Social marketing of “mask-wearing”, “physical distancing” and “staying at home” during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from Turkey
Abstract
Objectives: To fight the Coronavirus disease 2019 in a district in Şırnak, Turkey, with a social marketing campaign, we aimed to reduce the number of people going out and increase the number of people wearing masks when out. Methods: We started the campaign in the beginning of June 2020. We first made a formative research using Health Belief Model to identify the perceptions in the community and made our messages to be delivered based on these perceptions and beliefs. Our main intervention was going to the main streets in the district daily, visiting the shops and advising people to wear masks and keep physical distance when they gather. We evaluated the program with the help of “diffusion of innovation” theory to determine how the target behaviors are spreading. For an objective evaluation we counted the number of people going out and wearing masks by checking CCTV footage of one of the main streets every day for one month. Results: In one month of the campaign, the number of people going out reduced by 30%, and the number of people wearing a mask increased by 69%. People first started to carry a mask, later, they started to wear it properly. The significant change started after one week of intervention. In around ten days it reached a critical mass and achieved saturation. Conclusions: Community participation is a vital component of response to communicable diseases and pandemics. Frequent stimulation and reminders can be effective ways to promote health behaviors.
Keywords
social marketing, SARS-CoV-2, mask, health behaviors, diffusion of innovation
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