The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44598

Ruth Berg, PhD, Abt Associates Inc., Suite 600, 4800 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814, 202-220-2160, ruth_berg@abtassoc.com and Anand Verdhan Sinha, MBA, Commercial Market Strategies Project, 50 M Shanti Path, Gate 3 Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India.

Until 1998, oral contraceptive (OC) use in India was under 2%. A USAID funded marketing campaign called “Friends of the Pill” was launched in 1998 to promote OC use among young urban couples in North India using a behavior change approach. The campaign consisted of consumer advertising, provider training, public relations, and consumer outreach. In exchange for generic mass media OC promotion, commercial OC manufacturing partners introduced new products, revised existing product packaging, carried out provider detailing, and enhanced distribution. A baseline and mid-term survey of pharmacists revealed a 40% increase in correct knowledge of OC use and a significant shift in attitudes. A survey of trained and untrained traditional doctors showed that knowledge levels on OC use were 20% higher among trained doctors. Sales in areas covered by mass media elements also increased. However, there was a greater increase in areas not only covered by mass media but that had on-ground training and out-reach activities supported by the private sector. A series of consumer tracking surveys showed that 88% of the target audience recalled campaign advertisements, and that OC use within the target audience had increased from 5% at the start of the campaign to 13% in 2001. The presentation will outline key aspects of a partnership with commercial manufacturers that enhanced their participation towards a public health – as opposed to purely profit – objective. It will also show that this partnership has contributed to a significant increase in oral contraceptive prevalence in North India.

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