Client’s objectives: BHF uses TV, radio and press to raise awareness of heart disease, promote its services and for prevention campaigns, however, it recognises that to promote behaviour change, direct face-to-face interventions can be the most powerful method. It therefore needed a means to take its message out into the community and engage directly with those most at risk.
The campaign: EMS provided a branded, self-contained mobile venue, which offered free lifestyle checks as well as general information and advice to people at risk of heart disease. A patient IT system was installed to deliver streamlined data capture for registration and was used in the lifestyle checks to increase efficiency.
The lifestyle check was structured to be informative but not too in-depth. Visitors completed a basic lifestyle information questionnaire via a touch screen, before having a private consultation with a BHF heart health adviser who identified three achievable goals to go away with to improve their heart health and gave them the opportunity to sign up to Heart Matters (BHF’s free service to support people to live with a healthy heart).
People most at risk were immediately recommended to visit their GP for an in-depth assessment or visit local smoking cessation or weight management services.
As the tour enters new regions, EMS supplies and trains specialist ‘Beat Squad’ teams located in separate outposts (i.e. supermarket entrance) to sensitively engage and drive footfall.
What else? The campaign is ongoing and is currently in the West Midlands touring UK areas ‘at risk’ of heart disease. So far it has reached Newham & East London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Scotland and South Wales. Venues are selected to capture target demographics and include supermarkets busy high streets and local markets.
The client says: "Our evaluation of the roadshow shows that the interventions we are delivering are having an impact. The free lifestyle check has been effective in increasing knowledge and understanding of how lifestyle factors impact upon cardiovascular health. It has also helped increase confidence to make changes and motivation to do so," said BHF project manager Deborah Auty.
Evaluation: To date the roadshow has interacted face-to-face with 46,022 people most at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Of those, 21,690 have completed an on-board lifestyle check with a BHF Heart Health Adviser, with 61% of people joining BHF’s Heart Matters.