Facts for life - aimed at families

4 World Health • 46th Year, No. 6, November-December 1993 facts for life- aimed at families Peter Adamson Despite the many millions of copies in circulation, this 80- page book, produced by a group of United Nations agencies, cannot reach more than a small fraction of the families for whom it is intended. Communicators of all kinds therefore have a major role to play in disseminating its messages. S ince it first appeared in 1989, more than eight million copies of Facts for life have been published in over 100 countries and in 176 languages. There is a possibility, as yet unconfirmed, that it could be the most translated book in the world after the Bible. The essential idea of Facts for life is simple. It brings together, in non-technical language, today's scientific consensus on practical, low-cost, family-based ways of protecting the lives and the normal, healthy growth of children. The result of collaboration between UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO and UNFP A - in cooperation with over 160 nongovernmental organizations, the book presents basic family health messages under chapter headings: timing births, safe motherhood, breast-feeding, child growth, immunization, diarrhoea, coughs and colds, hygiene, malaria, and AIDS. A revised edition launched in late 1993, contains an additional chapter conveying basic messages about early Family-based ways of protecting the lives and the health of children. childhood development. All chapters have been revised, taking into account the many comments received from users over the last four years, and the text has again been reviewed by WHO programme managers, by advisers from UNICEF and UNFPA, and by 42 child health specialists from hospitals and medical schools in all parts of the world. Communicators Despite the many millions of copies in circulation, the book cannot reach more than a small fraction of the families for whom it is intended. Communicators of all kinds therefore constitute its real audience- including health workers, teachers, religious leaders, the mass media, voluntary agencies, the business community, and government agencies. The response from all of these potential communicators ofF acts for life has given its messages an unprecedented outreach over the last four years. By 1993, it was in use by health services in most nations. In VietNam, 25 000 Facts for life communicators have been trained by the Ministry of Health. In Sierra Leone, the health service is training 1400 teachers, health workers and agricultural extension workers to use it; nurses and medical students in Ecuador use it for compulsory community service. In Turkey, one million leaflets and tens of thousands ofF acts for life posters are helping midwives, nurses and doctors to reach families, and over a million Facts for llfe leaflets have been used by 65 000 imams in their Friday se1mons. In more than 30 nations, the book has become part of the formal school curriculum and of adult literacy programmes. In Mexico, almost a million copies have been printed for use as school textbooks, while China too has published one million copies World Health • 46th Year, No. 6, November-December 1993 in 12languages. In Iran, it has been adapted for the national literacy campaign, reaching two million people - mainly women, and in Turkey Facts for life is reaching all schoolchildren via the training of 250 000 teachers and 1500 school inspectors. In Myanmar, 200 000 copies of the national version have been produced for schools, health centres, water and sanitation workers, and religious organizations. In Nigeria, 300 000 copies have been produced in four major languages for schools, nursing colleges and religious leaders. In almost every country, the mass media have responded with regular TV and radiospots, serialization of the book, quizzes and competitions, and the inclusion of its messages in hundreds of television and popular radio programmes. Top-level assistance Many political leaders have also helped. Former President Corazon Aquino of the Philippines ordered the book to be translated into the country's 10 major dialects. President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique launched a national version and called on all the nation's communicators to promote its messages. In VietNam, the Vice-President of the Council of Ministers announced: "The Government ofViet Nam, the people of Vi et N am, undertake the challenge Knowledge about good nutrition has to be translated into action at the local/eve/. of communicating Facts for life for the happiness of all mothers and children". The Thai version was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister with the message that "Facts for life is a practical gift of lasting wisdom to all parents". Some of the methods of communication have been less orthodox. In Brazil, a major supermarket chain has inscribed the messages on 120 million plastic bags. In Kenya, 20 million matchboxes carry the messages,_and in Turkey they have appeared on two million milk cartons. Sri Lanka's Broadcasting Corporation has organized a national Facts for life quiz for 10 000 schools. Many governments and nongovernmental organizations have also adapted it, tailoring its messages to fit specific national or local needs. Chapters have been added or substituted, usually with the help of leading national experts, on such subjects as smoking, drug abuse, schistosomiasis, handpump maintenance, dental hygiene, accidents, disabilities, iodine deficiency disorders, and sexually transmitted diseases. Using facts for life s Now a companion booklet, entitled Using facts for life -a handbook, has been produced to accompany the revised edition. Drawing on the worldwide experience of recent years, Using facts for life discusses the strategies and actions which practitioners judge to have made an impact. This booklet attempts to answer such questions as "How can the knowledge contained in Facts for life be transformed effectively at local level?". Both publications acknowledge that information is only one factor among the many determinants of health and health behaviour. Poverty, social pressures and norms, levels of education and individual confidence - all these affect the possibilities and the practice of health care. But it is equally the case that no amount of socioeconomic analysis of the causes of ill-health can replace the right of all families to possess up-to-date practical, scientific information which could help them to protect the lives and the health of their children by methods they can act on now and at a cost they can afford today. The second edition ofF acts for life is available from UNICEF, UNICEF House, DH40, Facts for life Unit, 3 UN Plaza, NY 10017, USA, or through a local UNICEF office. The companion booklet- Using facts for life - will also be available from late 1993 . • Mr Peter Adamson is a freelance journalist specializing in global development issues. His address is 18 Observatory Close, Benson, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX I 0 6NU, England.