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  • Complimentary Materials
    • Brochures
    • Posters
    • PSAs
  • Technical Assistance
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The MCHB FASD Social Marketing Campaign

Social marketing builds community support. It is essential to work with the community when any new screening effort is undertaken, for, especially in the arena of substance use in pregnancy, motives for screening can be mistaken. The health communications field has been rapidly changing over the past two decades. It has evolved from a one-dimensional reliance on public service announcements to a more sophisticated approach which draws from successful techniques used by commercial marketers, termed "social marketing." Rather than dictating the way that information is to be conveyed from the top-down, public health professionals are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the target audience themselves and building the program from there. This focus on the "consumer" involves in-depth research and constant re-evaluation of every aspect of the program. In fact, research and evaluation together form the very cornerstone of the social marketing process.

Our social marketing approach has two key aims:

1. Obtain an understanding among the patients of the Community Health Center and maternal and child health clinical sites as to the necessity and purpose of screening for alcohol use in pregnancy, and
2. Present a clear prevention message to the families enrolled in care at the various sites.

Our approach to social marketing seeks to build transparency into the screening process, so that all patients and consumers understand the purpose of screening and early identification of risk. It is important that all families understand that the screening and referral process will build on the strengths of the community and will not endanger or disrupt families, a common fear among women who are using alcohol or illicit drugs during pregnancy. This aspect alone will enhance honest communication between patient and provider.

An extensive amount of materials will be created for community providers as part of this social marketing campaign. Each community will receive brochures, posters, and video loops for waiting-room use, free of charge, and will be able to replenish its supply, for free, should that need arise. All materials, available in English and Spanish, focus on communicating the message that there is no safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. Some of these materials are written on a simplistic level that all patients will be able to understand regardless of their literacy level. Other materials encourage and require the provider to interact with the patient, methodically going through selected information and engaging in a dialogue about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.

If you have questions, please contact us.