Dissemination of Health Communication Materials for the Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis in the National Capital Region, Philippines

Abstract

Background: Dissemination of health communication materials is one of the most important strategies to increase awareness on the prevention and control of leptospirosis. One of the projects under the Program on the Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis in the Philippines (LepCon) is the dissemination of health communication materials.

Objectives: This study assessed the dissemination of health communication materials to 14 city and municipal health offices in the National Capital Region (NCR), Philippines. Specifically, this study determined: (1) how the health communication materials were disseminated by the city and municipal health offices; (2) the placement of the materials in the health facilities; and (3) the challenges encountered during the dissemination process.

Results: The city/municipal health offices used different approaches in disseminating the health
communication materials and these are classified into distribution for public consumption, utilization as health education materials, and maintenance of supply by reproducing the materials in other forms. Eleven (11) out of the 14 city/municipal health offices (78.6%) still had leptospirosis posters. Seven (50%) of them posted the poster in the health facility. However, only four (28.6%) facilities placed the posters in locations where health facility clients can easily see and read them. Two of the 14 city/municipal health offices (14.3%) had an information, education and communication (IEC) display area where the LepCon fan is one of the health communication materials on display. The number of materials provided to the health offices was noted to be inadequate to reach the health facilities' target audiences. Finally, the monitoring and evaluation of health communication materials disseminated to facilities under health offices' jurisdiction was also a big challenge.

Conclusions: Different approaches were used in disseminating the posters and fans to the health facilities under the jurisdiction of the city/municipal health offices. It was also noted that the number of materials provided to the health offices was not adequate to reach the health facilities' target audiences. Although three-fourths of the health offices covered still have health communication materials in their facility, only less than 25% of these facilities have posters placed in strategic locations in the facility. A formal scheme of monitoring the dissemination of the materials was expressed by the informants.