vHappy : a campaign to improving feminine care in Singapore

Abstract

vHappy is a pioneering health communications campaign to promote the importance of feminine care and encourages women aged 21 to 35 years old in Singapore to practise proper feminine hygiene. Good feminine hygiene behaviours are necessary to prevent vulvovaginal infections, which are prevalent amongst women worldwide, yet awareness and knowledge of the issue still remain low even in Singapore. The Health Belief Model was used to guide effective strategies and tactics to reach the campaign objectives. A mixed-methods research was carried out, with qualitative data obtained from in-depth and expert interviews, as well as quantitative data gained from conducting a survey amongst Singaporean women aged 21 to 35 years old regarding their current knowledge and behaviours, perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived barriers, as well as their self-efficacy levels regarding feminine hygiene. Findings from this research were used to develop the umbrella of the campaign approach — Awareness, Education and Empowerment — aimed at encouraging women to take charge of their vulvovaginal health and start adopting the proper feminine hygiene methods. The integrated marketing campaign, utilising multiple channels, ran from December 2021 to March 2022. Key tactics included an online event with local medical professionals and notable female leaders, a social media campaign encouraging experience sharing titled ‘From one woman to another’ and multiple video series featuring medical health experts sharing important information and debunking harmful myths about vulvovaginal health. The campaign was evaluated through a quantitative post-campaign survey, and an analysis of the survey results as well as evaluation of the impact and output objectives showed that the campaign is effective across the HBM constructs, especially in increasing the knowledge of feminine care as well as the perceived susceptibility to vulvovaginal infections to encourage adoption of proper feminine hygiene practices. The findings and overall recommendations from this paper can be utilised as a guide for future similar campaigns and studies on feminine care in Singapore.