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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Back to Sleep Campaign

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Launched by Health Canada in 2000, this four-year project uses targeted mass media messaging strategies to teach parents and other primary infant caregivers across Canada how to avoid the risk factors associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The campaign primarily addressed mothers, expectant/new mothers, partners and peers aged 20 to 34, grandparents, and other caregivers. Certain campaign components also addressed people directly involved in the provision of infant health care and the dissemination of infant health care information (i.e., public health units, hospitals, physicians, and pre- and post-natal educators). The project's goal is to reduce the risk of SIDS by 10% in Canada from 2000 to 2004.
Communication Strategies

All of the materials associated with this awareness-raising mass-media campaign emphasised the following messages about reducing the risk of SIDS:

  • Place baby on its back when sleeping
  • Avoid second-hand smoke
  • Avoid over-bundling the baby
  • Breastfeed the baby.


Specific campaign strategies included:

  • Joint statement - Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Canada: national statement (in both English and French) developed for health professionals by Health Canada and its partners.
  • Brochure and poster: the poster was packaged with selected Canadian parenting magazines that were bulk-shipped directly to healthcare professionals and to pre- and post-birth newsletters targeted at health professionals. The posters were also displayed in the washrooms at all 176 McDonald's restaurants in Quebec.
  • Promotional ad: the one-page ad was included in a variety of magazines, including Today's Parents and Expecting, the majority of which were provided free of charge at doctor's offices and public health units, reaching lower socio-economic segments of the population.
  • Television Public Service Announcement (PSA): a 30-second PSA describing the four precautions parents can take was sent out to broadcasters across Canada. This strategy was designed to reach at-risk parents with lower literacy levels who might have trouble reading print materials.
  • In addition, through a partnership with Procter & Gamble, maker of Pampers, the message "Back to Sleep" was printed in English, French, and Spanish on the waistband of their two smallest-sized diapers. A promotional door-hanger was distributed to new mothers through the majority of hospitals in Canada, and Procter & Gamble promoted SIDS awareness through their own advertising campaigns.
  • The Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (CFSID) promoted the campaign through the newsletter Baby's Breath. CFSID included copies of the "Back to Sleep" promotional material with the distribution of the newsletter.
Key Points

SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant that remains unexplained even after a full investigation. In Canada, SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants over four weeks old, accounting for about one infant death out of every 1,400 live births. Although there has been a recent decrease in reported cases of SIDS in Canada, it remains a significant public health concern. In 1998, new research indicated that to reduce the risk of SIDS, an infant should be placed to sleep on his or her back. To reflect this new finding, Health Canada's existing social marketing strategy was retooled, revitalised, and relaunched.


Prior to the launch of the campaign, Health Canada conducted an awareness and attitude survey of 600 respondents. Based on that survey, it established benchmarks from which to evaluate the impact of the campaign, as well as print templates. The templates were brought to focus groups in three cities for testing and input. A post-campaign tracking survey was conducted in 2001.

Partners

Health Canada, CFSID, The Canadian Institute for Child Health (CICH), and The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), Procter & Gamble.

Sources

Tools of Change website.