Healthcom was a 14-year USAID-funded programme, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) with a focus on communication and marketing for child survival. Activities included communication work in support of child survival programmes of 35 programmes, research and evaluation, and a "global leadership role in health communication and marketing". Work was based on a 5 step methodology - Assess, Plan, Pretest, Deliver, Monitor - therefore all interventions were different. Strategies ranging from mass media to interpersonal communication were used in differing combinations. The research results come from 10 pre- and post-studies carried out by the Annenburg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.

Examples of Impact Data from Healthcom programmes

• In 4 out of 6 cities where HEALTHCOM supported immunisation programmes relative coverage rates ranged from 25 to 85 percent.
• In Lesotho, the communication programme helped to boost ORT use from 39% to 60% and any treatment of a diarrhea case from 58% to 75%.
• HEALTHCOM's media campaign in Jordan contributed to an increase from 38% to 56% in mothers who initiated breast feeding within six hours after their child's birth.
• In Central Java, Indonesia, vitamin A capsule consumption increased from 24% to 40% in districts with a health post following a one year communication effort.

"HEALTHCOM - lessons from 14 years in Health Communication" by Mark Rasmusson, Holly Fluty and Robet Clay in Development Communication Report, 1992/2, lead article; which was available from The Clearinghouse on Development Communication 1815 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, Virginia, 22209, USA. Best contact now is AED, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Washington D.C. 20037 - ph 1-202-862-1900.