"We Keep Each Other Safe": The Development and Implementation of a Harm Reduction Health Communication Campaign to...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• Fentanyl overdose deaths surged nationwide from 2015-2022, with Travis County, Texas, experiencing the highest rate.
• Despite awareness of fentanyl, people who use drugs (PWUD) in Travis County exhibit low harm reduction behavior adoption.
• A local health department partnered to create a harm reduction-focused health communication campaign for PWUD to address rising overdose deaths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and dissemination of a culturally competent, evidence-based health communication campaign.
• To implement harm reduction principles to reduce local fentanyl-related overdose deaths.
• To discuss broader implications for future research and public health initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Conducted an environmental scan and utilized previous research findings.
• Employed a community-engaged approach to campaign development.
• Developed and disseminated a mass media campaign targeting PWUD in Austin, Texas.

Main Results:

• A mass media campaign, "In Austin, We Keep Each Other Safe," was successfully developed and disseminated.
• The campaign focused on providing non-stigmatizing, fact-based information to PWUD.
• The approach integrated evidence-based strategies with community engagement.

Conclusions:

• Harm reduction strategies effectively support PWUD by offering factual information for safer substance consumption.
• Community-engaged, evidence-based health communication campaigns can reach marginalized audiences with critical health information.
• This campaign model can be adapted for other public health issues targeting niche populations.