This news item is part of a series of articles regarding the contribution that the WHO Regions for Health Network (RHN) and the WHO Small Countries Initiative (SCI) have made during the 16th World Congress on public health (12-16 October) that was held entirely online. In particular, RHN organized a World Leadership Dialogue on 13th October to discuss how communication on public health can and should be used. Bloomberg Philanthropies, a long-standing contributor to the WHO, has shared its experiences in seeking to bridge the information gap between the policy/decision makers and the general public with a keynote address by Kelly Larson, who directs Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Road Safety, Drowning Prevention and Partnership for Healthy Cities programs.
The importance of communication to tackle Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)
Bloomberg’ Philanthropies’ global philanthropies investments in public health total more than $3.3 billion and include life-saving initiatives to reduce obesity, tobacco use, drowning, and improve road safety and maternal health. In 2016 Michael Bloomberg was appointed the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. Following his appointment, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a global network of 70 cities committed to confronting noncommunicable diseases.
The majority of Bloomberg Philanthropies programmes focus on noncommunicable diseases and injuries, primarily in low and middle-income countries, Ms. Larson explained that “in these fields, there are policies and interventions that are proven to work and thus save lives”. Communication strategies play an important role in advocating for stronger laws and policies and implementing evidence-based policies and practices, such as ensuring 100% smoke-free public places or enhancing traffic police enforcement of road safety laws.
A long-standing experience in implementing effective strategies for media campaigns
The organisation has developed significant lessons learned over the years in order to be more effective in influencing policies and behavioural patterns. For instance, it has learned to develop and use epidemiological and statistical data to analyse the issues at stake in each country, and as a consequence to better identify the target groups that would most benefit from its key messages. In addition, message testing through focus groups is conducted before rolling out a campaign, a critical step to assess a campaign’s potential impact and adapt it to the local cultural context.
Bloomberg Philanthropies also conducts training of journalists to sensitize them on NCDs and public health in general; this has proven useful to reach a broader audience, increase awareness, and ultimately to push policy makers to adopt the necessary laws. Implementing proper training of a critical mass of communication officers and journalists helps fill in the asymmetrical information gap with private companies and builds bottom-up political pressure on topics of public health relevance.
Media campaigns and communication efforts are key to changing both behaviours and policies
Over the years, Bloomberg and WHO have established a fruitful collaboration, and the programmes that both have implemented to promote road safety are amongst the biggest success stories of recent years. In particular, considerable results have been achieved in low- and middle-income countries on both road safety and tobacco control in recent years. In the case of road safety however, mass media campaigns alone are not proven sufficient: a strong commitment on risk factors (helmets, seat belts, speed management and drinking and driving) coupled with good enforcement by traffic police are required, demonstrate the importance of coordinating efforts. In addition, messages promoting road safety and tobacco control have proven successful when tested for effectiveness and cultural relevance and sustained over time.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported the implementation of multi-faceted media campaigns and communication efforts that have played an integral role in changing perceptions and behaviours in many countries; hundreds of television spots and media pieces have helped attain significant policy outcomes in dozens of countries, reaching more than 2 billion people around the globe. This experience shows that when well-conceived, carefully implemented, and sustained over time, communication programs have the capacity to not only change behaviours, but also to push governments to strengthen public health policies.