BACKGROUND

At the beginning of 2004, the Early Childhood Care and Development UNICEF Program in close cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Education initiated preparations for a comprehensive nationwide communication campaign promoting the exclusive use of iodized salt.

In February 2004 UNICEF in collaboration with the WHO Mediterranean Center for Vulnerability, organized a national workshop on Communication for Behavioral Impact (COMBI) to develop a campaign to eliminate iodine deficiency in Moldova.

The Campaign’s strategy focuses on the behavior of “non-users” of iodized salt - and promotes the shift toward actually buying and using only iodized salt. The Campaign aims at increasing the use of iodized salt by families with young children and women of childbearing age, whose current use of non-iodized salt exposes them to an increased risk of iodine deficiencies.

The main messages of the Campaign focus on: 1) inadequate intake of iodine with daily food; 2) ease of preventing iodine deficiency s by using iodized salt; 3) iodine deficiency hindering the brain development of young children and compromising the child’s intellectual and learning capacities; and (4) the negative impact iodine deficiency has on the country’s social and economic progress.

The main slogans of the Campaign are “Iodized salt - a smart choice!” and “Ask the salesman for iodized salt!”. These slogans appear on each copy of the Campaign’s printed materials, as well as on PSA's, TV and radio broadcasting.

The Campaign resorts to a versatile and massive approach, along the five main components of the COMBI theory as described below:

I. Interpersonal communication stays at the heart of the COMBI Strategy and is the user’s engagement through what the private sector would call “personal selling”. Thus, the Campaign involved all primary and secondary school students, as well as the primary health care nurse, in disseminating the key messages.

II. Mass media is engaged to support “personal selling” through a massive, repetitive, intense, persistent (M-RIP in COMBI) broadcasting of news, reports and PSA's on USI via national radio &television and publications in main periodicals.

III. Community mobilization ensures countrywide promotion and dissemination of the messages to the communities. This had been implemented through the engagement of a variety of actors at the local level (school children, young volunteers, customers, health care workers, etc) in disseminating the Campaign’s messages and increasing awareness on USI.

IV. Point-of-service promotion is used to attract consumers’ attention to the iodized salt sold in the commercial retail shops. This is being implemented in selected areas of the country according to needs assessment.

V. Institutional mobilization efforts (signing of official memoranda, circulars and meetings) directed at engaging Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education staff at all levels to actively participate in the COMBI effort complimented the above mentioned activities.

VI. Special events: A one-day advocacy visit on October 15 by Anatoly Karpov, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and renown ex-World Chess Champion constituted one of the most special events of the Campaign. The visit had a strong impact in drawing the attention of national leadership and both national and international press. To meet the goal of eliminating the iodine deficiency, Moldova has to establish an appropriate legal framework to ensure the universal consumption of iodized salt. This was the main message promoted by Anatoly Karpov during his meeting with the Moldovan president Vladimir Voronin and prime-minister Vasile Tarlev.

Detailed information on selected activities and accompanying communication material:
SCHOOLS
	A Teachers Guide was disseminated to all teacher of grades 1 - 7 to assist them in conducting a special session on iodized salt was given in all schools to students in grades 1 through 7.
	Teachers Guide grades 1 - 4 (Romanian 688KB) (Russian 779KB)
	Teachers Guide grades 5 - 7 (Romanian 638KB) (Russian 755KB)
	An Info sheet with basic information on iodized salt and its benefits to health and intellectual development were distributed to every student during the 1 hour session.
	Info Sheets Guide grades 1 - 4 (Romanian 1.6MB) (Russian 250KB)
	Info Sheets Guide grades 5 - 7 (Romanian 1.2MB) (Russian 1.2MB)
	To contribute to community mobilization on the same day children went home carrying brightly colored balloons and notebooks with the campaign’s key message “Ask the salesman for the iodized salt!“. Three TV stations filmed students from across the country and broadcast the images that evening.
	In addition lively colored posters and booklets were posted at health care and educational facilities throughout the country.
	Posters - 2003 material: (Romanian) (Russian)
	Leaflets - 2003 material:
		Romanian (Side One 204KB) (Side Two 218KB)
		Russian (Side One 203KB) (Side Two 223KB)
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
	Nurses were provided information sheets contining basic information on iodized salt to be discussed with visiting young parents, pregnant women and routine patients. They were also given a stock of small calendars to be handed out at the end of each visit. (500, 000 printed calendars).
	Primary Health Care Information Sheet (Romanian 36 KB)
	Calendar (Romanian 906 KB)
MASS MEDIA
	The launch of the campaign, held on 17 September 2005, was attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Education, UNICEF Representative in Moldova, local salt importers and journalists. A 15 minute documentary was shown on Moldovans “patchy” awareness of benefits from iodized salt. The event attracted 40 journalists, including five TV stations.
	Press releases from launch (English ) (Romanian )
	Two TV spots (20 sec. and 30 sec.) were aired at prime time on the three largest media outlets (three one-week broadcast-flights totaling 30 minutes of time). These were both produced in 2003.
		20 second TV spot (2003) (Romanian 89 KB) (Russian 88 KB)
		30 second TV spot (2003) (Romanian 134 KB) (Russian 140 KB)
	In addition, TV & radio talk shows, reports and interviews with participation of leading public health specialists, medical doctors and educators were carried out. Written publications and public ads (also undertaken in intermittent flights) were placed in the four largest national newspapers.
INSTITUTIONAL MOBILISATION
	To ensure a proper implementation of the Campaign’s activities there was undertaken an extensive administrative mobilization. The effort began with a series of advocacy meetings at various levels in support of the Campaign and will continue toward the final discussions and evaluation. At the same time, meetings were conducted out to inform regional and districts health and education authorities on the forthcoming actions.
	Plan of action for institutional mobilization (English 39KB xls)
	Press Release on Anatoly Karpov's visit:
			(English 277KB) (Romanian 238KB)
	Presentation given at Press Confernce for Anatoly Karpov's visit:
			(Romanian 280) (Russian 418)
	Briefing note for Anatoly Karpov on ID in Moldova (English 49KB)
POINT-OF-SERVICE PROMOTION
	Over 1000 campaign stickers were placed in selected retail shops attracting customers’ attention to the iodized salt and reminding them of the campaign’s main messages.
	Stickers, 2003 material (Romanian 94KB) (Russian 98KB)

2005 CAMPAIGN: PHASE II

The second phase of the campaign (planned April-May 2005) will aim at changing attitudes in terms of use of iodized salt in canning of vegetables. It must be noted that Moldovans perceive iodized salt as negatively affecting the quality of pickled vegetables and, thus, not suitable for canning. These perceptions represent the greatest obstacle in increasing the use of iodized salt both for home and industry production.

To address the issue a study is being finalized at two largest vegetable canning factories and eight households. The results will be presented and widely circulated through written and aired media along with similar studies’ results from Romania, Jordan and others.

Evaluation of Campaign’s impact: Forthcoming Demography and Health Survey June-July 2005 will provide valuable insight into knowledge and attitudes toward iodized salt. In addition, data will be collected on use of adequately iodized salt by households.

Additional material:

Newspaper advertisements (Romanian) (Russian)
Salt packaging lables (Romanian) (Russian)

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