How to set up government-led national hygiene communication campaigns to combat COVID-19: a strategic blueprint

Abstract

While large-scale changes in population behaviour are required to reduce the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus, the emergency context is not conducive to the sort of careful communications planning that would normally be required to meet such a task. Rapid strategic communications planning in a pandemic by governments is, however, possible and necessary. Steps include setting up a dedicated communications task force, mobilising partners and resources, developing a creative brief and theory of change and overseeing the creation, testing, roll out and revision of content. In this short guide, we argue that a minimum of strategic planning can be undertaken rapidly, and that good use can be made of simple principles of behaviour change, even during pandemics. Our aim here is to provide a blueprint that governments and their partners, especially in low-income settings, can follow to design, coordinate and resource national communications efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic immediately and for the longer term.

Impact on Diabetes Management of the Restrictions of Social Participation to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Single Facility in Japan: A Retrospective, Observational Study

“…Behavior changes may be brought about by government or social demands, or they may be due to the anxiety and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [7,8]. It has been pointed out that the use of lockdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic can have serious adverse effects on other health indicators, including obesity [9].…”

Impact on Diabetes Management Due to Social Participation Restrictions Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…this might be responsible for the improvement in HbA1c levels that were observed in June 2020. In addition, government, social demands, or anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic could have also led to behavioral changes 9,10) . However, one study has reported that the use of lockdowns can have adverse effects on health indicators 11) .…”

The Power of Music to Prevent and Control Emerging Infectious Diseases

“…Based on examples of effective health campaigns (64)(65)(66)(67)(68) and on our own experience, we propose that successfully developing and delivering musical messages to prevent EIDs requires at least four steps: (1) Establishing a task force or working group; (2) Identifying the most critical preventative measures for inclusion in the composition of a "catchy" song that is understandable and relates to the target audience; (3) Delivering the song to identified target audiences with sufficient intensity/frequency; and (4) Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the music campaign.…”

“…For many infectious diseases, preventive measures to reduce transmission risks are well-known, including hand washing, social distancing, using personal protective equipment, and sanitation ( 6 , 67 ). In such cases, selecting behaviors to be promoted in songs is relatively straightforward.…”