Meeting of Technical Support Group 10 February 2009

Using Mass Events to Promote Using Mass Events to Promote Health Literacy: Lessons from Health Literacy: Lessons from

the Beijing Olympicsthe Beijing Olympics

Hans TroedssonHans TroedssonWHO Representative, China WHO Representative, China

29 April 200929 April 2009

Outline

• Mass Events and Public Health

• Examples from the Beijing Olympics– General Health Information– Tobacco– Food Safety

Mass Events

• Characteristics– Large attendance– Duration– Security concerns

• Public Health Goal at Mass Events– Preventing or minimizing the risk of injuries or

ill health for participants, spectators and the resident population

• Health is not only the opposite of being ill

• Large audience with large media coverage over a few weeks

• “Spirit” of the mass event• Future Legacy• Opportunity to have a significant

public health impact beyond the duration of the mass event

Why use mass events to promote health?

Beijing Health Bureau Olympic Health Handbooks

TobaccoTobacco

• Beijing City Regulations

• BOCOG initiatives at venues

• Bans on advertising

• Media and community education

Legacy: Legal framework for increasing

smoke free areas and increased

awareness

• Beijing City Regulations

• BOCOG initiatives at venues

• Bans on advertising

• Media and community education

Legacy: Legal framework for increasing

smoke free areas and increased

awareness

Transportation Sector

Poster on dangers of Second Hand Smoke at a Beijing bus stop, August 2008. Public Service Announcements were shown on buses, in subways, and in airports. Taxis in Beijing became smoke-free.

Sports and Culture: “No smoking” messaging Workers’ Stadium Olympic venue, August, 2008

Telecommunications: Water cube Olympic venue has local area “Smoke-Free”

SMS text messaging to mobile phones

水立方欢迎您！配戴蓝色袖标的志愿者就在您身边，如有需要请向他们咨询。水立方是无烟场馆，请不要在馆内吸烟，谢谢您对消防工作的支持！ [好运北京 ]

Food Safety for Travellers

Physical Activity, Diet & Food Safety

Other health-related initiatives

100,000 education kit distributed in the Olympic

venues by BOCOG UNAIDSThe training for the volunteers conducted by UN

agencies and national counterparts

The Lesson from Beijing

Mass events can be used to• Strengthen systems for public health surveillance

and emergency response• Improve environmental conditions• Increase in smoke free public places and reduced

tobacco use• Heighten awareness of health benefits of increasing

physical activity• Improve food safety and knowledge of nutrition

Thank you

谢谢