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Akhmetov's Fund Launches A New PSA Campaign

27.11.2012

This November Rinat Akhmetov's Foundation for Development of Ukraine launched the second wave of the information campaign within the implementation of its "Stop TB in Ukraine" Program. The campaign aims to reduce the negative social attitudes towards people who have or have had TB. TB patients are ordinary people. Anybody can get TB, regardless of their social status, but all who got it can recover. TB is only a diagnosis, not a death sentence.

A 30-second video and a 45-second audio clip (with its three shorter versions), as well as a design for outdoor advertizing supporting the clips’ concept were created within this information campaign. The tender for the development and production of the information materials was awarded to Creative Production Boutique CandyShop.

"There was a good reason for choosing such object for this public service advertizing. A study showed that the attitude of Ukrainians towards people with TB (and to those who had it but completely recovered) is mixed[i]. On the one hand, 92% of respondents think that such people should get support and friendly attitude from other people. On the other hand, things change when the situation affects them personally – for example, only 45% of respondents said they would not be reluctant to work alongside such a person. Only 33% would agree to eat at a restaurant if they knew that one of the cooks or a waitress has had TB and completely recovered. These data reveal a high level of stigma and discrimination towards people with TB and insufficient access to information on the curability of TB", – says Denis Denisenko, Head of "Stop TB in Ukraine" Program.

The outdoor advertizing began to be displayed in Ukraine on November 1, 2012, and the audio and video clips will start to be broadcast on national and regional TV channels and radio stations in December 2012. All information materials can be found in the gallery section of the Program’s website at www.stoptb.in.ua. The video also appears on the website homepage and is hosted on YouTube.

It is to be recalled that a year ago the Foundation successfully implemented the first wave of the national information campaign to increase the public awareness of TB as a real threat to public health. The related videos and audios as well as outdoor ads were created, focusing in particular on the fact that coughs lasting longer than three weeks are the most common sign of TB and a reason to see a doctor. The ads also informed on the creation of a toll-free TB hotline (0800503080) and a website at www.stoptb.in.ua.

Reference data:

A TB epidemic in Ukraine was officially declared in 1995. To date, the situation has somewhat stabilized but the incidence of the disease still significantly exceeds the established epidemiological threshold.

The "Stop TB in Ukraine" Program has been implemented by Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine and partners since January 2011. Several waves of educational information campaign aimed at the general population are planned within the Program.

Installation of social advertizing may be discussed with Anna Zakharina, Communications Specialist of "Stop TB in Ukraine" Program, tel. (044) 502-52-35, cell phone: 050 347 50 89, e-mail: [email protected]
[i] "The Study to identify knowledge, attitudes, practices and behavior (KAPB) on TB in the general population of Ukraine and individual groups" conducted in September 2011 – March 2012 (5004 respondents aged 18+ from 81 towns, 26 semiurban communities and 99 villages of Ukraine).