Thala-SIMI-AH? : a health communications campaign promoting thalassaemia awareness & screening

Abstract

Thala-SIMI-AH? is an integrated health communications campaign that sought to raise awareness about Thalassaemia and promote Thalassaemia screening among Singaporean young adult couples aged 25 to 34 who are in a relationship and intend to have children in a bid to reduce the incidence of Thalassaemia Major - the severe form of the disorder. With 1 in 20 Singaporeans estimated to have Thalassaemia Minor and a Thalassaemia Minor couple having a 25% chance of having a child with Thalassaemia Major, the low screening rate among prospective parents means that many of them may be unaware of their Thalassaemia status and hence may be at risk of unknowingly having children with Thalassaemia Major. Guided by the Health Belief Model and the success of overseas campaigns, Thala-SIMI-AH? was largely successful in achieving its objectives, marking a significant step in establishing Thalassaemia screening as a norm in the family planning process for Singaporean young adult couples. Qualitative and quantitative formative research informed the campaign’s strategic pillars - ‘Inform’, ‘Influence’ and ‘Initiate’ - which helped bring the disorder out of the shadows of obscurity and into the public sphere, with the campaign attaining more than S$700,000 in public relations value, and facilitated the shift in our TA’s mental state from going “Thalassaemi-huh?” when hearing about Thalassaemia to going “Thalassaemi-ya!” when asked if they are confident in their capacity to go for Thalassaemia screening. This paper summarises the campaign’s process from the formative research phase to the development of campaign strategy and tactics, campaign execution and finally concludes with campaign evaluation and suggestions for future Thalassaemia-related campaigns based on the learnings.