June 14, 2014 NPHIC Award Entries http://www.nphic.org/awards-home-page
Award Category In-house Print/Graphic: Specialty Projects Entry 6 Title Wear One Condom Distribution and Educational Campaign Submitted by Kristina Wieghmink, M.Ed. Ottawa County Department of Public Health Communications Specialist & NPHIC Member (616)494-5597 kwieghmink@miottawa.org
Background and Research
The Wear One condom distribution campaign was developed to decrease barriers such as access, availability and cost of condoms for sexually active youth and young adults 25 years of age and younger. As a result, sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancy cases will be reduced, in Ottawa County.
The need for the campaign was brought to the STD and Family Planning team and the Health Officer’s attention by Heather Alberda, Ottawa County Department of Public Health Sexuality Educator. After several years of sexual health presentations and talking candidly with youth about condom use, the main issues associated with not using a condom were access, availability and cost.
Data provided by our department’s STD and Family Planning team was used to map out the 2013 positive chlamydia cases (under age 25) in Ottawa County. The map was created by the Ottawa County Ottawa County Geographic Information System department.
A report from the Michigan Department of Community Health Michigan Disease Surveillance System, stated there was a 36% increase of chlamydia cases over recent years in Ottawa County.
According to the 2013 Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey (YAS), 40.4% of 12th graders reported having had sex in their lifetime. Among teens, who are engaging in sexual activity, 76.3% have had sex in the last 3 months. The 2013 YAS also reports 58.6% of respondents 1
who have ever had sex used a condom the last time they engaged in sexual intercourse and 29.2% have had sex had sexual intercourse with 4 or more partners. www.miOttawa.org/2013YAS
The primary target audience is individuals who are 18-24 years of age and engage in sexual behaviors.
The secondary target audience is appropriate community partners (retailers, businesses, colleges and other health agencies).
Planning
The goal for the campaign was to help reduce sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancies, in Ottawa County. This will be accomplished by identifying and decreasing barriers such as access, availability and cost.
Campaign objectives: o Help provide better access to condoms for individuals who are 18-24 years of age and engage in sexual behaviors.
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Challenges are limited hours of operation and transportation to our health department locations.
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Distribute condoms and educational material at no charge to partnering locations. Ideally, provide condoms to sexually active individuals who are 18-24 years of age by bringing the product to them.
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Per the memorandum of agreement, condom pick-up locations must not charge, individuals for condoms and educational material from the Wear One campaign. According to the CDC and the Journal of American Public Health, condoms must be available at no charge, since cost is one of the largest barriers to condom use.
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Educate Ottawa County residents and organizations on the importance of condom use and gain their support.
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Change social norms surrounding condoms and increase their acceptance within our community. As a result, embarrassment and being uncomfortable asking for or purchasing condoms will be reduced.
Planning began when the STD and Family Planning team, the Health Officer, Heather Alberda and I met to develop a communications plan. The plan included information about our budget, problem to address, target audience, desired outcome, potential barriers and special needs, partnerships, type of communications and deliverables, take away messages, project deadline, what we wanted people to do with the information and what action we wanted them to take.
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The next step of the planning process was a communications audit to determine our current communication methods, research what the CDC and other regions were doing and effectiveness of initiatives. According to the CDC, communicable disease programs have been successful in producing the intended results of increasing condom acquisition or condom carrying, increasing condom use, promoting delayed sexual initiation or abstinence among youth and reducing the number of sexually transmitted disease cases. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/programs/condoms/
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After we defined our goals, objectives, developed the communications plan and completed the communications audit, we developed a data-driven, strategic and intentional campaign. This was based on the calculated costs, scale of communicable disease risks and county and public health policies that may support or hinder the initiative.
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The communications strategy included: o
proposing the condom program to local businesses, community organizations, health clinics, college campuses, the Ottawa County Circuit Court Probation and Parole Department and other offices within the county that serve our primary target audience;
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explaining the advantages and outcomes of the program to those listed above;
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writing a memorandum of agreement to enter into the terms of agreement between our department and the partnering agency, business or other entity;
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providing easy access to condoms within the Ottawa County Department of Public Health clinics in Grand Haven, Holland and Hudsonville. The check-in window will have five to seven condom bags available outside the window, so individuals may grab a pack and not have to ask;
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creating condom bags to include ten condoms, a health department service card and a condom information card, which will have a link to an www.etr.org video giving instructions on the correct way to put on a condom and a sizing chart. The contents will be placed in a non-descriptive brown paper bag with the attached logo for easy identification;
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providing each partnering agency, business or other entity with a Wear One campaign poster or window static cling decal, so the primary target audience can identify the availability of free condoms;
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distributing 200 condom bags to each location throughout the 2013/14 fiscal year (a total of 12,000 condoms will be available for this campaign).
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Budget, Materials Used & Execution
Total $1,253.65:
$12.53 to print 90 condom bag labels.
$75 per case of 1,000 condoms for the ONE brand condoms. Ordered 12 cases for a total cost of $900.
$237.00 to print 7,000 English and 3,000 Spanish health department service cards
$74.24 to print 2,500 condom instruction cards.
$2.49 per 100 to purchase lunch size brown paper bags. Ordered 12 packs for a total cost of $29.88.
With a limited budget, we relied on staff, my communications and design experiences and community partners to help create and distribute condom bags to designated locations throughout the county.
Message to the target audience: By decreasing barriers such as access, availability and cost the Wear One campaign will help reduce sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancies cases, in Ottawa County.
Communication and deliverables: o
Voucher cards distributed to the primary target audience, so they may discretely exchange the card for a free condom bag at selected partnering agency, business or other entity. This will help avoid the embarrassment of asking or the inconvenience of traveling to a health department office, during regular business hours.
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Voucher cards have the www.miOttawa.org/SexEd link and a QR code printed on the card, to provide quick access to an up-to-date list of free condom pick-up locations.
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Distributed 200 condom bags, a Wear One campaign poster and/or a window static cling to each partnering agency, business or other entity’s locations.
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Revised website and created shortened urls: www.miOttawa.org/SexEd, www.miOttawa.org/stds, www.miottawa.org/birthcontrol to better promote and access information.
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Social media posts to www.facebook.com/miOttawaHealth, and https://twitter.com/miocdph
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News release to the media and department staff. 4
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Radio interview to coincide with the decrease in Ottawa County teen pregnancies.
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Articles in local newspapers.
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Publication in the May 5, 2014 issue of the County Administrator’s Community Digest. http://www.miottawa.org/Departments/Admin/pdf/Digest/2013/12202013.pdf
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Presentation at Grand Valley State University on October 4, 2013 Public Health overview and OCDPH initiatives.
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Presentation at the OCDPH all staff meeting on October 24, 2013 Communications update and current initiatives.
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Presentation at the Lakeshore Alliance Against Sexual and Domestic Violence Association meeting on January 21, 2014 – Public Health overview and OCDPH initiatives.
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Presentation at the Michigan Environmental Health Association Educational Conference on March 21, 2014 - Branding process and OCDPH initiatives.
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Various presentations on sexual health, by the department’s health educator.
Results
Number of partnering agencies, businesses or other entities who received the condom bags, a Wear One campaign poster and/or a window static cling decal.
Social media and website analytic reports to determine the target audience reach (posts viewed, shared, liked, commented, re-tweeted, increase in followers and visits).
Number of contacts who received the Wear One news release.
Number of attendees who received information at the Grand Valley State University presentation, OCDPH all staff meeting, Lakeshore Alliance Against Sexual and Domestic Violence Association meeting, the Michigan Environmental Health Educational Conference and any other sexual health educational presentations.
Increase in the percentage of youth using a condom at last sexual encounter and decreases in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. (Data collected Ottawa County surveys and reports www.miOttawa.org/healthdata.)
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