Madre, Hay Esperanza™: A culturally sensitive media campaign to increase awareness of postpartum depression in a local Latino community

Postpartum depression is a debilitating illness which impacts the mother, her child, her family, and those around her. Because of stigma associated with mental illness, communicating with the public about depression is complex. Another level of complexity exists when populations having different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, social structures, and belief systems are the intended audience.

In 2007, the Perinatal Foundation, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and community partners launched the Madre, Hay Esperanza™ (Mother, There is Hope) campaign to raise awareness about postpartum depression among members of the Latino community in Dane County, Wisconsin. The campaign consists of a series of radio announcements (novela), a “music and message” CD given to Latina mothers at major birth hospitals, and supporting print media. Partners include health and media leaders in the local Latino community, health and social service providers, and clergy, all of whom work intimately with Latinos.

The theoretical framework for the media campaign incorporates McGuire's Hierarchy of Effects Model, Social Marketing Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Positive Affect. Media formats familiar to Latinos (the novela [soap opera] and Latin music) and family-focused messaging are used to achieve a culturally relevant, Spanish-language media campaign to reach members of the local Latino community. Increasing awareness among all community members about the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression, its profound impact, and how affected women and their families can access resources may improve the mental health of Latinas during the perinatal period and, ultimately, the health of women, infants, and families in the community.