A major field of activity of the TSC is promoting the cardiovascular health consciousness by public awareness campaigns and by providing brochures, radio programs, tv spots, special web pages and informative tv programs produced by the Society. These activities also pioneered similar activities of the other medical societies and well appreciated by the pres and public. Thus, TSC won all the Best Social Responsibility and Best Communication Project Awards in Health at the beginning. Later, the award delivering organizations deicded to select best projects and campaigns in different specific fields. In 2012, again, TSC was awarded the Best Social Responsiblity Award in Health.
Campaigns
10.000 Steps a Day for Your Heart: On the last World Heart Day, TSC initiated a new public campaign to motivate people to walk at least 10.000 steps every day in order to preserve and develop their cardiovascular health. Efforts are made to persuade the doctors and other health professionals to join this Project actively.
Love Your Heart, Know Your Numbers: It was based on reminding people the critical numbers for heart health such as Blood Pressure, Lipid Levels, Healthy Weight, Waste Measurement, Body Mass Index, Exercise Frequency and Duration. The field researches indicated that the campaign increased the level of awareness significantly. The aggressive tv films and the interactive web site of the campaign www.kalbinisevdegerinibil.com are still carried on. Health and life insurance companies also support the campaign and inform their customer databases about the activities and components of the campaign.
Love Your Heart, Go Red: Designed to promote healthy diet and regular exercise by aggresive tv films, web site, leaflets, public conferences and screenings. Awarded as the “best social resposibility campaign” and brought TSC its third trophy of “Most Successful NGO in Health” in 2009.
Care your heart, your loved ones are in it: Initiated together with the Ministry of Health and 4 medical societies in October 2007; based on the concept “Total Risk Management against CVD”. 7.000 first step doctors were trained in 3 tele-conferences, training kits were distributed to 30.000 doctors and 6.000 hospitals besides distribution of 650.000 public booklets and 26.000 posters. Popular mass communication included 20 national TV channels and 10 major news portals. A full-day risk screening was conducted at the parliament. A special web site (www. kalbinizikoruyun.org) was prepared for both the training of doctors and the people. A toll-free phone line was established. The campaign continues with public conferences and screenings in collaboration with municipalities.
European Heart Health Charter and EuroHeart Health Project: Signing Ceremony of the European Heart Health Charter held in Ankara on December 26, 2007. TSC participated in all the possible modules for the greater project group EuroHeart Health including the translation, signing and dissemination of The Charter, CVD Prevention Guidelines, HeartScore and Red Alert on Women’s Hearts. Although the European Project was accomplished and ended in April 2010, the studies in these fields are carried on in 2010 and projects are developed for 2011 as well.
“12/8” Hypertension Awareness Campaign: Launched in November 2005 as an integrated communication project including all mass and outdoor media. In the second phase blood pressure of people were measured at special corners designed at overcrowded hospitals. Verbal and printed information on blood pressure risks were provided. This project has been conducted since 2006 at major hospitals and measured blood pressure of more than 350.000 patients. Hypertensive patients were directed to doctors by followup calls. Project brought TSC the award “Most Successful NGO in Health” in 2007 and in autumn 2010 the project was conducted in 65 more hospitals. The Project will be relaunched this autumn.
Invent Something for Health: This year’s World Hypertension Day marked a new and long-term Project: Hypertension Hunters Contest as a part of the Invent Something for Health Campaign. The contest is aimed especially at youth in web, facebook and tweeter to inform them on importance and risks of hypertension and invite them to develop creative means and methods for reminding their hypertensive family members to abide by their diets and to take their medicines. The campaign is started together with the most famous cartoonist of Turkey who is also the jury member for he contest.
Heart Age: Designed to improve the consciousness of the people on heart health by promoting life style changes that might lower the “age of their heart”. Special web site, printed materials, public meetings and events, social e-media, special software on “measuring the heart health” were planned and applied. TV advertising was launched in September 2011 and broadcasted in 2012, too.
European Heart Failure Day: This year, a new event was added to the annual agenda of regular activities as TSC Working Group on Heart Failure initiated programs for the European Heart Failure Day including a webinar for cardiologists and family physicians and an integrated communication program to warn the general audience against heart failure. A patients’ guidelines for heart failure was also prepared to improve patient compliance.
World Heart Day and World Hypertension Day: Both days are among the regular annual program of the TSC to improve public awareness in cardiovascular health issues. Both “days” are celebrated with a week-long program carried out in several major cities and our programs find wide coverage in press, tv channels and radio stations.
Brochures
A series of six brochures (Cholesterol, Hypertension, Cigarette, Obesity, Exercise and Sudden Death) prepared, printed and distributed with the motto “For a Healthy Hearted Turkey” and special guidelines for patients under coumadin treatment were developed, printed and distributed continuously since 2005. These brochures are still reviewed, updated and reprinted. They are also available online at the society’s website.
Radio Programs
The first round of the weekly radio serial “Health Comes First” was aired till the end of May 2006, at the largest national station, TRT Radio-1 and the related local radio network of 149 stations to reach 3,5-4 million people. The program was designed to inform the audience about the symptoms of cardiovascular problems and what to do in such situations. “Health Comes First” is still aired by the local radios throughout the country in the same format.
TV Programs and Spots
TV spots produced by TSC to warn people about smoking, obesity, blood pressure control, exercise and healthy nutrition were aired approximately 300 times to reach more than 14 million people.
The 12 episode-15 minutes TV programme “Words from the Heart” was produced for local channels in the format of “most frequent questions answered by cardiologists”. The serial was transmitted by the network of 100 local tv channels three times and they are still transmitted by local channels.
A second group of spots to attract public attention on heart health were produced and aired in five local languages by the largest national tv channel in 2007-8 and stil in transmission.
The prominent members of the TSC and opinion leaders of cardiovascular health frequently appear in national and regional tv channels to advise heart healthy life-style to general audience and reply their questions at live transmissions.
TKD-TV and other Titles of the “Knowledge Center”
Besides ever-increasing amount of material for online training and education of doctors, website of the TSC www.tkd.org.tr provides information for the press and the people in various formats such as “Frequently Asked Questions”, “For Healthy Hearts”, “Calculate your CV Risk” and “Popular Books from our Members”.
TKD-TV® was established in 2008 to provide videoclips in several subjects on the web. The number of items available at TKD-TV exceeds 500 and it is frequently visited by people. Increasing number of public and private hospitals also broadcast TKD-TV programs for their patients.