 Egypt
COUNTRY OVERVIEW AND PROJECT BACKGROUND
Communication for Healthy Living (CHL) is a cross-cutting behavior change communication project, whose goals are to improve the health of Egyptians and to increase the sustainability of health communication programs in the public, private and NGO sectors. CHL programs cover the following key health areas: family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS, avian influenza, Hepatitis C), and healthy lifestyles (including anti-tobacco and chronic disease including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease).The project is anchored in a partnership between Egypt’s Ministry of Information, which manages national media, and Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population, which manages health services in more than 5000 clinics throughout the country.
CHL’s behavior change communication campaigns use multiple channels and approaches, including mass media (TV, radio, press); electronic and information technology (telephone, internet); publicity events; theater, large scale events; educational media (print materials for providers and consumers); and interpersonal communication on the governorate and community level, with community meetings, home visits, and clinic-based counseling.
The Communication for Healthy Living (CHL) Campaign: Key Principles
The CHL strategy is built upon three guiding principles:
- Households as Producers of Health: Families are the primary producers of their own health. Communication empowers and informs individuals, families, and communities to protect their own health through simple, good behaviors and by seeking appropriate services.
- Integration of Health Content: A cross-cutting approach means that messages from all the major health areas are delivered under the umbrella of the “healthy family.”
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The Life Stage Approach: The family is segmented according to the age- or stage-appropriate needs of each member. This approach addresses the needs of each family member while promoting behavior changes relevant to the population as a whole.
- Young Children (0–5, neonates and infants)
- School Age Children (6-14)
- Youth (unmarried, aged 15-24) *Special emphasis on this target group
- Young Married (spacers, 0-2 children) *Special emphasis on this target group
- Older Men and Women (limiters, school age children)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The campaign slogan, “Sahatek…Sarwetek” (Your Health…Your Wealth) taps into a deeply held belief that health is a both gift to be cherished, and an asset to be protected and managed responsibly.
Communication for Healthy Living has three main program objectives:
- To provide improved strategic information and coordination for effective health communication programs.
- To increase demand for health services and adoption of healthy behaviors, specifically in the areas of: family planning and reproductive health; maternal and child health; infectious disease control; and healthy lifestyles.
- To develop institutional, technical, and financial sustainability to implement health communication programs in the public, NGO, and commercial sectors, as well as to establish enduring public demand for good health.
In the public sector, the unprecedented collaboration between information and health institutions in Egypt enables CHL to develop a full spectrum of health education materials for providers and clients and to disseminate them to service outlets nationwide. National magazines and newspapers carry published health inserts to hundreds of thousands. Finally, both Ministries have networks of outreach services that CHL uses to conduct community meetings and household visits throughout Egypt’s 27 governorates.
CHL also works with non-government organizations and anchors community-level programs with the village Community Development Association (CDA). The package of family health interventions includes home visits to newlyweds, ante-natal classes, post-partum visits, and nutrition classes for identified malnourished children and their mothers. In CHL community programs, health is used as an entry point to civil participation and decision-making, resulting in both interventions to improve individual household health status, as well as in collective community-led actions like solid waste clean-up and village building projects.
In the private sector, CHL markets health information and services through a network of over 14,500 Private Pharmacies. Providers participate in an informal network through which they receive educational materials and signage, bearing a brand, “Ask, Consult,” that is promoted through the national media. This advanced model of social marketing has resulted in increased sales of appropriate health products, improved information and method choice for consumers, as well as increased private sector partnership. Partners have included manufacturers of contraceptives, disposable syringes, zinc syrup, and family health and hygiene products. The CHL model is designed to secure sustainable use of private health services and products, and fuel industry growth without donor or government subsidization.
ACTIVITIES
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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