Guardians of the night

Abstract

This paper presents Guardians of the Night, a pioneering health communication campaign targeted at raising awareness about Paediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Empowering parents of young children, aged 2 to 6, to identify and check for the key symptoms of Paediatric OSA, the campaign aims to increase regard for the sleep disorder and communicate to our target audience that it is worthy of medical attention. The initiative is led by four final- year undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University. The paper details the primary and secondary research conducted to develop the campaign’s strategy, key messages and tactics. Qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used to provide insights into the local Paediatric OSA situation. Our primary research revealed that 81.94% of our target audience surveyed were unaware of the disorder, with 89.87% lacking knowledge of its symptoms. Based on expert insights, three key symptoms – restless sleep, unusual sleeping posture and habitual snoring, were identified as the main focus in campaign messaging. A segmentation analysis was conducted to determine the target audience’s profile. A three-phase campaign approach was then employed as a framework for our campaign execution. Using a strategic combination of offline and online outreach activities, the campaign succeeded in engaging parents about Paediatric OSA. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the campaign’s impact and output objectives through a post-campaign survey, social media analysis, and a detailed assessment of the campaign challenges. The paper also presents recommendations for future efforts to combat Paediatric OSA through communication campaigns.