Social marketing leverage for heart health: The Ekaterinburg experience

SummaryThe Russian Federation has one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe, as well as having the highest rates of death and disability due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In order to sensitize the professional and public-health community and the public to the growing challenge of cardiovascular disease, the World Heart Federation, in partnership with the Russian Society of Cardiology and the City Public Health Care Administration and with the support of Unilever Bestfoods, carried out a pilot social marketing project in the central Russian city of Ekaterinburg. The primary objective was to assess the viability of a cardiovascular disease-focused social marketing campaign in terms of its diffusion in the population and its acceptability. The social marketing campaign itself involved community interventions, a mass media campaign and training of health care professionals. Progress towards achieving this and the secondary objectives were measured by evaluating changes in a set of predetermined output and outcome indicators. A pre-test/post-test control-group quasi-experimental design was used for examining project outcomes. The results showed a significant level of acceptability and diffusion, which need to be further developed for large-scale use. Because of its short duration, the project cannot be held to expectations of influencing behavioural risk, but in terms of meeting its primary objective, it has been successful.