Category: Media Advocacy

Posted on in In the News, Media Advocacy

Worsening Tobacco Control situation in Jamaica – a concern for the Caribbean‏

The following message came from Debbie Chen and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica. Just as tobacco companies are using every marketing and communication method to increase the uptake of cigarettes and other tobacco produces, we in the public health community have to find innovate ways to counteract their practices.

______________

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse with the continuing delay of the tobacco legislation here in Jamaica, and the subsequent arrival of a US based “Roll Your Own” (RYO) tobacco company setting up business here with plans to expand in the Caribbean; we now have yet another entrant to the tobacco market to contend with.

This company imports cigarettes from Uruguay called “bama” and states that they are 25 % cheaper than one of their competitor’s brands. They state in the attached news article:

“We will be utilising unique marketing to get bama’s cigarettes out there in the public consciousness. We realise that we are up against entrenched brands but we have a very good product. We will be embarking on a community’s tour which begins on January 20 and goes on until February 29. We will first begin in communities in the corporate areas and will undertake talent shows seeking out the best in these communities. We will be brining the best entertainers on the road with us and will be doing 12 shows in six weeks to heighten brand awareness”

The company have also placed advertisements in the print media (see attached) – something which, by gentleman’s agreement with the leading tobacco company here (Carerras) had not occurred for several years until recently. To make it worse they plan to extend their reach in the Caribbean. They state that they: “plan to expand to St. Lucia through an in bond vehicle”. You may recall the RYO tobacco company also has plans to expand throughout the Caribbean and are actively seeking persons interested in owning a franchise.

The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) has written to the editor of the several local newspapers about this issue (see attached) and the Ministry of Health are aware of the situation. The only way to stop this scourge from spreading in our respective countries is for the tobacco control legislation to be passed based on the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). And once the legislation has been passed (as it has been in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago), there has to be monitoring. Non communicable disease is the leading cause of death in our region, and tobacco smoking is a common risk factor for all these illnesses; and it is the most preventable. I would encourage you all at your country level to get involved in tobacco control efforts and speak out against this type of situation which, apart from being a health issue, is also a threat to social and national development.

We will in the very near future be restarting our regional tobacco control network. Some of you will recall that through the InterAmerican Heart Foundation we had a Caribbean Tobacco Control group, which at the time was focused on getting countries to ratify the FCTC. The IAHF Caribbean Office (based here at The Heart Foundation of Jamaica) will restart this “virtual group” in collaboration with the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (based in Barbados). We will establish a Facebook page and an email group. We would then use that medium to keep each other informed about tobacco control issues in our countries. As we see from this situation, what happens in one Caribbean island eventually spreads throughout the region.

Let us work together to fight this deadly industry – remember, it is the only legally available product that when used exactly as the manufacturer intends, kills people. Yes, the task may seem unsurmountable – but I believe the situation would be far worse if we did nothing.

Posted on in ICTs, Media Advocacy, New Media

Got Twitter? Join the #esac chat tonight

Hey,

The folks over at PAHO’s Public eHealth Innovation and Equity in Latin American and the Caribbean (esac) are hosting their weekly eHealth chat this evening. Join the Twitter conversation to learn how we can harness emerging technologies to reduce health disparities across the region.

https://twitter.com/#!/eSACproject/status/159406188021293056

 

 

Posted on in In the News, Mass Media, Media Advocacy

CBMP launches ‘Man a Man: Live Up’ video competition

The theme for the competition is “Faddahood and manliness inna dis ya century”.

With the contest, Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS seeks to engage 18-24 year old Jamaicans to showcase their talent by creating an original two (2) minute video in any format from a music video, dramatic short, blog, podcast, editorial commentary, documentary and animation as long as it meets the competition rules for submission.

This competition is just one of the collaborative initiatives under the CBMP and PSI/Caribbean partnership umbrella of the CARISMA II project which aims to highlight the social issues impacting on HIV prevention across the Caribbean region. “Our constructs of masculinity and fatherhood in the region significantly influence the behaviours linked to some of the structural drivers of HIV and we saw this as an innovative way to hear from young people in Jamaica how they think about these issues in order to help us craft more relevant and meaningful programmes.”says Dr. Allyson Leacock, Executive Director of CBMP.

The ‘Man A Man: LIVE UP’ video competition videos will be showcased on YouTube with the top ten finalists’ submissions uploaded to Facebook at a later date. The competition has a first prize of USD $2,500 cash, a Digicel mobile phone, LIVE UP and Got IT? Get IT t-shirts plus many more items. The winning videos will also be shared with the CBMP 110 member stations in 24 Caribbean countries

Check out www.manaman.iliveup.com for more information.

Posted on in In the News, Media Advocacy

The 2011 Caribbean HIv Conference starts today in The Bahamas; special PANCAP session on migranst and HIV on Sunday

This is one conference I would have loved to attend, but unfortunately, I can’t make it. In the meantime, I’ll be following media outlets closely to see if they are reporting anything. But, i wanted to share one session that I think people should attend. As we become more integrated economically, we are also experiencing an increase in migration across these islands. Now, we have always been a people on the move–regionally and internationally. Therefore, it’s important that governments consider the health of migrants in their countries and not just their citizens.

PANCAP is hosting a session asking:  “How To Improve Access to HIV Services for Migrants in the Caribbean?”

The discussion of migrants and HIV will focuses on the legal and policy aspects of accessing HIV services for migrants in the Caribbean, as well as community and social approaches in addressing immigrant issues. The main objective of this special session is to produce recommendations that can improve access to HIV services for migrants at the legal, policy, financial, social community and service levels.

Just as we expect other governments to have the best interest (in terms of health in this case) as they reside abroad, we also need to look inward to assess how much resources we are and can dedicate to the immigrants on our doorsteps, be they from the country next door or the one across the sea.

The session takes place at 11am on Sunday in the Room Grand F at the Atlantis Resort and Casino.

Posted on in In the News, Media Advocacy

Caricom developing risk communication alert system for non-food, non-pharma goods

Seminar on developing a Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Consumer Goods within CARICOM, Barbados, 1 November 2011

One of the growing areas of within the spectrum of health communication is risk communication. The World Health Organization defines risk communication as “an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion on risk among risk assessors, risk managers, and other interested parties. Risk communication is an integral and ongoing part of the risk analysis exercise, and ideally all stakeholder groups should be involved from the start.”

This past week, Caricom officials took another step towards effective communication when they came together for a seminar aimed at developing a Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Consumer Goods within the region. According the the Secretariat,

“[t]he training is part of a consultancy which focuses on the development of a comprehensive framework, including a computer based platform for the administration of a regional information exchange and response system. It is aimed at strengthening Member States’ market surveillance capabilities in the respect of non-food, non pharmaceuticals which pose a serious risk to consumers’ health and safety.”

I am very interested in seeing how this develops. My hope is that they employ the full range of mediated channels within this process. People across the region engage extensively with text messaging, and young people are very active on social networking sites. In most, if not all Caricom countries, traditional media such radio and television are the main sources to receive health and risk information. But, as more people move away from such channels, we need to consider the places they shift to.

Interestingly, I did not see or hear any discussions of the role of the newly formed regional public health agency. I saw mention of the CSME Unit. If anyone knows how (or if) CARPHA is involved, it would be nice to know.