The impact of newspaper advertising on a regional antenatal health campaign

Abstract

IN 1981 the West Midlands Health services undertook a publicity campaign aimed at helping women to under stand more about keeping healthy during pregnancy and encouraging them to seek early ante-natal care. A series of full page advertisements on ante-natal care were placed in local newspapers in the Region. Set out here are the findings of two studies of the impact of the publicity campaign. The first shows how far people's knowledge of what to do during pregnancy was altered by the publicity, and the second shows what people thought of the adver tisements themselves and the further information sent to them on request.

The results of the first survey showed that two weeks after the advertising campaign, more women who took the newspaper in which the advertisement appeared answered correctly questions about the health topics covered in the advertisement compared with women who did not take the newspaper.

The second survey showed that the advertisements were well received by those who sent in for more informa tion about the topics covered in the advertisements. The pamphlets sent to them on request, and selected by health education officers as suitable, contained in many cases material people welcomed and had not received from any other source.

However, many people said that they would have liked to have received information on topics not covered in the pamphlets, such as the events of childbirth, feeding and problems of child development.

It was recommended that the Book of the child, produced by the Scottish Health Education Group, should be distributed during the antenatal period, and be evaluated as an alternative to current material in use.