Health Campaign Aims to Reduce Infant Mortality through Nutrition

Message 

In recognition of the increased infant mortality rate, we are encouraging pregnant women (16-40 years) to think carefully about the foods that they are consuming. The ‘ Nourish your Body, for a Healthy Baby’ campaign seeks to enhance the pregnant women’s consumption of vegetables and fruits by increasing awareness of the health benefits of eating vegetables and fruits and enhancing access to the foods using a targeted action. The key message of the ‘ Nourish your Body for a Healthy Baby’ campaign is to eat a minimum of five fruit and vegetable servings each day, which is consistent with the WHO recommendations. An increase in the consumption of vegetables and fruits will reduce cases of low birth weight and subsequent infant mortality.

2. Channels 

Different communication channels can provide media strategies such as social media platforms, the internet, Brochures, Flyers, Newspapers, Television, and Radio. Other channels include community-based activities and interpersonal channels. For this campaign, we will use community-based activities whereby we will organize health fairs, seminars, or events in the community hospitals where the pregnant women will come to learn and talk about proper nutrition during pregnancy. The advantages of this channel are increased participation, more engaging, and low costs. The disadvantages are low frequency, low reach, and scaling up is costly.

Strategies & Time Points 

The strategy is to incorporate outreach health events, seminars, and fairs for pregnant mothers. With the help of the agencies at the community level, we will gather many pregnant women for these seminars or fairs at the community hospitals. The messages on nutrition should reinforce each other and be consistent throughout the campaign, and the timing will be within three months to maximize the impact.

References

Lee, A., Newton, M., Radcliffe, J., & Belski, R. (2018). Pregnancy nutrition knowledge and experiences of pregnant women and antenatal care clinicians: a mixed-methods approach. Women and Birth , 31 (4), 269-277.

This source identifies the inadequate knowledge about appropriate relevant dietary recommendations for pregnant women and the need for more nutrition education practices.

Nkanunye, C. C., & Obiechina, G. O. (2017). Health communication strategies as a gateway to effective health promotion and well-being. Journal of Medical Research and Health Education , 1 (3), 13.

This source looks at the different communication strategies that can be used in promoting good health by providing information that enhances the audience’s awareness and knowledge on health-related topics.

Schiavo, R. (2016). The importance of community-based communication for health and social change. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 7 (1), 1.

This source highlights the effectiveness of community participatory activities as key avenues for distributing health interventions, especially in underserved and poor communities.