Making Prevention Work: Abstinence and Partner Reduction Reviewed at World AIDS Conference
Kevin O’Reilly from the WHO reviewed 11 rigorously-structured studies among adolescents in five African countries, India and the Philippines…
O’Reilly called the results ‘significant but minimal’ and said the trials had worked better in changing gender attitudes than in reducing risk behaviour. (In a similar review, which unlike the abstinence study was not chosen for presentation, O’Reilly found that four out of five African trials of condom social marketing – none of them recent - produced some degree of condom use increase, two of them significant).
Ethics to a Tee
Why does wearing a political shirt feel so politically active and effective? According to Alvin Wasserman, a 30-year veteran of social marketing, campaign or message shirts can be effective -- as long as they drive the wearers/readers to someplace where they can act. "Shirts need to link to something else. A good website needs to be available with great interactivity so the effect of the shirts goes past a couple of washes."
World in Danger of Missing Sanitation Target; Drinking-Water Target Also at Risk, New Report Shows
The world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and investment between now and 2015, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The situation is becoming particularly acute in urban areas, where rapid population growth is putting great pressure on the provision of services and the health of poor people…
From the report comes one example of a success story in terms of raising coverage. In Ethiopia, the Amhara region had a coverage rate for access to sanitation services of only 3.8% in 2003, and only 100 latrines were being constructed annually in each district. In that year, the government initiated a social marketing campaign which increased community knowledge and understanding of sanitation and its linkages to health. Community demand for latrines sky-rocketed, and by 2005, the average number of latrines constructed per district was 26,400.
Upcoming Conscience Vote on Drinking Age
Associate [New Zealand] Health Minister Damien O'Connor said today the upcoming conscience vote on whether to raise the drinking age was keenly anticipated…
"The issue that concerns me, as it does others, is that people aged under 18 are drinking. We must continue to do all we can to stop this.
"The government has funded a huge social marketing campaign to promote responsible drinking – at all ages, sting operations have been mounted, and there have been closures and prosecutions of businesses selling alcohol illegally to people younger than 18. This work is fully supported by the Police and will continue."
45% of Hoosier College Students Binge Drink
The study, commissioned by the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking, is the first one done on college drinking habits and drug use in the state. More than 7,600 students were surveyed on 14 college campuses, including Purdue…
The university formed an alcohol task force made of campus and community partners in December 2004 to examine alcohol use on campus, which she thinks puts Purdue ahead of the curve in addressing the problem.
Purdue then applied for and received a $300,000 grant from the Department of Education that will be used to sponsor a workshop next week on high-risk behavior among first-year students and for a social marketing campaign.
Students will play a large role in developing the campaign's messages, said Loew, who presented at the conference in Indiana where the results were released.
The Connection Between Good Grades and Good Nutrition: Part II
…Purchasing healthy foods and preparing nutritious meals are only part of the solution. It may be unrealistic to eliminate our children's exposure to advertising and it can be a challenge to control what our kids eat when they are outside the home, at school or with friends. So, as parents, we must develop counter-programming to help offset the advertising messages and peer pressure children face in situations that make choosing healthy foods awkward.
There are many resources for parents who want to create their own “social marketing” to help their children be better guardians of their own health.
County Expands HIV/AIDS Testing
In response to increasing rates of HIV infection in Santa Clara County [California], the Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved plans to expand HIV/AIDS testing for high-risk populations in the county…
As part of the $375,000 HIV/AIDS plan, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors allocated $75,000 in funding to conduct social marketing. More accurate numbers of those living with HIV/AIDS will allow the county to receive appropriate federal and state funding for services.
Technorati Tags: Binge Drinking, Health Communication, Health Education, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition, Sexual Behavior, Social Marketing, Underage Drinking, Water Sanitation
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