PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series
Reference Number: USA-404*
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Social Marketing and Social Change to Address Noncommunicable Diseases
Institution: College of Public Health Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida
Category 2 (SP 14-19)
Outcome 4 (SP 20-25)
Mr. Leo Nederveen,** Advisor, Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity in Schools, is the PAHO staff member who acts as the Region’s focal point to coordinate the collaboration between the institution and the Organization.
The main activities of this Centre include developing, implementing and training on social marketing strategies to reduce population salt consumption.
The Centre created a training course focused on the application of social marketing strategies to reduce population salt consumption and was offered in 2015 to participants from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. During the training, these countries developed a small social media campaign to be implemented in their respective school systems. The second virtual training was offered in 2018-2019 and was focused on social marketing strategies to reduce population salt consumption in Brazil, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Peru. During the e-learning distance component of the workshop, participants learned how to design formative research and conduct initial planning which assisted countries to later implement their formative research plan and analyze the data.
During this process, the Collaborating Centre provided support to the countries both virtually and face-to-face in order to develop communication strategies to reduce salt consumption. Currently, a third training is being developed and will focus on social marketing for risk factors of NCDs, including training on physical activity, tobacco, alcohol and diet. The aim is to increase knowledge and skills to manage a social marketing or behavior change strategy. The target audience will include health workers in health promotion and communication, non-governmental organizations, academics, and undergraduate health communication students.
Webnotes such as these serve to inform how Collaborating Centres are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.
*CC Expired
** Mr. Leo Nederveen has taken over for Dr. Ruben Grajeda as the new Responsible Officer for this Centre.