By Margaret Henderson
An engaging, clever and conversational whiteboard presentation with the messages “Order a kit, do the test and fix the problem,” has in less than one month of posting on YouTube received 33,124 views on Facebook (306 shares and 499 likes), 1,464 views of the three minute version on YouTube, and 5,643 views of 30 second version on YouTube. View the videos:
• 3 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOcFmv58v04&feature=youtu.be
• 30 second video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazTCqAw7cA
The video is narrated by Wallace Akerley, M.D., a lung cancer oncologist with a convincing voice and credentials, who serves as Senior Director of Community Oncology Research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and as a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Akerley treats patients with many types of cancer, focusing on lung cancer and melanoma. His son, Ryan Akerley, a fine artist by profession, drew the images to visually convey the message spoken by his father.
Donna Branson, Director of Patient and Public Education at Huntsman Cancer Institute, lead this production project, having been inspired by whiteboard video animations explaining health issues by Dr. Mike Evans of Canada. “A whiteboard animation is something I’d always wanted to do and using this method for encouraging radon awareness seemed to reduce the overly scientific into understandable terms and messaging,” she explained.
Beginning in September 2014, the development of the video progressed rapidly with contributions from an amazing communications staff, narrator, artist, and videographer, making it available for posting in December just prior to National Radon Action Month, January 2015.
Donna explained the Cancer Learning Center team created the objectives of the video based on the Health Belief Model:
• Susceptibility: Viewer comprehends what radon is and how it raises lung cancer risk for self/family.
• Benefits: Viewer learns testing is a low-cost way to identify radon in their home.
• Severity: Viewer learns that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
• Cues to Action: Upon completion viewer locates radon testing resources.
• Barriers: Viewer understands testing is low-cost, easy and essential.
• Self-efficacy: Viewer demonstrates testing steps.
Scripts were written by the Communications team based on the objectives, the story board was created, Ryan Akerley was filmed drawing the images, Dr. Akerley was recorded reading the script and after final edits, the finished product was posted to YouTube.
Organizations partnered with included the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Utah Department of Health Cancer Control Program, Utah’s Public Health Departments, Utah Cancer Action Network, and The Utah Radon Policy Coalition.
Additional publicity efforts including boosting (advertising) the video on Facebook and placing web banners on radio news station KSL.com for six weeks and running radio ads on KSL radio for one month.
The video refers viewers to the Utah’s state and EPA’s radon programs for more information and assistance. After a year’s time, Donna plans to confer with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to evaluate the changes in the number of public contacts during that period to estimate the video’s impact on public inquiries about radon.
For more information, contact:
Donna Branson, Director
Patient and Public Education
Huntsman Cancer Institute
University of Utah Health Care
1950 Circle of Hope
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
(801) 585-6809 (office)
(801) 587-9235 (fax)
donna.branson@hci.utah.edu
United States