A conceptual framework for an oral cancer awareness campaign in Northern Germany - Challenges in campaign development and assessment.

ABSTRACT

Initial impetus for action Oral cancer is still an underestimated disease in terms of incidence as well as mortality rates; it requires urgent prevention and early detection. At present, there is no best-practice systematic approach to raising awareness and informing the public about about this type of cancer in Germany. This article describes a framework that covers the significant stages of conceptual development and campaign design to promote oral cancer awareness in Germany. Solution The challenges of the development, as well as evaluation of an oral cancer awareness campaign are shared in this article. Four key stages of the campaign are defined (1) mass media, (2) target groups, (3) health care professionals, and (4) epidemiology. For each section, the following levels of assessment are proposed (a) campaign development (formative assessment), (b) controlling and optimising campaign implementation (process assessment) and (c) measuring outcomes (summative assessment). Outcome: A process-oriented assessment concept for each of the four campaign sections was developed and merged to form a matrix, which includes each of the above sections regarding the prevention and early detection of oral cancer, as well as the three stages of campaign assessment. Future implications and learning points The conceptual framework demonstrated that systematic planning and evaluation of different components helped to describe and evaluate an oral cancer campaign For future campaigns, the use of a matrix covering different campaign targets as well as the entire campaign process, is recommended as a basis for campaign design and evaluation.