U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESNational Institutes of Health

Patricia Blessing Office of Health Communication and Public Liaison

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

It Takes Two: How Partnerships Help Extend the Reach of a National NIHL Campaign for Tweens

The Noisy Planet Campaign

2

• Launched October 2008• Target audience:

Parents of tweens• Messages:

Increase awareness of NIHL

Adopt healthy hearing habits

Why Tweens?

• At their developmental age, tweens are─

Becoming more independent. Making some of their own

lifestyle choices. Developing their own attitudes

and habits related to their health. Still looking to their parents as

role models and for guidance.

Why Tweens?

• Tweens are spending an increasing amount of time each day using electronic devices–an average of 7.5 hours/day (Kaiser Foundation, 2009).

• Little attention is paid to healthy habits for tweens by popular media (CDC, 2009).

Campaign Activities• Campaign development

Formative research Expert workgroup Concept testing/campaign

“branding” Materials production

• Website• Listserv• Conference exhibit• Community outreach

Noisy Planet Website www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov

6

What People Are Saying• “I practice as an ear nurse specialist. I think it is

very good teaching material I could use in my practice.”

• “Thanks for your web site. It is very informative and easy to navigate. I have printed several pages for our church.”

• “From the things I’ve read on your websites… there seems to be a push toward educating people about the dangers of excessive noise and the wearing of proper hearing protection. This is good, but it seems the real goal should be to reduce the loudness at the point of origin.”

10,809 fact and tip sheet downloads

Campaign Growth

8

181,124 Noisy Planet

itemsdistributed

746,147 website page

views

562 listserv

subscribers

Community Outreach

9

• Online and print materials• Conferences

National Association of School Nurses

National Afterschool Association Association of Elementary School

Principals National Association of 4-H

Extension Agents• School presentations• Partners

Partnerships: It Takes Two!

Unique Strengths of Partners

How Do You Reach the Widest Audience?

It Takes Time to Make it Work—Balance the Benefit With the Cost

Plan Your Partnership Together

Partner 1: ASHA “Listen To Your Buds” Campaign

• Washington, DC concert (1,350 students)

• Glendale, CA concert (1,400 students)

• New Orleans, LA concerts (400 students)

Concert Series Feedback

• “Students were motivated to receive the message through music. This is a very vital part of New Orleans culture that was brought in to influence students through learning. Kudos to the program – could not have been better. The lessons for students were very informational, and let’s hope that students will take the message and apply it to their lives. Thanks again so much.” – Teacher, New Orleans Recovery School District

• “I just want to say that my kids are still singing the songs from the concert! They really got the message. Thanks so much! This was SUCH a worthwhile field trip!” – Teacher, Weller Road Elementary, Montgomery County, MD

Partner 2:Deafness Research Foundation (DRF)

17

• Made Noisy Planet the cover story for the Summer 2009 issue of Hearing Health magazine (50,000 copies)

• Full color campaign PSA in every issue of Hearing Health

• Distributed 5,600 Noisy Planet fact sheets at conferences

• Developed a Noisy Planet conference booth graphic

• Direct mail to 43,400 people and e-blasts (1,200 subscribers)

• Noisy Planet page for DRF website

DRF’s Partnership Experience• “DRF was thrilled to be one of the first partners of the

‘It’s a Noisy Planet’ campaign. We were looking into starting a campaign on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) ourselves, but by partnering with the NIDCD’s program, we were able to effectively communicate to our constituents about how to prevent NIHL in a way that was cost-effective for DRF. The materials are useful and fun, and since they are created by the NIDCD, we trust the information they contain.”–Andrea Boidman, Chief Operating Officer, Deafness Research Foundation

Partner 3:USDA/4-H Program

19

Keys to Successful Partnerships

20

• Keep in tune.• Respond on cue.• Share the stage.

Conclusion• Common ground• Commitment• Benefits to all parties

Comments, Suggestions…

Patricia BlessingNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)Office of Health Communication and Public Liaison301-496-7243blessinp@mail.nih.govwww.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov

22