The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72030

Anna L. García¹, Terri L. Walsh, MPH¹, and Ron Frezieres, MSPH². (1) Research Division, California Family Health Council, Inc., 3600 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90010, 213-386-5614, garciaa@cfhc.org, (2) Research Division, California Family Health Council, Inc, 3600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90010

To boost community awareness of emergency contraception, the California Family Health Council launched a provocative, attention grabbing campaign using cutting edge artwork. Initially, the campaign focused on underserved Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. It soon became evident that the dearth of education materials, information and positive awareness about emergency contraception extended far beyond the Latino community of Southern California. Campaign messages were redesigned to appeal to a broad spectrum of ethnicities and reach a larger area of Southern California, as well as several Counties in Northern California.

The campaign features clever bus posters artfully promoting emergency contraception with tear-off information in either English or Spanish. Postcards were developed in both languages for hand to hand distribution. So far materials have been created in English and Spanish with plans to produce collaterals in multiple languages to reach other high need areas. The current campaign uses eye catching artwork selected from a local graphic arts studio with a thought provoking emergency contraception slogan. Calls to the toll-free hotline and provider surveys were used to measure the impact of each campaign. A comparison will be made of the community response to the emergency contraception messages and graphic designs from the current provocative campaign to the earlier conservative campaign.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify effective strategies of community outreach to increase awareness of emergency contraception from Los Angeles to other parts of Northern and Southern California.
• Recognize social marketing designs to attract the desired media attention and promote positive emergency contraception awareness.
• Assess promotion avenues which best engage community outreach efforts and an emergency contraception awareness campaign.
• Discuss ways to evaluate community awareness of an Emergency Contraception campaign.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.