229678 Journey of a Lifetime: Using social media outlets and social marketing techniques to address disparities in birth outcomes through the life-course lens

Monday, November 8, 2010

Lorraine Lathen, MA , Jump at the Sun Consultants, LLC, Mequon, WI
Jack Ferreri, BA , Account Supervisor, Knupp & Watson, Inc., Madison, WI
Johnna Scott, BA , VP of Marketing and Business Development, Mosaic Communications, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Patrice Onheiber, MPA , Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI
Janine Lewis, MPH , Jump at the Sun Consultants, LLC, Westchester, IL
Angela Rohan, PhD , Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI
Murray L. Katcher, MD, PhD , Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI
Background: The infant mortality rate for African Americans in Wisconsin is nearly three times the rate of white infants, and approximately 90% of these deaths occur in the southeastern part of the state. Life-course theory and social marketing can be incorporated into efforts aimed at reducing racial disparities in birth outcomes. Methods: As part of an initiative to improve African American birth outcomes, in 2008, Wisconsin was awarded a social marketing grant, ABCs (Applied Behavior Change) for Healthy Families. This campaign is grounded in life-course theory and was designed with community members in southeastern Wisconsin. Focus groups chose the campaign name and the campaign slogan: “I deal with stress in ways that don't stress my baby.” A community survey identified social media approaches that could reach the target population. Results: In fall 2009, Journey of a Lifetime: Healthy Babies through Healthy Families was launched in Milwaukee and Racine. The HRSA-funded campaign employs conventional marketing techniques along with social media to promote knowledge of the life-course perspective, including posters, billboards, brochures, radio spots, and text messages. The campaign centers on the effects of stress, refers clients to community-based services, and is paired with other social support interventions desired by the community, including support circles for mothers and fathers. Conclusion: Efforts to expand the reach of the campaign are underway, including a new partnership with the national text4baby program. We are continuously evaluating the campaign with community members, to improve our ability to capture their attention and persuade them to take action.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how social media can be integrated into a social marketing campaign that delivers culturally relevant, actionable messages, which contribute to reducing racial disparities in birth outcomes. 2. Describe how the life-course theory can be used to frame campaign messages. 3. Provide concrete examples of the HRSA-funded Journey of a Lifetime: Healthy Babies through Healthy Families social marketing campaign. 4. Identify best practices for mobilizing community participation in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a social marketing campaign that involves innovative technology.

Keywords: African American, Birth Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the co-investigator of the ABCs for Healthy Families program.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.