Open AccessPublic Engagement With and Recognition of the “Be Cancer Alert Campaign” - Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Author(s) -
Désirée Schliemann,
Michael Donnelly,
Maznah Dahlui,
Siew Yim Loh,
D. Paramasivam,
Saunthari Somasundaram,
Nor Saleha Binti Ibrahim Tamin,
Tin Tin Su
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of global oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.002
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 2378-9506
DOI - 10.1200/jgo.18.43900
Subject(s) - medicine , social media , colorectal cancer , focus group , population , cancer , mass media , advertising , environmental health , world wide web , marketing , computer science , business
Background: Colorectal cancer is the most common cancers in males in Malaysia and the second most common cancer in females. Low awareness of cancer delays help-seeking and contributes to late presentation, poor detection and survival. We developed a culturally sensitive mass media campaign to increase awareness about the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer among Malaysians, which was informed by previously successful campaigns in Northern Ireland. Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the public engagement with the campaign on social media and to identify whether the public recognizes the campaign materials postintervention. Methods: Focus group discussions informed the cultural adaptation of the Be Cancer Alert Campaign - Colorectal Cancer (BCAC-CRC). Based on the focus discussions we developed a TV commercial and radio advertisement as well as a print advertisement campaign. In addition, we promoted the BCAC through a Web site and social media campaign. The BCAC-CRC will run from the 2 nd of April for five weeks. The engagement with the Web site and the social media campaign will be analyzed on a daily basis to respond to public engagement immediately. A population-based survey postintervention including a randomly selected sample of approximately 700 participants will evaluate whether people recall the campaign key messages and have noticed the campaign materials. Results: Postintervention data collection will take place from May-July 2018. The results of the analysis will be presented at the conference. Conclusion: To our knowledge, the BCAC-CRC is the first colorectal cancer awareness campaign in Malaysia that will be evaluated for its public engagement on social media as well as public recognition of the TV, radio and print materials.