Using Social Marketing Principles to Reach People

with Limited Health Literacy― What WorksCynthia Baur, Ph.D.

National Center for Health Marketing

Presentation Overview

• Consumers – Who are they?

• Reaching Consumers with Limited Health Literacy- Challenges/Barriers

• Health Marketing

• Using the Marketing Mix to Achieve Success- Outreach Opportunities

Who Uses Products and Services? • Patients?

• Audience segments?

• People who need to change a health behavior?

• Consumers do.• (This slide and next 4 slides courtesy of

Todd Phillips, AED)

About Consumers • They have choices.

• They make decisions.

• They evaluate based on needs and wants.

• They are not passive recipients of information.

90 million90 million Americans would have trouble with this.

DefinitionsLiteracy

“An individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."

(National Literacy Act of 1991)

Health literacy

“The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Healthy People

2010)

What is the Truth?• Everyone has difficulty understanding health

information at some point regardless of their literacy level. Contributing factors include:

•Complexity of information•Unfamiliar scientific/medical jargon•Demands of navigating healthcare system•Stressful/unfamiliar situation

• Limited health literacy is not just a consumer problem, but also a “systems” problem

The Bottom Line

Only 12 percent of adults have Proficient health literacy. In other words, nearly 9 out of 10 adults may lack the skills needed to manage their health and prevent disease. (2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Study)

What is the Connection between Social Marketing and Improving Health Literacy?

Consumer Experience and the “do-ability” of our recommendations

Who Needs Extra Consideration?

Some groups face additional challenges that require attention:

• Older adults

• Those who are poor

• People with limited education

• Minority populations

• Persons with limited English proficiency (LEP)

Challenges/Barriers

• Identifying consumers

• Communication

• Language barriers

• Cultural differences

Identifying Consumers• You can’t tell by looking

• Limitations to using existing assessment tools

• No ‘gold standard’ for measuring health literacy (Parker et al., 1999 ).

Communication

• Information delivery

• Complexity of information

• Information processing/interpretation

• Individual communication/learning styles

Language Barriers

Los estudios indican que una de las razones por las cuales los padres que hablan español no hacen uso de los centros de control de envenenamientos es la barrera del idioma.

Research has shown that one reason Spanish-speaking parents do not utilize poison control centers is due to their fear of a language barrier1.

1Kelly N., et al. Effects of Videotape to Increase Use of Poison Control Centers by Low-Income and Spanish-Speaking Families. Pediatrics 2003; 111;21-26

Cultural Differences• Cross-cultural gaps between

professionals and customers

• Understanding differences in values, beliefs, practices, attitudes, traditions

• Lack of customer-centered services

• Experiences leading to distrust

How Do We Use Social Marketing to Achieve Success?

Health Marketing

Health Marketing involves creating, communicating, and delivering health information and interventions using customer-centered and science-based strategies to protect and promote the health of diverse populations (CDC, 2005).

A multi-disciplinary area of practice.

CDC Health Marketing Model

Products:CDC’s

Research,Science,

Evidence-based- advice

Products:CDC’s

Research,Science,

Evidence-based- advice

Customers:“The Public”

IndividualsInstitutions

CommunitiesUS pops

Global pops

Customers:“The Public”

IndividualsInstitutions

CommunitiesUS pops

Global pops

Customers:Health profs

Partners

Customers:Health profs

Partners

Audience research, Formative research, Public engagement, Partner engagement

Translating research to practice,Health communication and marketing )

Key Concepts of Health Marketing

• Focus on consumers• Understand consumers’ needs

and wants • Influence action• Marketing Mix- The four P’s• Competing behaviors

• Exchange

Opportunity 1: Know the Customer

• Take a customer-centered approach

• Who will do what differently? – Who’s more at risk for poisoning? – What’s the Epi-data for your PCC service area?– Which target behaviors are most important?

• Who can you influence most effectively?• What do they want and care about?• What do they struggle with?

Audience Barriers/Benefits• BarriersConsider real or perceived costs, access, confusion, inconvenience, beliefs, policies, program features, cultural practices, etc. that stand between your audience and the desired behavior

•Benefits Describe what your audience should perceive as the key benefit to taking the desired action

Statement: If I (do the desired behavior), then I (get some benefit)

Opportunity 2: Offer a Better Product• Involve your consumers

• How can you add simplicity? credibility? authenticity?

• How can you adjust your program/ system/relationships – not just your messages?

Is the call-to-action easy to understand & process? Will it help people make better

decisions about their health?

Opportunity 3:Improve Distribution

• Choose the right place and promotion strategies

Percentage of Adults with Below Basic or Basic Health Literacy Who Get Little or No Health Information From the Following Sources

Source Below Basic Basic

Internet 85% 70%

Magazines 64% 47%

Books or Brochures 62% 45%

Newspapers 59% 51%

Family or Friends 47% 40%

Healthcare Providers

35% 30%

Radio or TV 33% 29%Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute for Education Sciences

Opportunity 3:Improve Distribution • Choose the right place and promotion

• Develop/strengthen partnerships

• Lay health educators/Promotores

• Community-based workshops/Health fairs

•Community organizations/churches•Hospitals (ED), clinics, medical facilities•Retailers- WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot

Do your consumers know why/how to obtain your services/products?

• Evaluation starts with you• How health literate is your work

environment? Practices?• Are your projects based on health

literacy/health marketing principles/concepts?

• How likely is it that your consumers will be able to obtain, process, understand, and make decisions?

Opportunity 4:Conduct Evaluation

Questions?http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing