Anti-Smoking Campaign

• The Ministry of Health in Turkey announced the launch of a "new anti-smoking campaign" by the Turkish government in 2019. The anti-smoking campaign helps citizens experiencing an anti-addiction struggle.
• Turkey's Anti-Smoking Campaign launched in 2019 was characterized by determined efforts to reduce drug and alcohol addiction via the establishment of modern medical centers as well as facilities that enable "social adoption of addicted persons." The social adoption program of the campaign targets individuals whose addiction problems might get cured successfully to prevent them from returning to drug, alcohol, or tobacco consumption.
• The campaign promoted by Turkey's "Ministry of Health" and other government agencies combines a rehabilitation process with the treatment of addiction and has two facilities. One of the rehabilitation and treatment facility was planned for set up in the Erenköy district of Istanbul, while the other in Tuzla. The campaign became necessary after the number of smokers in Turkey increased to 44% among men and 19% among women within a few years.
• Smoking is a public health challenge in Turkey. Smokers in the country have experienced lung cancer, which is the most common as well as the deadly consequence of smoking. Smokers are 10 to 15 times more likely to suffer from lung cancer when compared to non-smokers. However, this risk of contracting lung cancer reduces when someone quits smoking and reaches a negligible level (zero) in 15 years.
• Turkey's government agencies like the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Education, and several other NGOs (like the Turkish Green Crescent Society) have promoted the Anti-Smoking Campaign on Twitter via the use of pictures. In December 2018 (less than eighteen months ago), Turkey's Ministry of National Education collaborated with the Turkish Green Crescent Society to promote the new anti-smoking campaign of the Ministry of Health using #betNCDS, and the #EnoughNCDS hashtags on Twitter.
• Professor Toker Ergüder authored one of the most recent tweets that promote the Ministry of National Education anti-smoking campaign in collaboration with the Turkish Green Crescent Society. Professor Toker Ergüder is a staff of WHO and heads Turkey's "Non[-]Communicable Diseases program." He is also an advocate of Turkey's Anti-Smoking Campaign.
• The Turkish Green Crescent Society is a non-governmental organization in Turkey that is also promoting the Anti-Smoking Campaign.
• Although the most recent Twitter posts activities relevant to Turkey's Anti-Smoking Campaign are older than eight months but less than eighteen months, an article published on February 25, 2020 (two months ago) by Vital Strategies reveals that the campaign is still running.

Move for Health

• According to Daily Sabah, one public health campaign that has run within the past eight months in Turkey is the "Move for Health" Campaign. The campaign is a project of the Turkish government through the Healthy Nutrition and Active Life Program and the National Nutrition Council.
• Obesity is a public health challenge prevalent in Turkey. Since 2013, the country has engaged in campaigns to battle against obesity. Anti-obesity programs in Turkey include health promotion campaigns such as "Move for Health."
• An organization promoting the Move for Health Campaign on Twitter is Med Anatolia. In 2017, the organization promoted the campaign with the hashtags #health, #tourism, #medical, #Hairplantation, #spa, #Turkey, and #aesthetic. Med Anatolia is an organization focused on offering health and fitness services for Tourists in Turkey. The organization partners with a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, to offer certain healthcare and wellness services to tourists.
• Med Anatolia has several communications on Twitter promoting move for health through exercise and engagements in "sport for a healthy life" using several hashtags that it associates with the Move for Health Campaign. Med Anatolia has associated itself with several activities within the last eighteen months on Twitter. However, this research cannot determine if its recent tweets (within the past eighteen months) relates to the Move for Health Campaign as they are in Turkish. They seem to relate to street activities (sports) but might have lost some context during translation.

Reducing Portion Sizes

• There are limited insights on public health campaigns that have run on Twitter within the past eight or even eighteen months on Twitter in Turkey. According to credible new resources, a public health campaign that has run within the past eighteen months in Turkey is the "Reducing Portion Sizes" Campaign. Reducing Portion Sizes is a project of the Turkish government that is implemented by the Healthy Nutrition and Active Life Program as well as the National Nutrition Council.
• The Reducing Portion Sizes Campaign tries to combat obesity, which is also a public health challenge in Turkey. About 56.7% of women from Turkey are overweight. This health challenge (obesity) makes Turkey have one of the worst records among European countries relative to the proportions of overweight as well as obese women.
• According to Mahmut Sahin, a professor with the Turkish Society of Cardiology, obesity is an "epidemic" ravaging Turkey. A high prevalence rate of coronary heart disease within Turkey is the consequence of obesity, among other factors.
• Turkey's campaign against obesity also leverages "new obesity centers," strategically located in hospitals spread across the country. This campaign promotes the admission of citizens that are obese to group therapy to help them change their lifestyle as well as nutritional habits. These obesity centers train people to reduce the portions of unhealthy snacks or obesity-inducing foods that they consume.
• Under this campaign, patients that cannot shed off weight on their own (by watching their diets) get admitted for medical treatment using acupuncture initially, then traditional therapies, and subsequently with surgery.
• Although the list of facilities participating in this campaign is not made public by Turkey's Ministry of Health, one health facility likely promoting the campaign on Twitter is the Anadolu Medical Center. The health facility uses a nutrition-centric approach to fight obesity through the reduction of cholesterol. High cholesterol level is the underlying risk factor of obesity.
• Anadolu Medical Center has several therapies and supporting pictures on Twitter on ways to combat obesity and heart diseases. According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine International Institute, Anadolu Medical Center is a specialty-focused medical care provider known to be "the best" in Turkey. Without disclosing the title of its campaigns, the health organization reveals that it has conducted several "awareness campaigns."
• In a tweet that is older than 18 months, Anadolu Medical Center instructs patients to eat more often (but smaller quantities or portions) to watch their weight. Obese people can shed off weight if they eat smaller portions of their meals four times a day. Anadolu Medical Center does not have Twitter posts that are less than eight or eighteen months old on Reducing Portion Size Campaign.
• The research has not established a direct link between the dated Anadolu Medical Center tweet and Reducing Portion Sizes Campaign. The tweet is in the research brief because there are limited insights on health campaigns that have run on Twitter in Turkey. The tweet aligns with the Reducing Portion Sizes Campaign because it advocates eating smaller portions about four times daily. Experts recommend that eating smaller meal sizes more regularly can help people combat obesity and diabetes.
• Anadolu Medical Center is a non-profit organization and receives finance from the Anadolu Foundation, an arm of the multinational Anadolu industrial group. Anadolu is one of the groups that has participated in the nutritional and active life programs (campaigns) of the Ministry of Health of the Turkey General Directorate since 2011.

Research Strategy

#Partiuteste Campaign

• The "#partiuteste campaign" is a campaign that has targeted young men from 29 years and upwards in Brazil. The campaign tries to sensitize the target group on the importance of testing as well as early treatment as a means of preventing cases of AIDS among young men.
• The campaign (#PartiuTeste) was launched by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (also known as Ministério da Saúde) in 2014. The ministry has uploaded several images on Twitter to promote the campaign.
• The Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde) has its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and is an agency of the government of Brazil.
• Brazil's Ministry of Health launched the #PartiuTeste campaign, a behavior "change communication campaign" developed through a partnership with young Brazilians that use traditional media as well as social media (including Twitter). The campaign also targeted those using dating apps like Tinder and Hornet.
• Although the title of the campaign is not made public, the campaign focuses on the importance of condoms, HIV testing, and early treatment. The campaign includes activities that select young leaders from the public for mentorship to assist in the fight against HIV AIDS. Several individuals and groups have promoted the #partiuteste campaign on Twitter within the past eighteen months in Brazil.
• There is limited information revealing the individual or groups that have been mentored by Brazil's Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde).

Pink October

• An analysis of the impact of cancer campaigns across Brazil using a Google Trends analysis reveals that Pink October is a widespread campaign in Brazil.
• Cancer is a public health concern in Brazil, and experts suggest that healthy habits can reduce cancer cases by 27% in the country. An estimate of about 600,000 cases of cancer got reported across Brazil between 2018 and 2019. The campaign known as PinkOctober has received an extensive promotion within the past decade across Brazil to create awareness on breast cancer as well as prostate cancer.
• One of the non-governmental organizations in Brazil that known to have participated in the Pink October campaign is the Brazilian Olympic Committee. The Brazil Olympic Committee (COB) is an NGO (a non-governmental organization), and an affiliate of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The committee performs technical, administrative as well as political management tasks related to national sports.
• The president of Brazil Olympic Committee (Paulo Wanderley Teixeira) stated in November 2019 (less than eighteen months ago) that the Brazilian sports community is uniting and engaging in the vital public health awareness campaign (Pink October).
• Team Brazil Training Centre located in Rio de Janeiro was "illuminated in pink" during the celebration to promote the campaign. Pink October Campaign had maximum mentions in October across Brazil (Rio de Janeiro in particular) in October 2019.
• Pink October Campaign runs on Twitter with the hashtag #pinkoctober. The pictures of some pink materials carrying the Olympic logo, available at the Olympic House, were promoted using the #pinkOctober hashtag on Twitter in October 2019 (less than eight months ago).

Blue November

• Blue November is a campaign that engages the interest of Brazilians on cancer. Blue November Campaign is associated with the use of blue ribbon symbols to display solidarity and create awareness on prostate cancer campaign. The campaign is associated with vector blue ribbon badges or "no shave social solidarity."
• Blue November had maximum media mentions across Brazil (specifically Rio de Janeiro) in November 2019. The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) participated in the November 2019 Blue November Campaign, and the Team Brazil Training Centre located in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in blue to promote the campaign.
• Blue November runs on Twitter in Brazil with the #blueNovember hashtag. One of the organizations known to support the #blueNovember campaign in Brazil on Twitter is the "Portal de Notícias Sobre" Henry Cavill. The portal is the brainwork of Henry Cavill, has its headquarters in Brazil, and some of its employees are active on LinkedIn.
• "Portal de Notícias Sobre" Henry Cavill promoted the Blue November campaign on Twitter in November 2019 (less than eight months ago).

Research Strategy

ORGANIZACION PANAERICANA DE LA SALUD

• While success of the campaign is not measured in public health spheres directly (as yet), OPS provides frequent updates and tips regarding public health measures and COVID-19 with simple and informative infographics.
• Specifically, OPS ran an educational campaign including the use of Twitter on #worlddiabetesday. OPS included links to more information as part of the campaign. In 2019, OPS ran their #diabetes tweets from November 12 until #worlddiabetesday on November 14.
• OPS tweets often with links to more information about public health topics such as breastfeeding, mental health and wellness, antibiotic resistance, and many other topics.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• While not specific to Argentina, using social media (in this case Twitter) for public health campaigns (e.g., #saludparatodos, #icebucketchallenge) is a proven way for agencies to reach people.

• In 2017 in Argentina, less than 1% of the population accessed Twitter. As of April 28, 2020, OPS Argentina has 28,700 followers, a very small percentage of the ~44 million people.