NHF provides $1.8m for workshop

Twenty health-care professionals from Jamaica, made up mostly of health educators, received training in integrated marketing communication (IMC) for behavioural impact at a one-week training workshop in Kingston last week.

The workshop provided the participants with the skills to achieve behavioural results, especially in the area of adopting healthy behaviours to affect non-communicable diseases. The National Health Fund (NHF) sponsored the workshop at a cost of $1.8 million.

Dr Everold Hosien, communications adviser for the World Health Organisation and former senior counsellor for social development at Burson-Marsteller, conducted the workshop. He said the WHO has successfully applied the IMC approach in dealing with a broad range of diseases.

persons are aware

Hugh Lawson, CEO at the NHF, said that many persons are aware of the need to practise a healthy lifestyle.

"What we need now is more and more Jamaicans to start adopting these behaviours, if we are going to improve the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in our island," he said.

He was impressed with the enthusiasm of the groups and the draft Communication of Behavioural Impact plans presented and noted that with this approach the country should see more effective communications programmes that move people from knowledge into action.

Dr Sonia Copeland, director of health promotion and disease prevention, said one in six persons dies from non-communicable diseases in Jamaica, although many of these diseases are preventable.

According to the WHO, 80 per cent of Type Two diabetes and 40 per cent of cancers are preventable.

"This training workshop will be the basis for building on what we have done in the past and developing communications strategies that will ensure better success in modifying behaviours and helping to mitigate these diseases," Copeland said.