Marketing wellness in Black History month

We know that there are cross-cultural nuanced differences in how individuals consume and interpret media due to their background and experience. This blog will focus on marketing from a healthcare perspective to create equity and equality in the different demographics to help raise awareness. Within this blog, we will provide a condition that black Africans and Caribbeans are at a higher risk for developing and detail how we might approach a marketing campaign to raise awareness for a client. 

Sickle Cell 

Sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells, which is responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. People with sickle cell are born with the condition; they have inherited it from their parents, and each parent has passed on the gene for sickle cell. 

The sickle cell trait is found in 1 in 4 West Africans and 1 in 10 Afro-Caribbeans and people who originate from the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Middle East. It is less common in white Europeans, although with the ever-growing population diversity, this will change,’ according to the Sickle Cell Society.

It is essential for medical practices, hospitals, and emergency services to help people become aware of the illness and some complications that may arise. 

Prostate Cancer

Another common illness among black males is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow at an accelerated rate. This cancer affects anyone born male, as it is a gland near the urethra. ‘In the UK, about 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases with age. The risk is even higher for black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer,’ according to Prostate Cancer UK. It is unknown why black men are more likely to get prostate cancer; however, it might be linked to their genetics. Research is still being done to find the connection between prostate cancer and black ethnicities. 

Men over 45 should speak to their GP about their risk of prostate cancer, even if they don’t have any symptoms. Prostate cancer doesn’t always have symptoms, as the symptoms usually develop if cancer spreads out of the prostate and into other areas around the body. As it has been symptomless for many years because it is a slow-developing tumour, it requires early screening and documenting family history. However, when it does develop some symptoms, these are frequent or painful urination, painful ejaculation or decrease in the amount of ejaculate, pain in the back/hips/or thighs, blood in the semen or urine, weak urine stream, or unintentional weight loss. 

Hypertension

Studies have shown an increasing trend in hypertension among black people. High blood pressure is more prevalent; however, studies looking at drug treatment for hypertension have had inconsistent results, according to NCBI. There aren’t any symptoms of high blood pressure, and it is only caught when the GP does routine checks. Lifestyle seems to play a significant role in regulating blood pressure. It is good to know the risk factors: age, poor diet, lack of exercise, being overweight, and excessive alcohol consumption. 

Why hypertension is more likely to develop in people of African/Caribbean descent is not understood. However, if you are at risk for hypertension, then it increases your chance of developing coronary heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks. If you have diabetes and kidney disease, there are also complications connected to high blood pressure.  

Officials in England have set a goal to decrease the number of people with cardiovascular disease conditions. ‘Currently, just over half (57%) of those with hypertension have been detected (6.8 million people),’ according to Race Equality Foundation. To reach this goal, it will be necessary for people to get routine checks done. For our clients, we would recommend having an educational event where community members can learn about the risks and the illness. The event would be staffed by our promoters, who hand out educational materials and merchandise related to hypertension. 

At GottaBe! We want to help our clients understand the most affected audience and make them aware of these potential health issues, plus treatments and tests that they can get done. By creating a strategy that would involve the production of leaflets about dealing with illnesses and some medicines, we would also have events where people could share their stories. The goal of highlighting these diseases is to create equity in society by giving help and information to those most in need and affected. 

By teaming up with charities focused on these health risks, we would be able to widen the reach. As scientific research shows an increased probability of a demographic developing these illnesses, we as marketers need to consider how they are accessing their information. We want to ensure they have relevant information to get the appropriate screening and treatment. 

At GottaBe! Ethnic, we can help make unique, knowledgeable, innovative campaigns and start the conversations between community members and their GPs. We will create campaigns that are multigenerational to encourage young adults to have conversations with their parents but also to enable them to get screened for these illnesses as well.