Joyful beginnings

Abstract

Joyful Beginnings is a health communications campaign led by four final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about Postnatal Depression (PND) among young parents aged 21 to 39 in Singapore, and to promote the importance of postnatal support, to bring about knowledge and attitudinal changes among them. The paper summarised various physical and emotional risk factors, treatment methods and consequences of PND. With strong evidence from past literature, support was found to be a strong buffer against PND and was utilised as the overarching strategy of the campaign. Joyful Beginnings zoomed in on three aspects of support, community, partner and family. With support from medical experts, the campaign reached out to its target audience through on-ground outreaches and online engagement that were conducted between January to March 2017. These activities shared real-life case studies and equipped the target audience with educational collaterals to help them understand more about PND and the different aspects of support available. The campaign’s effectiveness was evaluated through a post-campaign survey. Results showed an increase in PND literacy levels and intention to engage in supportive behaviour, achieving the campaign’s input objectives. Output objectives such as engagement rates indicated success in capturing the target audience’s attention. Media coverages from online editorials, parenting blogs and testimonials from partners reflected positive sentiments towards the campaign. The paper concluded with recommendations on how the campaign can be expanded in the future.