Changing Values to Tackle Chronic Disease

Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Lais Cattassini of GLOBALHealthPR partner in Brazil, Tino Comunicação.

Diabetes is a big problem in Brazil. The country has over 13.5 million people with type 2 diabetes and it is believed that half of those people are not aware of their condition. Brazil has the fourth-highest number of diabetics in the world, and this number is expected to increase exponentially.

With these numbers in mind, Tino developed the “Mude Seus Valores” (Change your Values) campaign for the Brazilian Diabetes Society. The campaign’s goal is to make sure this epidemic is controlled and that people are more aware of how they can prevent and treat diabetes in a more responsible way.

We understand that, today, health campaigns have to be broader, bolder and more present in social media than ever before. Engaging the audience through Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Answers and other social media websites is essential to make sure patients are well informed to reach physicians.

Tino was responsible for gathering sponsors and developing the entire visual concept of this campaign, destined to capture the attention of the public. The idea is that with a couple of changes in your day to day life you can avoid diabetes, a chronic and serious illness.

The partnership with the Brazilian Diabetes Society will address two key issues. One is that we have to take action to change the future of this disease not only in Brazil, but all around the world. The other is the importance of a social media campaign to raise awareness of those problems and to engage individuals.

Leveraging social media to prevent chronic disease

A statement by the American Heart Association made in December last year, for example, recognized the importance of social media in helping children overcome obesity. It is undeniable that online communities have a bigger presence in our lives than ever before, specially to a new generation. Therefore, making sure the campaign is just as active online as it is in outdoor media is an important step to communicate with children and teenagers, to change unhealthy behaviors from the start.

According to the American Heart Association, creating an intervention for obese children in online communities helped them to find role models to change their habits.

The “Mude Seus Valores” campaign does precisely that. We invite people to take action, changing their lives step by step. We have to change our values after all.

In the coming weeks, please visit www.mudeseusvalores.com.br for more information on the launch of the “Mude Seus Valores” campaign.