As you may know, Best Start: Ontario’s Maternal,
Newborn & Early Child Development Resource Centre is

planning a provincial Alcohol and Pregnancy
awareness campaign for May 2004. The main audience
of interest for this campaign is  Ontario women of
childbearing age. Campaign materials are designed to

increase awareness about the benefits of not
drinking alcohol during pregnancy and encourage
health care providers to recommend that women stop
drinking alcohol prior to and during pregnancy.

The provincial campaign will be supported with
transit advertising and shopping mall posters in
communities across Ontario. Resource materials, such

as posters and pamphlets will be provided to
community health agencies for distribution in their
own respective communities. In addition, public
service announcements, camera-ready ads and news
releases will be sent to print and broadcast media
outlets across the province.

The campaign is also seeking the support of licensed

family restaurants. They will be asked to
participate by offering free non-alcoholic beverages

to pregnant women and/or by posting information.

Health care providers will also receive copies of
the poster and brochure, along with tear-off sheets
for quick reference and a bookmark to serve as a
reminder.

Together, these initiatives will endeavour to
increase awareness of the benefits of not drinking
alcohol during pregnancy among women of childbearing

age.

While the details of the campaign are still being
finalized, we wanted to update you on our plans.
The campaign posters, pamphlets, tear-off sheets and

bookmarks are in the final review and approval
process. The creative concept and messaging that has

been applied to all of these resource materials was
focus group tested among women of childbearing age
and health care providers across Ontario. We expect
to have these finalized by November 2003. These
resources will be available in both English and
French and will be available for use in your own
community. You can take a look at these DRAFT
resources by visiting:
http://www.beststart.org/resources/alc_reduction/alc_camp/index.html

You can expect to receive more information about
Best Start’s Alcohol and Pregnancy Campaign and a
resource order form to later this year. In the
meantime, don’t forget, Best Start’s resource "Keys
to a Successful Alcohol and Pregnancy Campaign" is
now available at:
http://www.beststart.org/pract_prod/alc_reduction/keys.pdf

. This resource will assist you in planning your own

local campaign on alcohol and pregnancy.

If you have any suggestions, questions, comments
and/or concerns please feel free to contact me at
1-800-397-9567 (press 3) or via email at
[log in to unmask]



--

Wendy Burgoyne
Health Promotion Consultant
Best Start: Ontario's Maternal, Newborn
and Early Child Development Resource Centre
Box 698, 54 Broadway Ave
Wawa, ON, POS IKO
Tel: 1-705-856-2997
or 1-800-397-9567 (press 3)
Fax: 1-705-856-1320
Email: [log in to unmask]
 or [log in to unmask]
Website: www.beststart.org
_______________________________

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