The Drum Beat - Issue 133
BBC WST & Doordarshan Leprosy Project in India
Since 1983, leprosy has been simply and quickly curable with Multi-Drug Therapy, and since 1995 the drugs have been available free of charge to every patient in the world. The biggest remaining barrier to eliminating the disease is ignorance and stigma: people do not know the drugs are available, and people are afraid to seek treatment. The BBC World Service Trust developed and implemented a campaign in India to address this. The 16-month project began in September 1999, and focused on the 5 states in India where leprosy is endemic: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal, with a combined total population of 467m people. Funding was provided by UK government's Department for International Development. In accordance with the Trust's philosophy of working in partnership with national broadcasters in developing countries, all programming was created by Doordarshan TV and All-India Radio. More from BBC News.
For more information on this project, click on the links provided below or contact Natasha Montagu natasha.montagu@bbc.co.uk
Challenge & Response
1. India has two-thirds of the world's cases of leprosy and is the key country in the global drive toward eliminating the disease by 2005...TV spots, dramas and studio shows were broadcast almost 1,500 times. Radio spots, dramas and phone-in shows were broadcast more than 6,000 times. More from BBC WST.
Media Context
2. India is the largest television market in the world, with about half the population watching regularly - 500 million viewers. Despite the growth of private satellite stations, the state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan retains its monopoly over terrestrial broadcasting and has an extensive reach into India's rural heartland. All India Radio still enjoys an effective monopoly, with 195 stations across the country broadcasting in 24 languages and 146 dialects. More from BBC WST or a second BBC WST web page.
Programme Overview
3. Principle - The campaign underlined the fact that leprosy is totally curable and that drugs are available free throughout India. It also emphasised that leprosy is not spread by touch and that leprosy patients should not be excluded from society. More from BBC WST.
4. TV - A total of 25 advertising spots and 12 campaign dramas in Hindi, Bengali and Oriya were produced for the campaign. With constant repetition, they accounted for more than 45 hours of TV. Among the formats used to carry the messages were Hindi film romances, rural folk operas, famous Hindu fables, domestic dramas and comedies... More from BBC WST.
5. Radio - A total of 213 radio programmes were broadcast more than 6,000 times. Thirty-six radio advertising spots were made in three languages: Hindi, Bengali and Oriya. They were then 'transcreated' into 18 local dialects for broadcast by AIR sub-stations, making 136 spots altogether. There were also 12 musical dramas made in main languages and dialects and an eight-part radio serial...and 41 radio call-in shows. More from BBC WST.
6. Community - 1,700 live theatre performances in villages, small towns and urban slums throughout the project's five focus states to widen the reach of the campaign messages with approximately 500,000 people attending and participating. Performances were based on popular-entertainment forms, including folksongs, magic shows and drama. More from BBC WST.
7. Poster - offered basic information about leprosy symptoms and treatment and stressed the importance of community care and support for people with leprosy. 85,000 produced and displayed. Showed a real-life young woman who had overcome leprosy thanks to the support of her friend. 'If there's friendship, this is it,' said the text. More from BBC WST
8. Videos - 2,700 'video van' screenings featuring the most popular TV spots and dramas produced under the BBC-Doordarshan partnership. More from BBC WST
9. Press Relations - press conferences in the capitals of the five target states. More than 95 articles appeared in the regional English and vernacular press. Two-day press workshops on leprosy were held in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. More from BBC WST
10. Film - A 10-minute feature film on a leprosy theme screened in cinemas in Hindi-speaking states. More from BBC WST
Impact
11. Process - Independent market research conducted by the ORG Centre for Social Research in New Delhi. Surveys were conducted at the start of the campaign in November 1999, after the first round of campaigning in March 2000 and again after the second round in September 2000. More from BBC WST
12. Media Reach - campaign reached 59% of respondents, equivalent to 283 million people. More from BBC WST
13. Misconceptions - equivalent of 178 million people persuaded to reject [the] belief that leprosy is hereditary and the equivalent of 120 million people corrected their understanding that that leprosy is communicable by touch. More from BBC WST
14. Curability & Communicability - The % of the total population who believe leprosy is transmitted by touch fell from 52 to 37 to 27%. The % believing that leprosy patients receiving treatment are infectious fell from 25 to 20 to 12%. The % who regard leprosy as curable rose from 84 to 88 to 91% of the population (99% of those exposed to the campaign regarded leprosy as curable, compared to 79% of people who had not seen the campaign. More from BBC WST
15. Symptoms - awareness of loss of sensation as a possible symptom was already high (65%) and rose to 72 then 80%. Awareness of pale reddish patches as a possible symptom remained level at 86%. Awareness of non-itchy patches as a possible symptom rose from 37 to 53 to 55%. More from BBC WST
16. Awareness - Awareness of the modern cure for leprosy: Control Group Villages: 56%; Village with Live Drama Shows - 82%. Rural Awareness of a modern leprosy cure free of cost: Exposed to the poster - 89% No exposure - 20%. More from BBC WST or a second BBC WST web page
17. Stigma - Percentage of people claiming they would be willing to sit by the side of a leprosy patient: Control Group Villages - 64%; Village with Live Drama Shows - 74%. Percentage of people claiming they would be willing to eat food served by a leprosy patient rose from 32% [baseline - November - 1999] to 50% [September 2000]. More from BBC WST or a second BBC WST web page
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