because labelling distress as a mental health problem can sometimes affect an individual's self-concept and behaviour in a way that is ultimately self-fulfilling.

Mixed Findings

Empirical studies examining the relationship between mental health awareness efforts and the reported prevalence of mental health problems have yielded mixed results. Some studies suggest a positive association, while others find no significant correlation or even a decrease in reported mental health issues. The complexity of measuring mental health, variations in survey methodologies, and potential reporting biases must be considered when interpreting research findings. These factors can influence the reported prevalence rates and make it challenging to establish a direct causal relationship between awareness efforts and increased reporting. Some concerns include the possibility of overmedicalization, self-diagnosis without professional input, and the potential for individuals to identify as having mental health issues based on popular trends or misinterpretations.

Mental health awareness efforts play a critical role in reducing stigma and promoting help-seeking behaviours. While they have contributed to an increase in reported mental health problems, this rise may be attributed to multiple factors, including reduced stigma and improved mental health literacy. Empirical evidence suggests a complex relationship, emphasizing the need for nuanced approaches that balance the benefits of awareness with potential concerns. Continued research, monitoring, and targeted interventions are necessary to ensure that mental health awareness efforts effectively support those in need while minimizing unintended consequences.

So Many Mental Health Campaigns

Campaigns may be actively contributing to the so-called ‘psychologising’ of everyday suffering and distress. Campaigns promoting self-disclosure may seem admirable, but it has been recognised that stigma and shame remain significant barriers to people seeking professional help, especially in the workplace. One potential social consequence is that there may also be a social dividend to self-disclosure and it may provide secondary gains to those talking about it. Often seen as an explanation as to why mental health problems are often glamorised or even romanticised, particularly on social media (e.g. quotes about depression on aesthetically-appealing backgrounds are widely shared) Foulkes and Andrews (2023). The question is do these campaigns lead to an excessive tendency to interpret negative psychological experiences as mental health problems?

Labels and Experiences

One interesting theory on how humans use categories is proposed by philsopher Ian Hacking involves what he calls the "looping effects". He explores the dynamic relationship between social categories and individual behaviour. He examines how the classification of individuals into certain categories can influence their self-perception and subsequent behaviour, leading to a feedback loop that reinforces and reshapes the very categories themselves.

Hacking's theory of looping effects challenges the traditional view of categories as static and objective, instead emphasizing their active role in shaping the social and psychological realities they represent. According to Hacking, categories such as mental disorders, personality types, or social identities are not fixed entities but rather socially constructed phenomena. They are products of historical, cultural, and scientific processes that involve the interaction between experts, institutions, and individuals. Hacking argues and I believe rightly so, that once a category is created and applied to individuals, it can have significant effects on their behaviour and experiences, leading to a transformation in the very nature of the category itself.

Inventor and the Invention

One key concept in Hacking's theory is "interactive kinds." Interactive kinds are categories that have the power to affect the individuals classified within them. For example, the classification of individuals as " autistic " has led to a transformation in the understanding and experience of autism. This classification has influenced not only the way autism is perceived but also the behaviour, self-perception, and lived experiences of individuals diagnosed with autism. The very act of categorization creates new possibilities for self-understanding and shapes the individual's subsequent actions.

Hacking identifies two primary looping effects: "human kinds" and "dynamic nominalism." Human kinds refer to categories that shape individuals' experiences and self-identification, influencing the development of new ways of being. For instance, the categorization of individuals as having "multiple personality disorder " led to the emergence of new psychological phenomena, with individuals adopting and embodying multiple identities as a result of the diagnostic label. Dynamic nominalism, on the other hand, describes the process through which categories change over time due to their impact on individuals' behaviour. As individuals conform to or resist the expectations associated with a category, the category itself evolves. The process of categorization has real-world consequences, influencing individual behaviour, institutional practices, and social dynamics. By recognizing the looping effects, Hacking urges us to critically examine and understand the power dynamics inherent in the creation and application of categories, encouraging a more nuanced and reflexive approach to the ways we classify and understand ourselves and others.

Over-interpretation of experience can lead to over-pathologising of common everyday distress. As Hacking reminds us, we can trigger a self-fulfilling prophecy effect, where the prophecy of the event leads to the event of the prophecy. Believing our distress to be a sign of some pathological issue may well bring about a greater anxiety or depressive response. We need to better understand how mental health campaigns can seek to reduce these negative effects, with an eye on better outcomes and treatment availability for all, regardless of age, gender , race or social background.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Angermeyer, M. C., Matschinger, H., & Riedel-Heller, S. G. (1999). Whose depression is it? Whose anxiety is it? Lay attitudes towards the labelling of mental disorders. Social Science & Medicine, 48(6), 761-770. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00386-1

Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2007). The stigma of mental illness: Explanatory models and methods for change. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 12(4), 179-190. doi:10.1016/j.appsy.2007.09.001

Foulkes, L., Andrews, J., (2023). Are mental health awareness efforts contributing to the rise in reported mental health problems? A call to test the prevalence inflation hypothesis, New Ideas in Psychology, Volume 69,

Gibson, P. (2022). Escaping The Anxiety Trap. Strategic Science Books.

Hare, D. J. (2017). Are rising rates of mental health problems a cause for concern? Journal of Mental Health, 26(5), 393-398. doi:10.1080/09638237.2017.1290302

Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617-627. doi:10.1001/archaic.62.6.617

Lauber, C., Rössler, W. (2007). Stigma towards people with mental illness in developing countries in Asia. International Review of Psychiatry, 19(2), 157-178. doi:10.1080/09540260701278929

Murphy, K. (2021). Are mental health awareness campaigns doing more harm than good? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/08/are-mental-health-aware…

Pescosolido, B. A., Martin, J. K., Lang, A., & Olafsdottir, S. (2008). Rethinking theoretical approaches to stigma: A Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma (FINIS). Social Science & Medicine, 67(3), 431-440. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.018

Rose, D. (2005). Stigma, discrimination and the promotion of mental health. In P. D. Corrigan (Ed.), On the stigma of mental illness: Practical strategies for research and social change (pp. 361-384). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sartorius, N., & Schulze, H. (2005). Reducing the stigma of mental illness: A report from a global program of the World Psychiatric Association. Cambridge University Press.

Thornicroft, G. (2006). Shunned: Discrimination against people with mental illness. Oxford University Press.

World Health Organization. (2001). The World Health Report 2001 - Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Padraic Gibson, D.Psych, is a Consultant Clinical Psychotherapist and is the Clinical Director of The OCD Clinic®, and director of Training and Organization Consultation at The Coaching Clinic®, Dublin. He is senior research associate at Dublin City University.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Mental Health — Mental Health: Prioritizing Education, Access, and Awareness

Mental Health: Prioritizing Education, Access, and Awareness

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

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Table of contents

Introduction, stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental health, the importance of mental health education and awareness, access to mental health services and treatment, the economic and social impact of mental health issues, counterargument and rebuttal.

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UAE Health Awareness and Anti-Obesity Campaign Report

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Introduction

All nations across the world face the problem of obesity. In the UAE, the availability of high-energy and sugary foods, unsafe physical activities, and genetic predisposition makes the disease a prevalent health challenge across all population segments. This situation underlines the need to develop and implement a health promotion campaign to address it. This paper presents an obesity health campaign that targets 6 to 18-year-old children in the UAE.

Justification for the Choice of the Health Problem in the UAE

Nations across the world continue to record high prevalence rates of obesity among school-going children of all ages. For example, in Gulf countries, Alnohair (2014) informs that children between 6 to 18 years have a prevalence of overweight ranging between 16% and 17%. In the UAE, an intervention strategy for childhood obesity, especially among the 6 to 18-year-old population segment is incredibly important.

The health problem is a major pandemic that influences health outcomes for children in the UAE. AlBlooshi et al. (2016) find an alarming rate of childhood obesity in the nation. For those aged 15 to 18, about 3% of girls and 10% of boys show evidence of extreme obesity (AlBlooshi et al. 2016). Therefore, in the UAE, choosing a health communication campaign that focuses on obesity as a major health problem that is prevalent among 6 to 18-year-old children is important and justifiable.

Overview of the Importance of Health Communication

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) informs that obesity is a risk factor to other health challenges, including hypertension, type-2 diabetes, stroke, impaired mental health, and sleep apnea. Therefore, a health communication plan can help to minimize its prevalence levels in the UAE. Such an intervention should address the underlying causes of obesity, including the environmental and individual-level factors that promote the development of obesity in the UAE.

As a result, an obesity communication campaign in this region can help to inform parents and other care providers such as teachers about the appropriate measures that can address environmental and individual-level factors, which increase the risk levels of obesity among 6 to 18-year-old children in the UAE. However, a health communication campaign cannot establish policy frameworks for addressing obesity. It can only bring the health problem into public attention to persuade the UAE’s Ministry of Health (MoH) to take the necessary action.

Steps of Healthy Communication Campaign Development

The process of developing a health communication campaign consists of twelve steps. The first step, project management, bears the meaningful planning of the mechanisms for stakeholder engagement. For the case of the UAE, this step will entail setting decision-making processes, work plan timelines, and the campaign duration. The step will also include the allocation of materials, personnel, and financial resources.

Promotion strategy development entails making considerations for measurable objectives at all four levels (individuals, networks, organizations, and communities/societies) and ensuring they are pragmatic, comprehensible, explicit, have premeditated precedence, quantifiable, achievable, and time-bound (Public Health Ontario 2012, p. 51). In this phase, an assurance of awareness and supportiveness of all project teams in the strategy of health promotion is determined.

Here, narratives coupled with different logic models are deployed in strategy description. The third step entails the analysis of the audience. For example, a communication campaign developer will gather the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral traits of the selected UAE audiences (6-18-year-old kids) before developing their profile.

In the communication inventory step, one lists the various communication resources, which are readily available within the community and in the organization. This list should also include good relationships and any existing alliances. Step 5 involves the identification of bottom-line alterations that one seeks to realize. One accomplishes this step by describing the change, as opposed to actions. It entails ensuring that objectives obey the SMART criteria.

In step 6, a health campaign developer chooses channels and vehicles, which he or she deems the most appropriate for a particular situation. A decision is made based on factors such as the capacity to reach the target audience, effectiveness, and cost. Public Health Ontario (2012) recommends the blending of long-lived and short-lived vehicles and channels. Step 7 involves sequencing and combining the various tools identified in step 6 over and across timelines. As an example, holding big events in the UAE while launching the campaign and considering a grand finale will help to create massive awareness. It will be important to link the campaign with huge activities or issues that attract public attention and agenda in the country.

Message strategy development (the eighth step) addresses the specific information to be delivered, including how to say it to the identified audience. Identity development constitutes step 9. It involves creating distinctiveness, which can communicate the intended image and one’s desired relationship with spectators. Here, one can use logos, images, and position statements that may help in identity creation. Step 10 demands the proportion campaign developer to produce the best materials under strict compliance with budget and time constraints. It also entails the pre-testing of the materials with the desired audience before the campaign implementation in step 11.

Evaluation forms the last step. It involves gathering, interpreting, and acting upon various quantitative coupled with qualitative materials together with the information generated in all 11 steps (Public Health Ontario 2012). Hence, this step cannot be implemented separately since it cuts across all other stages. It helps in reviewing each phase to eliminate potential drawbacks, which can be replicated in subsequent steps.

Application of the Steps in Developing a Contextualized Health Campaign for the Problem

The project is scheduled for implementation from January 2018. It is expected to run until July 2018. It targets 50 sampled schools in Dubai. The work plan is to prepare promotional materials with images of overweight children stuffing junky foods in their mouths, which will indicate childhood obesity as the outcome of their actions with the help of flow diagrams. The project requires USD 100000 mainly to be utilized in paying people who are involved in its project execution, including purchasing healthy food alternatives for a demonstration to parents, children, and teachers who are the main stakeholders in the campaign.

Approximately USD 5000 will be spent on transportation and buying refreshments for the project team workers. An additional USD 10000 will be utilized in producing materials such as charts similar to the one shown in Figure 1. A further USD 20000 will be allocated to purchasing hardware and software necessary for data collection, analysis, and management of a call center. The project team consists of a director, an assistant director, a health nutritionist, a chauffeur, three data analysts, and a call center manager.

The project team will launch its campaign in the sampled schools during festivals or official parents’ visits. For example, beginning November 9 to 18 this year, the UAE will hold the Abu Dhabi science festival, which is an important event for launching the campaign. The nutritionist selects the time for the delivery of his or her message in a manner that it is opportune to create the most desired image and identity. This step should immediately follow when the targeted audience (6 to 18-year-old children) has eaten its meals. This strategy allows for making comparisons between what one has eaten and what is being promoted as a healthy eating habit. Thus, the audience can effectively identify with the message carried in the promotional materials.

After the health nutritionist finishes his or her address, the rest of the project team members distribute the promotional materials alongside the 24-hour contact details of the call center (based in Dubai) for those who wish to seek additional help to aid in adopting better eating habits and physical activity interventions for their children. After seeking permission from parents and teachers, the project team returns to the same schools two days later.

The team requests students to take part in weight tests to determine their likelihood of being obese. It keeps the data for future analysis. In the last month of the campaign, the team returns to collect data on the change of food preferences in the school cafes. It also measures the weights and any other necessary parameter again for the calculation of BMI for students who participated in earlier tests.

The Contextualized Message Communicated in the Campaign

Gornall (2016, para. 7) asserts, “Research shows that obesity is on the rise among the UAE’s children, with grim consequences not only for their health and happiness but also for the economic future of a country facing ever-increasing medical costs”. Eating habits, lifestyles, genetic predisposition, environment, and metabolism explain this turn of events. Consequently, a health promotion communication intervention needs to address these issues. The contextualized message in Figure 1 below addresses childhood obesity among six to eighteen-year-olds. The message insists on the need to stop poor eating habits. It also sensitizes the targeted audience (parents, teachers, and children) on the need to adopt healthy diets, especially fruits and vegetables, while participating in physical activities.

Theoretical Framework for the Health Message

The health message used in this case is founded on the social-environmental theoretical framework. The choice of the framework stems from the primary concern of the messages. For example, the messages do not focus on individual health outcomes associated with childhood obesity in the UAE. Rather, they focus on population-based approaches to childhood obesity eradication and management for 6 to 18-year-old kids. In such a context, an important approach encompasses the social-environmental framework.

The framework is important where the obesogenic environmental concept coupled with its implication to the obesity case of the target population is acceptable. In such a context, it is critical to consider models that incorporate socio-cultural and economic policies. However, Kelly et al. (2013) advocate for the need for considering behavioral and psychosocial factors in any health promotion model. The messages target environmental change as a way of promoting population behavioral change. In this context, the theoretical framework deployed in the research complies with the theory on health promotion.

The Key Indicators to Evaluate the Success of the Campaign

The key indicator of the health campaign before the campaign entails the lifestyle habits in target schools. This indicator focuses on the composition of diets taken by children in schools during lunchtime and the level of physical activity. The choice of the indicators is influenced by the argument that the increased rate of childhood obesity prevalence in the UAE arises from the rapid increase in high-energy intake from take-away foods from home and at the school cafes (Kothandan 2014).

The largest proportion of caloric consumption derived from fast-food restaurants relates to the bigger portion sizes, higher convenience, accessibility, and affordability (Kothandan 2014). Therefore, if the analysis of data collected from school cafes on the change of food preferences shows a shift to more healthy food alternatives, this observation will be a key success indicator during the campaign.

Fast foods are closely associated with higher calorific intake, fats, poorer nutrient consumption, higher sodium intake, and an elevated BMI. Hence, these elements correlate positively to the higher cases of childhood obesity. The situation becomes worse where children engage in less physical activities. The number of parents calling to seek more information on the appropriate food alternatives to fast foods and the requisite physical activities for optimal weight loss for their child will be a success indicator during the campaign.

At the end of the campaign, the project team will revisit all 50 schools to collect data on weight relative to the acceptable BMI ratings for each student who participated in the earlier tests. Reduced weight about the acceptable levels in many of the students will be viewed as a success indicator of the campaign.

The lucrative position taken by the UAE in its oil production comes with some challenges. It has led to a meteoric economic growth and development. The situation has created a society that lives in a less physically demanding life characterized by cake-stoked cafes at many points. The outcome is overweight and obese society. The paper has developed a health promotion campaign addressing the problem. The campaign targets 6 to 18-year-old children in the UAE.

Reference List

AlBlooshi, A, Shaban, S, AlTunaiji, M, Fares, N, AlShehhi, L, AlShehhi, H, AlMazrouei, A & Souid, A 2016, ‘Increasing obesity rates in school children in United Arab Emirates’, Obesity Science and Practice, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 196-202.

Alnohair, S 2014, ‘Obesity in Gulf countries’ , International Journal of Health Science , vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 79–83.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2014, Obesity prevention . Web.

Gornall, J 2016, ‘ The bulk of the problem – dealing with childhood obesity in the UAE ’, The National . Web.

Kelly, A, Barlow, S, Rao, G, Inge, T, Hayman, L, Steinberger, J, Urbina, E, Ewing, L & Daniels, S 2013, ‘Severe obesity in children and adolescents: identification, associated health risks, and treatment approaches: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association’, Circulation , vol. 128, no. 15, pp. 1689-712.

Kothandan, S 2014, ‘School based interventions versus family based interventions in the treatment of childhood obesity-a systematic review’, Archives of Public Health, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 1-17.

Public Health Ontario 2012, Developing health communication campaigns . Web.

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IvyPanda. (2020, November 7). UAE Health Awareness and Anti-Obesity Campaign. https://ivypanda.com/essays/uae-health-awareness-and-anti-obesity-campaign/

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Awareness and preparedness of covid-19 outbreak among healthcare workers and other residents of south-west saudi arabia: a cross-sectional survey.

• 1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
• 2 Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
• 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early March 2020. Globally, extraordinary measures are being adopted to combat the formidable spread of the ongoing outbreak. Under such conditions, people's adherence to preventive measures is greatly affected by their awareness of the disease.

Aim: This study was aimed to assess the level of awareness and preparedness to fight against COVID-19 among the healthcare workers (HCWs) and other residents of the South-West Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was randomly distributed online among HCWs and other residents (age ≥ 12 years) of South-West Saudi Arabia for feedback. The collected data were analyzed using Stata 15 statistical software.

Results: Among 1,000 participants, 36.7% were HCWs, 53.9% were female, and 44.1% were aged ≥ 30 years. Majority of respondents showed awareness of COVID-19 (98.7%) as a deadly, contagious, and life-threatening disease (99.6%) that is transmitted through human-to-human contact (97.7%). They were familiar with the associated symptoms and common causes of COVID-19. Health organizations were chosen as the most reliable source of information by majority of the participants (89.6%). Hand hygiene (92.7%) and social distancing (92.3%) were the most common preventive measures taken by respondents that were followed by avoiding traveling (86.9%) to an infected area or country and wearing face masks (86.5%). Significant proportions of HCWs ( P < 0.05) and more educated participants ( P < 0.05) showed considerable knowledge of the disease, and all respondents displayed good preparedness for the prevention and control of COVID-19. Age, gender, and area were non-significant predictors of COVID-19 awareness.

Conclusion: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the awareness and preparedness of the targeted community members, especially the less educated ones. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach the targeted residents beyond borders and further measures are warranted. The outcome of this study highlighted a growing need for the adoption of innovative local strategies to improve awareness in general population related to COVID-19 and its preventative practices in order to meet its elimination goals.

Introduction

An ongoing outbreak of infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), termed as COVID-19, aroused the attention of the entire world. The first infected case of coronavirus was reported on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China; within few weeks, infections spread across China and to other countries around the world ( 1 ). On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, which was the 6th declaration of its kind in WHO history ( 2 , 3 ). Surprisingly, during the first week of March 2020, devastating numbers of new cases were reported globally, and the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a “pandemic” on March 11 ( 4 , 5 ). The outbreak has now spread to more than 200 countries, areas, or territories beyond China ( 6 ). SARS-CoV-2 is a novel strain of the coronavirus family that has not been previously identified in humans ( 7 ). The disease spreads through person-to-person contact, and the posed potential public health threat is very high. Estimates indicated that COVID-19 could cost the world more than $10 trillion, although considerable uncertainty exists concerning the reach of the virus and the efficacy of the policy response ( 8 ).

The scientists still have limited information about COVID-19, and as a result, the complete clinical picture of COVID-19 is not fully understood yet. Based on currently available information, COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease and its primary clinical symptoms include fever, dry cough, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, myalgia and dyspnea ( 9 – 11 ). This coronavirus spreads primarily through respiratory droplets of >5–10 μm in diameter, discharge from the mouth or nose, when an infected person coughs or sneezes ( 12 , 13 ). Reported illnesses range from very mild (including asymptomatic) to severe including illness resulting to death. However, the information so far suggested the symptoms as mild in almost 80% of the patients with lower death rates. People with co-morbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, who are treated with the drugs such as thiazolidinediones, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) have an increased expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2). Since, SARS-CoV-2 binds to their target cells through ACE-2, it was suggested that patients with cardiac disease, hypertension, and diabetes are at the higher risk of developing severe to fatal COVID-19 ( 14 , 15 ). Moreover, elderly people (≥65 years), those and people with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, who are immunocompromised (due to cancer treatment, bone marrow or organ transplant, AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids or other medications), and those people with severe obesity and chronic liver or kidney disease are at higher risk of developing the COVID-19 severe illness ( 16 – 18 ).

Although, no specific vaccine or treatment is approved for COVID-19, yet several treatment regimens prescribed under different conditions are reported to control the severity and mortality rates up to some extent with few adverse effects, though further evidence is needed ( 19 ). Recently, results of ongoing trials aiming at drug repurposing for the disease have been reported, and several drugs have shown encouraging activity as far as reducing the viral load or the duration of therapy is concerned. Remdesivir is one such antiviral drug, and it has reduced the duration of therapy to 11 days in comparison to 15 days in the case of patients receiving standard care only. Therefore, the USFDA has granted the emergency use authorization (EUA) to Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases ( 20 , 21 ); however, further investigations are required to collect the sufficient data ( 22 ). Favipiravir (Avigan) is another drug that has exhibited promising activity in significantly reducing the viral load in comparison to standard care in several trials ( 23 ). Apart from antiviral drugs, convalescent plasma for COVID-19 (as passive antibody therapy) has also been tested, proving to be of possible benefit in severely ill COVID-19 patients. However, it requires more clinical trials to be established for the optimal conditions of COVID-19 and as antibody therapy in this disease ( 24 – 26 ). Mono, and Sarilumab which are immunosuppressants and are humanized antibodies against the interleukin-6 receptor, were also tested on severely ill patients of COVID-19. They effectively improved the clinical symptoms and suppressed the worsening of acute COVID-19 patients and reduced the mortality rate ( 27 , 28 ). Very recently, a corticosteroid, Dexamethasone, has been reported to be a life-saving drug that reduced the incidences of deaths by one-third among patients critically ill with COVID-19 ( 29 ) requiring oxygen support.

So far, more than 9 million confirmed cases of COVID- 19 infections have been identified globally with more than 0.46 million confirmed deaths (as on June 21, 2020). Saudi Arabia has also been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and reported its first confirmed case on March 3, 2020. The numbers are continuously increasing and reached 157,612 on June 21, 2020, with 1,267 confirmed deaths all over the kingdom ( 30 , 31 ) having reproduction number from 2.87 to 4.9 ( 32 ). Before the emergence of COVID-19, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was the major concern in 2012 ( 33 ), though it was successfully controlled in Saudi Arabia. In response to the growing public health threat posed by COVID-19, the Saudi government adopted some unprecedented measures related to awareness and prevention in order to control COVID-19 transmission in the country. These measures included the closure of schools, universities, public transportation, and all public places as well as the isolation and care for infected and suspected cases ( 34 ). On March 9, 2020, government authorities announced the lockdown of the whole country and released advice for Saudi nationals and residents present inside or outside of country to stay at home and maintain social distancing. Moreover, the Saudi government decided to suspend congregational prayers across all mosques in the kingdom, including the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah ( 35 ).

The fight against COVID-19 continues globally, and to guarantee success, people's adherence to preventive measures is essential. It is mostly affected by their awareness and preparedness toward COVID-19. Knowledge and attitudes toward infectious diseases are often associated with the level of panic among the population, which could further complicate the measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease. As “natural hazards are inevitable; the disaster is not,” ( 36 ) to facilitate the management of the COVID-19 outbreak in Saudi Arabia, there is an urgent need to understand the public's awareness and preparedness for COVID-19 during this challenging time. The present study assessed the awareness and preparedness toward COVID-19 among South Western Saudi residents during the early rapid rise of the COVID-19 outbreak. It included HCWs (doctors, nurses, and community pharmacists) and other members of the community, including the employed, unemployed, as well as students.

Subjects and Methods

Setting and population.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 18 and March 25—the week immediately after the announcement of lockdown in Saudi Arabia. For this study, two highly populated regions (Jazan and Aseer) of South-West Saudi Arabia and adjacent rural villages were selected. All Saudi citizens and residents, males and females of age 12 years or more (including HCWs and other community peoples), who were willing to participate in the study irrespective of COVID-19 infection status were included in the study. People who did not meet the above inclusion criteria were not eligible and were thus excluded from the study.

Sample Size

The required sample size for this study was calculated using a Denial equation ( 37 ) where the significance level (alpha) was set to 0.05 and power (1-β) was set to 0.80. It resulted in a required final sample size of 384 individuals. Therefore, to minimize the errors, the sample size taken for this study was 1,000.

Outcome Measures

The present study examined the level of awareness and preparedness toward prevention of COVID-19 using area, gender, age, education level, and occupation as explanatory variables among the residents (HCWs and other community peoples) of South-West Saudi Arabia.

Since this is a novel coronavirus with no such study having been conducted before, a standardized (structured, pre-coded, and validated) questionnaire was developed for this study by our co-authors, and it is based on frequently asked questions (FAQ) found on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO official websites ( 38 , 39 ). The questions were multiple choice and sought to gain insight into the respondent's awareness and preparedness toward COVID-19. A pilot survey of 10 individuals was undertaken first to ensure that the questions elicited appropriate response and there were no problems with the entry of answers into the database. Since, it was not feasible to conduct a community-based national sampling survey during this critical period; we decided to collect the data online through a Google survey. The self-reported questionnaire is divided into three sections. The first part is designed to obtain background information, including demographic characteristics (nationality, age, gender, level of educational, and occupation). The second part of the survey consists of questions that address awareness concerning COVID-19 (reliable source of information, symptoms, mode of transmission, incubation period, complications, high-risk population, treatment, and preventive measures). The third part of the survey consists of questions that address the preparedness to fight against COVID-19. The questionnaire is designed in English, being subsequently translated into Arabic for the convenience and ease of understanding of the participants, and it was pre-tested to ensure that it maintained its original meaning.

Data Collection and Analysis

Data were collected using a random sampling method and analyzed using the statistical software Stata 15. For categorical variables, data were presented as frequencies and percentages. A chi-squared (χ 2 ) test was used to examine the association between each item in awareness and explanatory variable in the bivariate analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was computed using each item in awareness and preparedness as an outcome separately to examine the relationships in the adjusted analysis. Differences were considered to be statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05.

Ethical Approval

The study protocol and procedures of informed consent were granted ethical approval by the “Institutional Research Review and Ethics Committee (IRREC), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University” before the formal survey was conducted. Since this study was conducted during the lockdown period, a Google survey was prepared with an online informed consent form on the first page. Participants are informed about the contents of the questionnaire, and they have to answer a yes/no question to confirm their willingness to participate voluntarily. In case of minors (participants below 16 years of age), they are asked to show the form to their parents/guardians before selecting their answer. The patients/participants or their legal guardians have to provide their written informed consent to participate in this study. After an affirmative response of the question, the participant is directed to complete the self-report questionnaire. All responses are anonymous.

Demographic Characteristics

Respondents' demographic descriptions are summarized in Table 1 . A total of 1,000 participants completed the survey questionnaire, the split being 46.1% male and 53.9% female. The majority of participants are from Jazan region (74.8%) compared to 25.2% from Aseer province. More than half (55.9%) of the participants are of <30 years of age, and 44.1% are aged ≥ 30 years. Around 79.5% respondents are university graduates holding a bachelor's degree or higher, whereas 20.5% of participants possess educational qualifications of secondary school or lower (non-graduates). HCWs make up 36.7% of participants, and 63.3% of participants are classified as other.

Table 1 . Socio-demographic characteristics of participants.

Knowledge of COVID-19 Disease and Personal Protection Measures

Table 2 displays respondents' knowledge about COVID-19, reliable sources of information, modes of transmission, symptoms of infection and complications, its perceived threat, and high-risk population. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option from the choices given according to their understanding and conscience. The results indicated that majority of respondents had heard of and were aware of COVID-19 disease. Most of the participants (97.7%) correctly identified human-to-human transmission (contaminated person with virus) as the primary mode of transmission. Furthermore, fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing were stated as the most common COVID-19 symptoms by 89.8, 83.9, and 90.9% of respondents, respectively. The frequently reported complications of COVID-19 were pneumonia (79.4%), kidney failure (22.8%), and death (54.9%) by the respondents.

Table 2 . Awareness about COVID-19, its symptoms, transmission, and complications.

Participants' knowledge of personal protection against COVID-19 is summarized in Table 3 . The majority of respondents (76.4%) believe that there is no treatment available for COVID-19 to date, 47.1% report supportive care, and 45.8% state personal safety as the only treatment option. The most common personal protection practices adopted by participants are washing hands (92.7%), social distancing (92.3%), using a face mask (86.5%), and avoiding travel to infected areas or countries (86.9%). However, importantly, 63.8% participants believe in avoiding raw and under-cooked animal products, 16.2% choose to avoid purchasing products made in China, and 1.7% have knowledge of proper prevention methods. Approximately, half of the respondents (42.4%) report that they seek more information on COVID-19.

Table 3 . Awareness about personal protection and preparedness against COVID-19.

Preparedness to Fight Against COVID-19

Results of participants' preparedness against COVID-19 are summarized in Table 3 . Over one-third of participants are well-prepared and adopt various methods for the current situation. The majority of participants stat that they avoid crowded places, mass gatherings, or traveling to suspected areas (95.1%), and 82.7% wear face masks when going outside and have increased the use of hand sanitizers and home cleaning materials. Many of them (76.8%) now spend 20 seconds washing their hands using soap multiple times a day. However, it could be assumed from the survey that a considerable percentage of the participants do not find the protective measures necessary, visit crowded places, and do not wear face masks when leaving home.

On the other hand, HCWs also reported their preparedness on different areas to fight against COVID-19 ( Figure 1 ). All 367 (100%) HCWs who participated in this study say that they checked adequate supplies of goggles, masks, and gowns on hand for emergencies, 99.7% say they prepared links or are in contact with External Resource Centers for COVID-19 such as the CDC or WHO, 98% evaluated the patient care equipment, including portable ventilators (preparation and patient handling checklists), and 83.4% checked and prepared alternative suppliers list of certain personal protective equipment etc. Surprisingly, 18.3% of the respondents are unaware of any preparation, and 4.5% do not find it necessary.

Figure 1 . HCWs preparedness to fight against COVID 19. P1, Check adequate supplies of goggles, masks, and gowns on hand for emergencies. P2, Links to or contact External Resource Centers for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (CDC, WHO etc.). P3, Check patient care equipment, including portable ventilators. P4, Recommendations for infection control to help biomedical and clinical engineers. P5, Check alternative suppliers of certain personal protective equipment. P6, Prepared the list to supply chain professionals. P7, Do not need any preparation. P8, I don't know.

Bivariate Analysis

The comparison between educational groups and occupational groups (HCWs vs. other residents) demonstrated significant differences in the level of knowledge and preventive measures for COVID-19 disease ( Tables 4 , 5 ). The survey shows educated participants (bachelors or more) and HCWs were more aware about COVID-19 symptoms ( P ≤ 0.001), incubation period ( P ≤ 0.001), complications ( P ≤ 0.001), high-risk populations ( P ≤ 0.01), and available treatment ( P ≤ 0.05) compared to less-educated (≤high school) ones and other residents (non HCWs). Jazan area participants heard about ( P ≤ 0.002), and showed more awareness regarding COVID-19 symptoms (fever: P ≤ 0.001), and available treatment (supportive care: P ≤ 0.001) as compared to the Aseer region. There were no significant differences found in knowledge level between gender (male vs. female) and age groups.

Table 4 . Awareness of COVID-19 stratified by occupation groups among the study participants ( n = 1,000).

Table 5 . Awareness of COVID-19 stratified by educational groups among the study participants ( n = 1,000).

Significant differences were observed in awareness about protective measures between educational groups and occupational groups ( Tables 4 , 5 ). The survey shows that the educated participants (Bachelors or more) and HCWs consider the use of face masks, frequent washing of hands, social distancing, and avoid traveling to an infected area or country as preventive measures, more so than their counter group ( P < 0.05). However, gender, age, and area comparisons on these measures were non-significant. Moreover, the survey exhibited no significant differences regarding preparedness to fight against COVID-19 level between areas, age, gender, and educational and occupational groups.

Multivariable Logistic Regressions

It was found that HCWs were more likely to be aware of COVID-19 symptoms (fever: OR = 2.15, P = 0.008; cough: OR = 1.66, P = 0.018 etc.), complications (pneumonia: OR = 2.37, P = 0.001; kidney failure: OR = 1.54, P = 0.013 etc.), populations at high risk, available treatment, and preventive measures compared to the other community members who were non-HCWs. On the other hand, less-educated participants (≤secondary schooling) were more likely to have knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms (fever: OR = 4.24, P = 0.014; breathing difficulty: OR = 2.94, P = 0.043 etc.), high-risk population (OR = 3.29, P = 0.001), complications, and preventive measures (social distancing: OR = 2.08, P = 0.008; avoid traveling to infected area or country: OR = 2.01, P = 0.002 etc.) compared to the higher-educated participants, as shown in Tables 6 , 7 . Tables displayed outcomes with statistically significant association only with explanatory variable. Area (Jazan vs. Aseer), gender (male vs. female), and age group (age <30 years vs. ≥30 years) were not associated significantly with COVID-19 knowledge. Surprisingly, no difference was reported for preparedness to fight against COVID-19 among participants.

Table 6 . Multivariable logistic regression on factors significantly associated with awareness toward COVID-19.

Table 7 . Multivariable logistic regression analysis on factors significantly associated with preventive measures toward COVID-19.

As the outbreak of COVID-19 is expanding exponentially, spreading beyond borders and spreading across continents, it has been classified as a “pandemic.” It created havoc and dismay among all nations. This new viral infection is successful in inducing restlessness, confusion, and fear among the people. The uniqueness of this infection is that it shows little or no symptoms in the beginning, and many do not even know they are infected. It does not induce any severe change or indication in the infected person so that he can seek medical attention at an early stage. By the time infected persons realize that they are infected, they might have spread the disease to a large number of people without their knowledge and any ulterior motives. Therefore, the first and foremost strategy to win the battle over COVID-19 shall be stopping the spread of disease effectively among the people. Hence, the main focus of this research was to assess the awareness of people, particularly among HCWs as well as other residents, about the disease, how they prepared themselves to fight against it, and whether they are participating in the eradication of the infection or not. We are aware that COVID-19 had taken the nation by surprise when they were least prepared to face the pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind, conducted in Saudi Arabia that is assessing the awareness and preparedness toward COVID-19 among HCWs and other residents.

Our survey of HCWs and other residents of the study region was well-received. People of different educational backgrounds and employments participated in the survey. The majority of them are graduates, followed by people who had education up to high school. Similarly, among different employment backgrounds, HCWs make up more than one-third of the sample size. In the first place, HCWs and graduates should be aware of the disease profile, so that they can quickly spread the message among their family members, their neighbors, and all those who are within their contact. Analysis of the study results showed that both HCWs and the graduates possess adequate knowledge about the infection. It was a significant finding of our study that they can not only protect themselves against the disease but also help others to stay away from the infection by creating awareness for it. As the results suggested, health organizations (89.6%) and healthcare professionals (57.9%) are able to communicate effectively to the participants in convincing and making them understand the patterns and phases of the infection. This study also revealed that some people showed little trust in social media and other sources of communications such as television, newspaper, posters, etc. They were not convinced or accepting of the facts disseminated to them initially. It is probably for this reason that few people showed reluctance in following the guidelines given through these channels and kept ignoring them. This lack of acceptance might have accelerated the spread of this disease among the public.

Our study revealed that HCWs and people with a higher educational background (graduation or more) were more aware of the symptoms and the complications of COVID-19. It is spread via human-to-human transmission through droplet, feco-oral, and direct contact and has an incubation period of 2–14 days ( 13 ). The majority of the participants (97.7%) mentioned human-to-human contact as the primary cause of COVID-19 transmission. They were aware that the infection is related to the respiratory system, and there could be some difficulties in breathing with high temperatures accompanied by dry cough. Furthermore, it might lead to pneumonia, organ failure, and death. Indeed, COVID-19 induces these symptoms after the log period ( 40 ), although in some cases. Also, HCWs keenly follow the situation in the regions and the countries regarding the number of cases of infected and fresh cases reported daily. It perhaps helps them in getting prepared physically to manage the situation by acquiring the important things that are required in combating the disease, and it might also help them to get prepared mentally. They were aware of the social distancing, hand hygiene, using face masks, and avoiding traveling. These are the desired activities, which are expected to be practiced strictly in order to stop the spread of the disease ( 41 – 44 ). Our study revealed that HCWs and educated residents were following it meticulously. It was also known to them that no specific and effective treatment is available for COVID-19 to date, and whatever therapy is available at the designated centers is non-specific and treats only symptoms. They are sufficient enough to relieve the symptoms of the infection, to overcome difficulties in breathing, and to boost the immunity of the individuals. A similar level of awareness was reported in recent studies in China ( 10 ) and the UAE ( 45 ). This may be attributed to continuous practice of raising awareness about COVID-19 in communities about health issues by healthcare organizations and Saudi health extension workers, which has been effectively implemented in recent days ( 46 ).

Previously, MERS-CoV was a major global concern after it was first identified in 2012 in Saudi Arabia ( 33 ). Many awareness studies reported different levels of knowledge about MERS disease among Saudi HCWs and residents after the MERS outbreak ( 47 – 49 ). Present findings showed that the awareness regarding COVID-19 disease was higher compared to MERS. This can be ascribed to the global reach of COVID-19, as it is more serious than MERS owing to its high rate of transmission, alarming number of cases, and the continued global death count.

As far as preparedness to fight against COVID-19 is concerned, our study showed that all the participants were aware of avoiding mass gathering, avoiding traveling to suspected areas, the use of face masks and hand sanitizers, and maintaining proper food hygiene. During the lockdown period, the majority of the people who participated in our study stockpiled sufficient food items, and the frequency of going out to buy groceries and other food items can thus be avoided. According to them, a large number of people at supermarkets do not practice appropriate social distancing, and chances of contracting the infection might increase. This is genuinely desirable and precautionary in a situation like COVID-19, as coming closer to or violating social distancing is risky. Perhaps this preparedness is a reflection of steps taken by government authorities, as Saudi Arabia can control the spread of COVID-19 in South-West region. When the whole world is struggling to control COVID-19 spreading, Saudi Arabia has reported 1,155 positive cases (as of June 21, 2020) in Jazan and Aseer region (313 and 842, respectively) among 157,612 positive cases the entire country ( 50 ).

Also, our study confirmed that nearly half of the participants were ready to visit the hospital immediately if needed. The WHO recommends that identification of the infected individual is the first and essential step required in combating COVID-19. It also advises nations to allow citizens to get tested and put them in quarantine if they are infected. It is a significant step, as nearly 50% of the people are aware of the importance of testing in suspected cases but the remaining 50% of the participants are not. Doubts or fears about quarantine can make the public hide behind closed doors. This behavior of theirs could be dangerous, as it not only puts them in a difficult situation, but is risks their entire family and neighbors. Surprisingly, nearly 42.4% of the participants have asked for more information about COVID-19 so that they can take sufficient precautions and prepare themselves to avoid contracting the disease. These are the participants who had fewer opportunities to access healthcare services. They indeed need more information on COVID-19 to stay away from the deadly disease. This is the substantial finding of our study: nearly half of the participants did not have detailed information or a desire to gain more knowledge about the disease. The focus of the administrators should be on this category of people—the common man—so that they too can prepare themselves to fight the disease. Overall, the reported preparedness could be because the healthcare authorities have already initiated awareness and preparedness activities beyond their own borders. Every country around the world is being encouraged to draft a preparedness plan as per the WHO's global guidelines: “The ‘COVID-19' Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan” (SPRP). The SPRP outlines the public health measures that are needed to be taken to support countries to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 ( 51 , 52 ).

It was observed that the educational background plays a significant role in understanding the infection quickly. This survey showed that HCWs and people with higher education have a better understanding of the disease than their counterparts. Even though all the groups showed almost identical knowledge about the primary information of the disease, in some areas, such as disease complications, high-risk populations, personal protection measures, and treatment availability, a clear distinction exists. For example, only 68.78% of the less educated showed awareness of the high risk of contracting the infection of older people.

The WHO have initiated several online training sessions and materials on COVID-19 in various languages to strengthen preventive strategies, including raising awareness and training HCWs in preparedness activities ( 53 ). In several instances, misunderstandings among HCWs have delayed controlling efforts to provide necessary treatment ( 44 ), which led to the rapid spread of infection in hospitals ( 33 , 49 ) and putting patients' lives at risk. The present study also analyzed the preparedness of HCWs to fight against COVID-19 and found all participated HCWs were well prepared and ready for the current outbreak.

All participating HCWs report that they have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment's (PPEs), such as goggles, masks, and gowns, to manage emergencies, 99.72% of HCWs depend on an external resource center like CDC and WHO for the required emergency materials, and 98% HCWs say that they have already checked their hospitals equipped with patient care equipment, including portable ventilators. Surprisingly, few respondents (18.26%) say they were unaware of any preparation, and very few (4.36%) say that there is no need for any preparation. In general, our study indicated that the HCWs have well equipped themselves to fight against COVID-19. Although, hospitals and HCWs are fully geared up to face the pandemic situation, the best national option available is to spread awareness in order to stop the spread of disease. We have no other way but to educate our fellow citizens to not indulge in any activities that could lead them being a part of the problem. Instead, they should be encouraged to be the part of the solution.

The WHO has published guidance for public health and social measures at the workplace within the context of COVID-19. This included the standards for all workplaces and specific criteria for workplaces and jobs at medium risk and high risk. The guidance suggested to adapt the essential preventive measures for all workplaces, including practicing hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, physical distancing (avoid direct physical contact by hugging, touching, or shaking hands), reducing and otherwise managing work-related travel, regular environmental cleaning and disinfection, risk communication, training and education, and management of people with COVID-19 or their contacts. In addition, specific measures for workplaces and jobs at medium risk included frequent cleaning and disinfection of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly (fomites). In such places where physical distancing of 1 meter cannot be maintained for a particular activity, all mitigating actions possible should be taken to reduce the risk of transmission between workers, clients or customers, contractors, and visitors, and these include staggered activities, minimizing face-to-face and skin-to-skin contact, ensuring workers work side-by-side or facing away from each other rather than face-to-face, and assigning staff to the same shift teams to limit social interaction. Along with that, such workplaces must be well-ventilated with a natural air of artificial ventilation without re-circulation of air for high-risk work activities and jobs. The WHO have advised that we find possibilities to suspend operations or adhere to the hygiene measures before and after contact with or suspicion of COVID-19. In such cases, workers must comply with the use of medical masks, disposable gowns, gloves, and eye protection for workers and use of protective equipment when in contact with COVID-19 patients, their respiratory secretions, body fluids, and highly contaminated waste. HCWs must be trained in infection prevention and control practices and use of PPEs to handle such situations ( 54 , 55 ).

The knowledge and awareness of the disease are important parameters for the adoption of protective measures that minimize the exposure risk of the illness. Our findings suggest that residents who are less educated and who are non-healthcare professionals possess less knowledge of COVID-19 disease and preventive measures than their counterparts. Therefore, health promotion and awareness programs are warranted to address these particular sections of the population. Thus, COVID-19 awareness programs and other educating strategies should be developed and implemented more effectively to eradicate this disease and increase the breadth of knowledge of rurally and minimally educated populations. These findings are useful for public health policymakers and health workers to recognize target populations for COVID-19 prevention and health education.

The strength of the study lies in its large sample size, recruited during a crucial period—the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, this was an online self-reported survey conducted during lockdown due to pandemic, and this affected our outreach to the general population. Our sample was obviously over-representative of well-educated people, including healthcare workers, and those who have access to computers and the internet. Hence it may not truly represent the entire population of the study region. Therefore, the generalization of the findings may suffer from reporting bias.

The present study sheds light on the current level of awareness regarding COVID 19, including knowledge, preventative practices, and preparedness in the South-West region of Saudi Arabia, which is still struggling to achieve its target of total COVID-19 eradication. The results of this survey indicated that the majority of respondents were aware of the knowledge, preventive measures and well prepared to fight against COVID-19. It was evident that the community's overall COVID-19 awareness and their preparedness among educated and HCWs populations were fairly satisfactory. However, there were few misconceptions regarding the mode of COVID-19 transmission among the participants, which need to be addressed. Knowledge and preparedness do translate into improved practices toward COVID-19 prevention and the same was reflected in this study. In order to achieve complete control over COVID-19, it would also be worthwhile to invest in various COVID-19 prevention efforts, including health education and innovative strategies based on local evidences to raise the community's awareness and to improve its preventative practices.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Author Contributions

RT and PT: conceptualization, methodology, writing of the original draft, investigation, project administration, and final editing. SSA and AA: supervision, co-project administration, data collection, feedback, and making substantive changes. AM: software, validation, and formal analysis. SA: visualization and investigation. WA and DB: data collection and calculations, writing, reviewing, editing of the manuscript, and formal analysis. FA: preparation of Google form and Arabic translation. All authors participated in the distribution of the survey.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge Deanship of Scientific Research, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, for their continuous support throughout the study.

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Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, outbreak, awareness, preparedness, healthcare, residents, questionnaire

Citation: Tripathi R, Alqahtani SS, Albarraq AA, Meraya AM, Tripathi P, Banji D, Alshahrani S, Ahsan W and Alnakhli FM (2020) Awareness and Preparedness of COVID-19 Outbreak Among Healthcare Workers and Other Residents of South-West Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Front. Public Health 8:482. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00482

Received: 15 May 2020; Accepted: 28 July 2020; Published: 18 August 2020.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2020 Tripathi, Alqahtani, Albarraq, Meraya, Tripathi, Banji, Alshahrani, Ahsan and Alnakhli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Pankaj Tripathi, pankaj10pcol@gmail.com

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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It's National Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month. How many ways can you make a difference in September?

MDA Kicks Off Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month in September with ‘30 Days of Strength’ Campaign with Hundreds of Events to Advance Research and Care for the Neuromuscular Disease Community

• Over 420 IAFF ‘Fill the Boot’ events nationwide with local fire departments over Labor Day Weekend celebrating 70 years of partnership with MDA and IAFF
• NBC KSDK’s ‘Show of Strength’ Broadcast on September 1 live from Grants Farm in St. Louis from 8-10 p.m.
• MDA on the Hill from September 8-10
• Virtual Screening of ‘Good Bad Things’ Film from September 20 through 22. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit MDA
• Access The Vote Campaign
• 30 Days of Strength Fundraising Campaign

NEW YORK, NY, August 26, 2024 – September marks the kick-off of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) ‘National Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month’ to raise awareness and critical funds for families across the nation who are living with muscular dystrophy. This includes ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Emory-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), myotonic dystrophy (DM), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and many more.

Opportunities for engagement include ‘ 30 Ways for 30 Days ’ with initiatives to advance research, care, and advocacy through hundreds of events during the month to support the mission to empower the neuromuscular disease community to live longer, more independent lives. Through research, support for over 150 MDA Care Centers, advocacy and more, MDA will raise awareness and funds. Donations to the ‘30 Days of Strength’ campaign may be made here: MDA.org/30days .

"As we mark Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month this September, we celebrate the significant progress Muscular Dystrophy Association has made, and the strong sense of community we have built together. Thanks to the support of our researchers, medical teams, partners, sponsors, volunteers, Board of Directors, and staff, we now stand in an era of effective treatments. Our commitment to advancing research, providing support, and raising awareness is resolute," said Donald S. Wood, PhD, President and CEO, MDA .

Social Media

Throughout the month, MDA will recognize specific disease awareness days and months including World Duchenne Day 9/7, Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day 9/15, Telehealth Awareness Week 9/15-21, OPMD Awareness Day 9/23, International Ataxia Awareness Day 9/25, Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy Day 9/30, Newborn Screening Awareness Month, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Awareness Month, National Preparedness Awareness Month and more.

The ‘30 Days of Strength’ campaign will include community and influencer engagement on MDA social media channels. Follow along at @MDAorg using #30DaysOfStrength.

"Highlighting our mission and fundraising initiatives during Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month allows the Muscular Dystrophy Association to spotlight programs that bring measurable value to our community and beyond. By sharing dynamic opportunities including ‘30 Ways in 30 Days’ to activate their networks, we empower our supporters to engage and unleash their creativity to fuel our momentum," said Morgan Roth, Chief Marketing Officer, MDA .

September Events and Initiatives

Register for MDA Fundraising and Community Events here .

August 31-September 2, Labor Day Weekend – IAFF Fill the Boot

• The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in partnership with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) more than 420 Fill the Boot events will raise lifesaving funds throughout Labor Day weekend in over 40 states. The funds raised by more than 349,000 IAFF members and their affiliates across the country go towards MDA's mission for scientific and clinical research and care for families living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. Online donations, which may be made at mda.org/ftb will continue as fire fighters take to the streets in communities across the country with boots in hand asking pedestrians, motorists, customers, and other passersby to support the mission.

September 1, 8-10 p.m. CT – NBC KSDK Show of Strength in St. Louis, Missouri

• 5 On Your Side’s annual Show of Strength benefits MDA’s mission. Anchor Mike Bush will again host the “MDA Show of Strength” with co-hosts Anne Allred, Rene Knott, and Scott Connell at Grant’s Farm. This will be Bush’s 38th year hosting the show. Thousands of people in the St. Louis area are helped by the MDA each year.
• Tune in on Sunday, Sept. 1 from 8-10 p.m. to the livestream on 5+ and the station’s YouTube channel.
• Donations may be made here or Text ‘DONATE’ TO 314-425-5355

September 3 and all month online – MDA Let’s Play online

• MDA Let’s Play is a community united by the love of gaming. Throughout September community-submitted photos and stories from MDA Summer Camp, family summer adventures, and back-to-school highlights will be shown on Discord and Twitch channels each Saturday night at 7pm ET.
• Tuesday, September 3, a special “Painting with Pyra” art event featuring submissions and digital drawing lessons will be featured.
• Daily gaming and online activities all month long include JackBox, Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and more at https://discord.com/invite/MDALetsPlay .

September 8-10 – MDA on the Hill in Washington, D.C.

• Over 100 advocates from over 25 states will convene in Washington, D.C. to speak with legislators on Capitol Hill for the neuromuscular disease community priorities including: supporting the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher reauthorization, and Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act for streamlined access to care across state lines for children on Medicaid. To sign up to advocate with MDA, visit MDA.org/Advocacy
• MDA’s Access the Vote Campaign continues to provide tools and resources for the disability community to have access to voting at MDA.org/Vote

September 20-22 – Virtual Release of Good Bad Things film

• With ticket purchase, film and additional content will be available to watch/rewatch between September 20, through 22, 11:59 p.m. PT.
• Tickets are $19.99 and 25% of every ticket sold goes towards MDA’s mission.
• September 20 post-screening (7:45 p.m. PT) features live Q&A hosted by executive producers Hannah and Shane Burcaw with director, Shane Stanger, lead cast Danny Kurtzman, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Bret Dier, with executive producer Steve Way.

Quest Media will feature new podcasts, newsletters, Issue 3 of Quest Magazine and a new Holiday Product Guide, read more here :

• Quest Magazine Issue 3
• Quest Holiday Guide
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• Subscribe for free here

Public Service Announcement (PSA):

MDA’s PSA features 2024 National Spokesperson, Cleveland Browns Running Back, Nyheim Hines, click here to download and air the video.

Resources and Guidance:

The MDA Resource Center is available for support for the neuromuscular community by phone at 1-833-ASK-MDA1 (1-833-275-6321), email at [email protected] and by virtual 1:1 appointment with MDA Connect here .

MDA is grateful for ongoing support from:

Transformer Support: International Association of Fire Fighters, CITGO Petroleum Corporation

Visionary Support: Dutch Bros. Coffee, Acosta Group, Albertsons Companies Foundation, Mansfield Cares, National Association of Letter Carriers

Leader Support: Biogen, Burn Boot Camp, Genentech, QFC, Ed Morse, Fareway Stores Meat & Grocery, Circle K South Atlantic, Sarepta Therapeutics

Innovator Support: argenx, Edgewise Therapeutics, General Motors, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Pfizer, PTC Therapeutics, Shaw’s and Star Market, Sundt Construction, Sampson Bladen Oil Co,

Champion Support: Harris Teeter, Price Chopper Freihofer's / CITGO-Graham Enterprise, Inc., Florida Turnpike Services, Pete’s Market, GPM, CITGO - APEC (Automated Petroleum & Energy Corp), Fulcrum Therapeutics, Scholar Rock, UCB

For more information, please contact [email protected] .

About Muscular Dystrophy Association

Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families. MDA's mission is to empower the people we serve to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org and follow MDA on Instagram , Facebook , X , Threads , TikTok , LinkedIn , and YouTube .

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