Central Oregon adults are damaging their bodies due to untreated high blood pressure and/or related risk factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 of 5 U.S. adults with high blood pressure still do not know they have it.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a classification of diseases of the heart and blood vessels that includes chest pain, heart attack, and other conditions that affect the heart muscle, rhythm, or valves. Cardiovascular diseases are preventable with good nutrition and exercise, and by remaining tobacco-free. People with cardiovascular disease or who are at high cardiovascular risk (due to the presence of one or more risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia) need early detection and management using counseling and medications, as appropriate.
The most common type of CVD in the United States is coronary artery disease, which affects the blood flow to the heart. It is one of the leading causes of death in Oregon and the US. In fact, among males and females admitted to St. Charles facilities in Central Oregon, 21% and 14%, respectively, were for CVD events (St. Charles Health System, 2014).
"Alan V. knew his blood pressure was higher than it should be, but chalked it up to external factors and figured it wasn’t that big of a deal. After being exposed to the KnowMyBP campaign he learned the risks associated with high blood pressure, including stroke, dementia, and death. He decided to speak with his doctor. The doctor took Alan's blood pressure and told him that he had Stage 2 Hypertension. The doctor prescribed medication to manage Alan's blood pressure, and now his BP numbers are in the normal range. Alan feels better physically--and feels good that he did something that may have saved his life."
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- To combat the ongoing population health concern and its barriers, the Central Oregon Blood Pressure Marketing Campaign was created.
- Through a competitive process, Eclipse Marketing was selected to implement the campaign.
- The project was supported with expertise from the 2016-2019 Regional Health Improvement Plan's Clinical Cardiovascular Disease workgroup members.
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The project attempted to increase equity by:- Provide awareness and opportunities for people to get their blood pressure checked and seek treatment if necessary.
- As people receive and understand the campaign message, we’ll need to give them an opportunity to act on it. This would be accomplished with the development of a website with links to local resources such as blood pressure check machines, walk-in clinics, and primary care providers offering blood pressure checks, as well as prevention information and risk factors.
- In addition to the links, the website will provide, foundational information on what healthy and high blood pressure is and why it is so important that individuals know their individual situation. It will also reinforce the understanding that high blood pressure is treatable.
- The goal of this project is to move people through this process of Awareness-Consideration-Intent and Action with regard to knowing their blood pressure number.
- Deliver the message effectively to various lifestyle groups who reside throughout all of Central Oregon.
One of the key metrics we are monitoring is social media exposure and engagement. At the outset, we identified a number of intervals throughout the campaign to measure social media exposure as a key factor in community awareness.
Below are the campaign goals for social media and the final audience numbers achieved as of January 25, 2021.
Total Impression Goal: 2,000,000
Total Actual Impressions: 1,306,577
Percentage of goal: 65%
Monthly reach goal: 100,000
Actual average monthly reach: 92,719
Percentage of goal: 93%
Total Actual Impressions: 1,306,577
Percentage of goal: 65%
Monthly reach goal: 100,000
Actual average monthly reach: 92,719
Percentage of goal: 93%
Despite falling short of our total impression goal, the final December 2020 social media numbers indicate an increase of 63% in year-over-year impressions. Additionally, total views for December 2020 showed an increase of 113% over the previous December. These numbers represent a significant contribution toward the stated objective of reaching all Central Oregon residents and raising awareness about the importance of blood pressure.
The KnowMyBP website is the key performance indicator for this campaign. The website is the hub for educational information about what blood pressure is, why it matters, and what can be done to manage it, as well as resources for testing and, if necessary, seeking treatment. Over the term of the campaign, the website has seen almost 60,000 unique users. Visitors to the website averaged 1.25 pages viewed per session. The fact that users went beyond the landing page indicates an interest in the content therein and a specific desire to learn more about at least one topic covered on the website - which specifically addresses a primary objective of the campaign - that of reaching and educating Central Oregonians about blood pressure issues.
We know that raising awareness on any topic requires reaching the right people at the right time with the right message and influencing attitudes and behavior requires frequent reinforcement of that message. With those goals in mind, the Know My BP campaign was thoughtfully and strategically designed to speak to the community through a variety of different channels, over an extended period of time. The media campaign included:
Radio
Television/Cable
Pandora/Spotify
Connected TV services
In-store media displays
Transit displays
Billboards
Print media
Flyer distribution ( pre-COVID)
Website development - including the Spanish language
Online display advertising
Social media
Theater advertising
Video pre-roll (online)
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The marketing campaign is teaching us:1. The primary goal of this campaign is to raise community awareness about the importance of blood pressure through a variety of media channels. The campaign is successfully communicating this message at statistically effective levels and we expect to meet our benchmark goals as outlined in the original grant application. Nevertheless, in the wake of COVID, we have certainly had to make some mid-course corrections.2. Perhaps the most important adjustment we have made is in the messaging. With many of the access points for free blood pressure checks becoming unavailable due to COVID restrictions, we have increased the amount of information we put out digitally about no and low-cost options such as Volunteers in Medicine and free-standing self serve machines, as well as how to check your own blood pressure and where to find relatively inexpensive, effective, home monitors. The website continues to list resources with the disclaimer that access may change and advising a phone call prior to traveling anywhere for a free blood pressure check.3. In addition, we developed a new ad campaign that directly addresses current events. The tone of these commercials is slightly more serious than in previous campaigns, while still being delivered by our soft, fuzzy heart mascot "Beepy" to keep them from feeling too somber. The more we learn about COVID the more we know that underlying conditions, such as high blood pressure, can contribute to the seriousness of a person's COVID response. It is therefore critical that we continue to deliver the "KnowMyBP" message at a high level.4. The cancellation of events and festivals has eliminated the opportunity to interact with the community directly, as originally intended. Instead, we have increased the presence of Beepy on social media and are actively driving engagement as a way to connect people to the message virtually.
The KnowMyBP website is the central hub for information related to where to get blood pressure checked, how to check it at home, why it is important, and how to manage it.
Over the term of the campaign, the website has seen almost 60,000 unique users. Visitors to the website averaged 1.25 pages viewed per session. The fact that users went beyond the landing page indicates an interest in the content therein and a specific desire to learn more about at least one topic covered on the website - which specifically addresses a primary objective of the campaign - that of reaching and educating Central Oregonians about blood pressure issues.
Working closely with the 2016-2019 RHIP Clinical CVD workgroup, five free-standing blood pressure machines were installed in Klamath County, Crook County, LaPine, and Warm Springs, providing greater access to blood pressure checks in rural areas.
As of January 25, 2021, the blood pressure machines had registered a combined total of 1,740 blood pressure tests. The machine installed in Gilchrist (pop. 710) has been used 605 times and the
machine in Crescent (pop. 341) has been utilized 214 times. Given the small size of these two communities, in particular, the blood pressure check usage numbers clearly indicate the need, and desire, for access to these resources by more rural community members.
machine in Crescent (pop. 341) has been utilized 214 times. Given the small size of these two communities, in particular, the blood pressure check usage numbers clearly indicate the need, and desire, for access to these resources by more rural community members.
Through a variety of media and communication channels, Central Oregon adults have been encouraged to learn what their BP numbers are and why it is important. As high blood pressure is frequently asymptomatic our initial goal was to position issues around high blood pressure more prominently in the minds of the target audience. Understanding that high blood pressure is labeled a "silent killer" because it is frequently ignored or diagnosis and treatment delayed until significant related health issues are present, this campaign was developed to put the issue of high blood pressure front and center in a high profile fashion and keep it there for an extended period with the goal of moving people to take action to understand their blood pressure.
Once an individual "knows their numbers" that person is in a position to take affirmative steps to address what can be a "ticking time bomb" within but can be very effectively treated or managed. Lack of urgency is but one of numerous impediments that may stand in the way of a person seeking out or getting the information or treatment needed.
This campaign was developed to elevate awareness about high blood pressure as well as provide an accessible resource for additional information about the disease and useful information about how and where to take the next steps.
The KnowMyBP Facebook page received a number of comments from people who wanted to show support, share their experience or reinforce the message that blood pressure is important. This community conversation and elevated awareness were some of the primary goals of this campaign. Below are a few of the comments we received from the local community.
"Just had mine checked. A-OK" - Colin M.
"I know my BP!" - Chris K
"Very useful information, Thanks Mark" - Joel K in response to the FB live event Dr. Backus hosted
"I do (check BP) once a week if not more." - Sue K
"117/74, Redmond, OR 60 years old" - Barry B
"A stroke at 46 robbed me of everything I loved in life. EVERYTHING! Control it please!" - Royce M
"I have very high blood pressure and everyone should keep theirs as normal as possible" - Lisa R
"Mine is controlled with meds. 64 but my life is still full of stress" - Sue K
"Mine's finally normal again" - Jennifer W
"Heard you were leaving. Thanks for your good work BP" - Elise M.
"I know my BP!" - Chris K
"Very useful information, Thanks Mark" - Joel K in response to the FB live event Dr. Backus hosted
"I do (check BP) once a week if not more." - Sue K
"117/74, Redmond, OR 60 years old" - Barry B
"A stroke at 46 robbed me of everything I loved in life. EVERYTHING! Control it please!" - Royce M
"I have very high blood pressure and everyone should keep theirs as normal as possible" - Lisa R
"Mine is controlled with meds. 64 but my life is still full of stress" - Sue K
"Mine's finally normal again" - Jennifer W
"Heard you were leaving. Thanks for your good work BP" - Elise M.