CASE STUDY: PCOS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AT BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET STATION ALLOWS IMSR TO REACH DIVERSE AUDIENCE

BACKGROUND

•  Based at the University of Birmingham, the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research
  (IMSR) conducts world-leading research on metabolism, maternal & reproductive health
  and endocrinology. IMSR’s research is highly societally relevant as it touches on topics
  which directly impact people’s everyday lives. More information can be found here:
  www.birmingham.ac.uk/imsr

AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE PCOS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

• To raise awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) during PCOS Awareness Month,
  what the symptoms look like and where people can go for support if they need it.
• To engage with the wider public and increase awareness of the condition to help reduce
  the stigma.
• To reach a wide demographical cross section of people. For PCOS in particular, the team
  believes the condition may disproportionally affect women of minority ethnic backgrounds
  and so reaching these more marginalised communities was especially important.

EXECUTION

• A pop-up information stand was set up in Birmingham New Street station with
  informational leaflets and interactive activities (token boxes). The stand was located in the
  station atrium, close to the main information boards, which provided a prime position for
  maximum visibility and many commuters to see the stand. There were also daisies to
  decorate, which links to the name of the PCOS research project (@DAISyPCOS).
• A team of 9 worked on rotation and included 2 fully qualified medical doctors (specialists in
  PCOS) and students studying medicine / biomedicine to answer any medical questions.
• Participants could also play a quick true or false game where the team asked 3 questions
  about PCOS to gauge people’s level of awareness and used this as the basis for providing
  further information.

RESULTS

•  An estimated 20,000+ people saw the stand banner
•  Direct interaction with an estimated 2,000+ people including:
  o Men who wanted to take leaflets home for their wife or daughter who had PCOS
  o Healthcare professionals (nurses) for leaflets to share in their workplaces.
• In-depth interactions with approximately 500 more individuals or small groups which
  involved longer conversations and answering questions. The 3 main groups were:
  o Women with PCOS
  o People with friends/family members with PCOS
  o People who had never heard of PCOS
• Women with PCOS were particularly keen to engage with the team and these
  conversations lasted on average 5 – 10 mins each. Whilst this limited the team’s ability to
  engage more people, it meant that the interactions were more meaningful.
• The team’s diversity goal was achieved as approximately 70% of those the team spoke to
  were non-white – this would be difficult to achieve in other locations which are less
  accessible or are perhaps perceived as less ‘neutral’ to people of colour.
• Invaluable feedback was collated about what matters to the public – their concerns,
  priorities and perceptions about a topic to inform future engagements. It highlighted that
  even women with PCOS still were not aware of many of the risks associated with the
  condition. Many of the general public also had misconceptions – the activity highlighted
  the need for wider public engagement on PCOS and gave insights into which ‘myths’
  need to be myth-busted and what frequently asked questions are most important.
• The team are keen to come back next year with something even bigger and more
  creative.

“We were extremely pleased by the demographic cross section of people we interacted with. This was a key reason for us wanting to engage people in the train station, as people from all walks of life use public transport, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual identity or background. This is particularly important for health awareness activities as we need to reduce barriers to engagement.” Dr Caroline Gillett,
Community & Public Engagement Manager, Institute of Metabolism & Systems Research (IMSR)

For more information

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