Dataset Information

A time series evaluation of the FAST National Stroke Awareness Campaign in England.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:In February 2009, the Department of Health in England launched the Face, Arm, Speech, and Time (FAST) mass media campaign, to raise public awareness of stroke symptoms and the need for an emergency response. We aimed to evaluate the impact of three consecutive phases of FAST using population-level measures of behaviour in England. METHODS:Interrupted time series (May 2007 to February 2011) assessed the impact of the campaign on: access to a national stroke charity's information resources (Stroke Association [SA]); emergency hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of stroke (Hospital Episode Statistics for England); and thrombolysis activity from centres in England contributing data to the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke UK database. RESULTS:Before the campaign, emergency admissions (and patients admitted via accident and emergency [A&E]) and thrombolysis activity was increasing significantly over time, whereas emergency admissions via general practitioners (GPs) were decreasing significantly. SA webpage views, calls to their helpline and information materials dispatched increased significantly after phase one. Website hits/views, and information materials dispatched decreased after phase one; these outcomes increased significantly during phases two and three. After phase one there were significant increases in overall emergency admissions (505, 95% CI = 75 to 935) and patients admitted via A&E (451, 95% CI = 26 to 875). Significantly fewer monthly emergency admissions via GPs were reported after phase three (-19, 95% CI = ?-29 to -9). Thrombolysis activity per month significantly increased after phases one (3, 95% CI = 1 to 6), and three (3, 95% CI = 1 to 4). CONCLUSIONS:Phase one had a statistically significant impact on information seeking behaviour and emergency admissions, with additional impact that may be attributable to subsequent phases on information seeking behaviour, emergency admissions via GPs, and thrombolysis activity. Future campaigns should be accompanied by evaluation of impact on clinical outcomes such as reduced stroke-related morbidity and mortality.

SUBMITTER: Flynn D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4131890 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A time series evaluation of the FAST National Stroke Awareness Campaign in England.

Flynn Darren D Ford Gary A GA Rodgers Helen H Price Christopher C Steen Nick N Thomson Richard G RG

PloS one 20140813 8

<h4>Objective</h4>In February 2009, the Department of Health in England launched the Face, Arm, Speech, and Time (FAST) mass media campaign, to raise public awareness of stroke symptoms and the need for an emergency response. We aimed to evaluate the impact of three consecutive phases of FAST using population-level measures of behaviour in England.<h4>Methods</h4>Interrupted time series (May 2007 to February 2011) assessed the impact of the campaign on: access to a national stroke charity's info ...[more]

PMID: 25119714

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Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the Cleanyourhands campaign on rates of hospital procurement of alcohol hand rub and soap, report trends in selected healthcare associated infections, and investigate the association between infections and procurement.DesignProspective, ecological, interrupted time series study from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2008.Setting187 acute trusts in England and Wales.InterventionInstallation of bedside alcohol hand rub, materials promoting hand hygiene and institutional engagement, regular hand hygiene audits, rolled out nationally from 1 December 2004.Main outcome measuresQuarterly (that is, every three months) rates for each trust of hospital procurement of alcohol hand rub and liquid soap; Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (meticillin resistant (MRSA) and meticillin sensitive (MSSA)) and Clostridium difficile infection for each trust. Associations between procurement and infection rates assessed by mixed effect Poisson regression model (which also accounted for effect of bed occupancy, hospital type, and timing of other national interventions targeting these infections).ResultsCombined procurement of soap and alcohol hand rub tripled from 21.8 to 59.8 mL per patient bed day; procurement rose in association with each phase of the campaign. Rates fell for MRSA bacteraemia (1.88 to 0.91 cases per 10,000 bed days) and C difficile infection (16.75 to 9.49 cases). MSSA bacteraemia rates did not fall. Increased procurement of soap was independently associated with reduced C difficile infection throughout the study (adjusted incidence rate ratio for 1 mL increase per patient bed day 0.993, 95% confidence interval 0.990 to 0.996; P < 0.0001). Increased procurement of alcohol hand rub was independently associated with reduced MRSA bacteraemia, but only in the last four quarters of the study (0.990, 0.985 to 0.995; P < 0.0001). Publication of the Health Act 2006 was strongly associated with reduced MRSA bacteraemia (0.86, 0.75 to 0.98; P = 0.02) and C difficile infection (0.75, 0.67 to 0.84; P < 0.0001). Trust visits by Department of Health improvement teams were also associated with reduced MRSA bacteraemia (0.91, 0.83 to 0.99; P=0.03) and C difficile infection (0.80, 0.71 to 0.90; P=0.01), for at least two quarters after each visit.ConclusionsThe Cleanyourhands campaign was associated with sustained increases in hospital procurement of alcohol rub and soap, which the results suggest has an important role in reducing rates of some healthcare associated infections. National interventions for infection control undertaken in the context of a high profile political drive can reduce selected healthcare associated infections.

Project description:IntroductionInability to identify stroke warning signs accurately is an important cause of delay in seeking medical attention, leading to potential ineligibility for acute intervention. We report on post-campaign findings (wave 2) of national surveys to estimate changes in population knowledge following a media-based Face, Arm, Speech, Time stroke awareness campaign, comparing findings to those of a pre-campaign population survey (wave 1).Participants and methods: One thousand and ten randomly selected adults (18+) completed the Stroke Awareness Questionnaire on knowledge of warning signs, risk factors and response to stroke at wave 2 and findings were compared to wave 1 survey results. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between demographic characteristics and self-reported risk factors with knowledge of stroke and emergency response.ResultsNo significant differences existed in the ability of respondents to define stroke or to identify two or more stroke risk factors between waves 1 and 2 surveys (71% and 70%, respectively). Respondents to the wave 2 survey were five times more likely (odds ratio 4.9, p < .001) than those responding at wave 1 to know at least two warning signs of stroke (67% vs. 31%, respectively), specifically those targeted by the Face, Arm, Speech, Time campaign. While significant improvement in intention to call an ambulance was noted (odds ratio 1.5, p < .001, 57% at wave 2 compared to 47% at wave 1), for almost half of respondents (43%) this would not have been their first response to stroke. Less than 5% of respondents to both surveys identified thrombolysis as an emergency treatment for stroke (3.9% at wave 2 compared to 1.8% at wave 1).DiscussionAlthough significant improvements were made in several areas of stroke knowledge and intended response, awareness of acute stroke interventions was poor and intended behavioural response was suboptimal.ConclusionFindings from this study indicate need for targeted campaigns to improve population understanding of the reasons underlying the importance of rapid emergency response to stroke.

Project description:ObjectiveAssess the impact of the Be Your Own Baby (BYOB) public awareness campaign including population-level exposure, the effectiveness of ad platforms, and the effect of the campaign on family planning clinic attendance, the campaign's primary goal.Data sourcesThe study relied on administrative data on traffic and engagement from the campaign's website, population survey data measuring campaign exposure, and clinic attendance volumes from state-by-year restricted-use versions of the Office of Population Affairs' Family Planning Annual Reports (2006-2018).Study designBivariate analyses were used to assess website traffic and engagement and population-level exposure across key subgroups. We then used the synthetic control method to examine the impact of the BYOB campaign on per capita Title X clinic attendance among the target demographic, women 18-29 years of age.Data collection/extraction methodsNot applicable. We relied on secondary sources.Principal findingsPrimary media platforms used by the campaign included social media, digital display, streaming audio, YouTube, and search. Website traffic was driven primarily by digital display ads, but engagement was highest for search. Our results suggest nearly 12% of Delaware women 18-29 years of age were exposed to the campaign. However, exposure was measured at the end of the campaign and was likely much larger during its peak. Our results indicated that the campaign was associated with between 13 and 23 additional Title X clinic visits per 1000 women compared with 110 users per 1000 at baseline in 2014.ConclusionsOur findings suggest the BYOB campaign was successful at increasing clinic attendance among the target demographic. These results have important implications for other programs seeking to use public awareness messaging to increase participation in the health care system and are especially important for Title X administrators who have faced declining patient volumes for over 10 years.

Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the contribution of a digital health real-time monitoring platform towards the achievement of coverage targets during a national immunisation campaign in Indonesia.InterventionsA digital health platform was introduced to facilitate real-time reporting and data visualisation. Health workers submitted reports of children immunised each day by geolocation using mobile phones. Automated reports were generated for programme managers at all levels to enable early responses to coverage gaps.MethodsRisk profiles were generated for each district to assess precampaign immunisation programme performance. Digital health platform use and progress towards targets were monitored continuously throughout the campaign. Study outcomes were total coverage and time to achieve full (100%) coverage. Kaplan-Meier, Cox and linear regression analyses were used to estimate the associations and outcomes after adjusting for district risk profiles. A complementary qualitative assessment explored user experiences and acceptance through interviews with vaccinators and programme managers in provinces and districts selected through multistage random sampling.ResultsBetween August and December 2018, 6462 health facilities registered to use the digital health platform across 28 provinces and 395 districts. After adjusting for precampaign district risk profile and intracampaign delays due to vaccine hesitancy, districts with greater platform utilisation demonstrated higher coverage overall (R2=0.28, p<0.0001) and a shorter interval to achieving full coverage (>75% reporting compliance; Risk Ratio 15.4, 95% CI 5.8 to 40.6). Stronger effects were observed among districts experiencing implementation delays due to vaccine hesitancy. Results from 106 key informant interviews conducted in 6 provinces and 18 districts suggest high degrees of acceptability, ease of use and satisfaction.ConclusionA digital health platform introduced for real-time monitoring of a national immunisation campaign in Indonesia was feasible, well liked and associated with improved problem solving and programme performance, particularly among districts affected by vaccine hesitancy.Trial registration numberISRCTN10850448.

Project description:BackgroundEarly detection and treatment of mental disorders in adolescents and young adults can lead to better health outcomes. Mental health literacy is a key to early recognition and help seeking. Whilst a number of population health initiatives have attempted to improve mental health literacy, none to date have specifically targeted young people nor have they applied the rigorous standards of population health models now accepted as best practice in other health areas. This paper describes the outcomes from the application of a health promotion model to the development, implementation and evaluation of a community awareness campaign designed to improve mental health literacy and early help seeking amongst young people.MethodThe Compass Strategy was implemented in the western metropolitan Melbourne and Barwon regions of Victoria, Australia. The Precede-Proceed Model guided the population assessment, campaign strategy development and evaluation. The campaign included the use of multimedia, a website, and an information telephone service. Multiple levels of evaluation were conducted. This included a cross-sectional telephone survey of mental health literacy undertaken before and after 14 months of the campaign using a quasi-experimental design. Randomly selected independent samples of 600 young people aged 12-25 years from the experimental region and another 600 from a comparison region were interviewed at each time point. A series of binary logistic regression analyses were used to measure the association between a range of campaign outcome variables and the predictor variables of region and time.ResultsThe program was judged to have an impact on the following variables, as indicated by significant region-by-time interaction effects (p < 0.05): awareness of mental health campaigns, self-identified depression, help for depression sought in the previous year, correct estimate of prevalence of mental health problems, increased awareness of suicide risk, and a reduction in perceived barriers to help seeking. These effects may be underestimated because media distribution error resulted in a small amount of print material "leaking" into the comparison region.ConclusionWe believe this is the first study to apply the rigorous standards of a health promotion model including the use of a control region to a mental health population intervention. The program achieved many of its aims despite the relatively short duration and moderate intensity of the campaign.

Dataset Information

A time series evaluation of the FAST National Stroke Awareness Campaign in England.

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A time series evaluation of the FAST National Stroke Awareness Campaign in England.

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