Matters of public health are more relevant than ever

Public health can determine the future of entire populations, significantly limiting or expanding opportunities for communities. Aspects of public health, such as access to health care and understanding health information, can shape the way people think and behave in a variety of ways. 

Many people around the world are currently more at risk of contracting COVID-19 and other illnesses due to a lack of clear, consistent prevention messaging or lack of trust in official communications. Vaccine misinformation has seriously affected vaccination rates in recent decades, fueling outbreaks of various vaccine-preventable diseases and increasing the potential for global public health crises. Innovation in public health communication is critical to address the changing needs for an ever more complex world. 

It is particularly vital to understand how matters of public health have impacted the perceptions and plans of vulnerable populations. Seefar has published cutting edge research on the impacts of COVID-19 on migrant intentions and vulnerabilities in both sending and transit countries to provide insights into how the pandemic has shaped people in movement. Seefar has also led community driven behaviour change campaigns in order to raise awareness of practices that people can adopt to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19 in West Africa.

For example, our campaign in Nigeria achieved behaviour change rates of 97% in communities where myths about the virus dominated the narrative.  Additionally, Seefar has been at the forefront of developing technological solutions to health problems faced by vulnerable groups. For example, our Pregnancy Partner app launched in 2020 in Indonesia seeks to provide families undergoing pregnancies that have struggled to access healthcare with reliable information about the baby and mother. This app helped to educate parents whilst also gathering insights on public health trends in Indonesia.

Here are some examples of how we deploy our expertise in relation to public health:

• Cutting-edge research on the impact of COVID-19 on migrant intentions and human trafficking in Benin City, Nigeria
• Innovative studies to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerabilities of migrants on the Central Mediterranean Route
• Behaviour change campaigns on COVID-19 community prevention measures in Nigeria that saw success rates of 97% within communities where disinformation regarding the virus was dominant
• Technological innovations such as the Pregnancy Partner app which assists pregnant mothers in Indonesia with restricted access to health care