Media campaign for prevention and care of diabetes in India

Taking diabetes awareness to the streets in Purnea in the state of Bihar.

A major problem in addressing diabetes in India is related to ignorance and inaction in coping with the disease. All too often diabetes is only discovered when it is too late and serious complications have taken their toll.

To help raise awareness and promote prevention, a major diabetes awareness campaign has been initiated by the World Diabetes Foundation in collaboration with Jagran Pehel, the largest media house in India. The awareness campaign was initiated in February 2008 and has proven to be vital in reaching out to the semi-urban and rural areas in 14 Indian states. The campaign has reached impressive results and to date more than 200 screening camps have been organised in 85 districts. A total of 87,662 people have been screened and more than 15 % (13,258 people) have been detected for diabetes. The total population reached with awareness activities during the screening camps exceeds 300,000 people. The total media and radio coverage is estimated to reach more than 40 million people.

Mr Jamal Butt, Communication Manager at the World Diabetes Foundation joined the inauguration of the campaign in Bhubaneswar in the state of Orissa. He explains, “The media campaign is an outstanding example of how major media companies can demonstrate their corporate social responsibility by joining forces with organisations like the World Diabetes Foundation. Such partnerships can bring out momentous changes in creating awareness about diabetes across a multi- stakeholder approach and joining forces with different non-governmental organisations, key opinion leaders, medical associations, civil society, local Rotary clubs, local Lions clubs, and local health care professionals”.

In Bhubaneswar, a four-day campaign was flagged off with a major motorcycle rally. At the public press meeting attended by local media and reporters from across the state, the State Minister of Finance, Sri Prafulla Ghadel and the State Minister of Tourism, Sri Debi Prasad Mishra used the opportunity to call for preventive actions to be taken and elaborate on why diabetes should be prioritised as a disease. The National Head of Jagran Pehel, Mr. Anand Madhab, and Mr. Jamal Butt also spoke during the press meeting. To further raise awareness, Mr.Kishore Mohanti, Speaker in the Orissa Legislative Assembly and Mr. Anang Uday Singh Deo, Works and Housing Minister in the Orissa Government went to a screening camp and got themselves screened.

Cinema on wheels

The entire campaign runs throughout 2008 and lasts between 4 and 50 days in each state depending on the size and number of districts covered. In Rajasthan, the campaign was only 4 days whereas it lasted for 50 days in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In the first two days preceding the screening camps, radio spots, street adverts, posters and banners, motorcycle rallies and public awareness initiatives announce when and where the diabetes screening camps will be held. On the day of the road show a van, which is actually a mobile cinema mounted with loudspeakers, folds out a screen and shows a short film about the Sharma family where the father is the protagonist in a story about diabetes.

The turning point in the fictitious Indian drama is when the father approaches the doctor describing all the symptoms and is diagnosed with diabetes. At first, he thinks that his life is over, and this has a dramatic effect on the family members, but the key learning point shows that it is possible to live with diabetes by adapting the right lifestyle and taking medication. The film informs people about the common risk factors and symptoms of diabetes and gives key messages on prevention and on how to live a productive and healthy life avoiding the disease.

After the film, information and education material is handed out. In order to further involve the local crowd in the theme of diabetes, people can participate in a quiz and win prizes. They are also encouraged to attend the free screening camp the following day. A screening camp typically takes place in a community centre or in a semi urban area where local doctors, nurses and self help groups volunteer to screen people. If a person is found to have diabetes or high sugar levels, he or she is given a paper slip with all the essential data and referred to the local hospital, ward or clinic. Even the time spent in the endless lines of people waiting for their blood sugar tests is utilised in a productive manner; education material and hand outs are disseminated, the audiovisual shown and a diabetologist or a doctor is available for consultation.

Screening camp in Patna in the state of Bihar.

A triple media approach

The campaign is well rooted in the media with regular articles and news releases about diabetes in Dainik Jagran, India’s largest read daily with 56.6 million readers. Furthermore, a radio campaign featuring the fictitious Dr. Mantra has been aired with informative jingles and question & answer sessions. The radio shows on Radio Mantra are essential in order to reach the poorer, illiterate population and has to date reached an estimated population of 6 millions. A third leg of the media campaign has been the implementation of an SMS-hotline, primarily targeted at the younger generation. Until mid-October the free number 57272 had reached a response rate of more than 51,500 messages which provide important information about the major diabetes questions and answers to be addressed by the campaign.

Looking at the cost effectiveness element of the media campaign, Mr. Jamal Butt is impressed with the initial outcome. “In general the campaign has not only demonstrated high effect with the media component, but also in terms of education and awareness raising with the local population. Presently, the total average cost of road shows and screening camps is estimated to be less than USD 3 per person, which means that we are providing education, awareness and preventive efforts for a whole family in a cost effective manner,” he explains. According to local studies in India, the estimated annual cost to treat a person with diabetes is USD 460, rising by 48% for those with complications and diabetes treatment may consume up to 15–25% of a monthly household income.

Mr Jamal Butt continues: “Those who require the most advanced, expensive care for diabetes-related complications are often the people least able to afford it and they may have to borrow money for treatment, thus entering a cycle of debt with disastrous consequences to the individuals, their families and society. This is exactly why the World Diabetes Foundation has joined forces with Pehel Jagran to increase the level of awareness of diabetes amongst the rural population and to help build capacity and strengthening the referral system with local health care providers.”

Awareness in new territories

Out of 14 states to be covered by the Media Campaign for Prevention and Care of Diabetes in India, the World Diabetes Foundation supports projects in six states. With the poorer states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh on the list, supporting the campaign serves a two-fold objective; entering new territory at the same time as collaborating with existing World Diabetes Foundation partners to consolidate experiences and build even greater awareness and capacity. Non-communicable diseases and diabetes in particular have to a large extent been neglected and devoid of proper awareness in the northern part of India. Other problems along with poor health status aggravate the problem around this challenge, and access to health at community level has remained an unachieved goal.

“Health care service delivery cannot make a desirable change unless the community has an opportunity to access the right information at a timely basis,” says Mr. Anand Madhab, National Head of Jagran Pehel. “Therefore, Jagran Pehel is proud to partner with the World Diabetes Foundation and to co-sponsor this media campaign which has made a substantial change in creating awareness of diabetes in semi urban and community areas. The momentum of the campaign and our key findings about the diabetes pandemic and its devastating complications has been a real eye opener for us. The next crucial step will be to strengthen the referral mechanisms for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes during the campaign,” he says. 

According to the World Association of Newspapers, Dainik Jagran is the largest read daily in the world with a readership base of 56.6 million readers.

Read more about the project or see film