A Systematic Review of Awareness Campaigns for Disease Prevention: Evaluating their Effectiveness in Promoting Health Behavior Change

Aim: Considering the importance and effectiveness of disease prevention awareness campaigns in healthcare and their limited use in Iran and worldwide, more widespread implementation of these campaigns could have significant positive impacts on public health outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of disease prevention awareness campaigns. Methods: For this literature review, we conducted a systematic search of papers published on disease prevention awareness campaigns between 2010 and 2022, in both Persian and English. We limited our search to papers with full text available and searched across multiple credible scientific databases, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID and Magiran. We excluded papers that did not align with our research objectives. Finding: Out of the 44 papers searched on disease prevention awareness campaigns, 18 relevant papers were selected and their results were investigated, of which two cases were in Persian and 16 in English. Most areas used in the awareness campaigns were related to diseases, such as acute coronary syndrome, diabetes, cancers, sexually transmitted diseases, and infectious diseases. The results of this study suggested the effectiveness of organizing awareness campaigns in preventing diseases. Conclusion: The evidence suggests that awareness campaigns have had a positive impact on reducing the risk of disease and preventing its development. Therefore, it is important to make concerted efforts to develop effective and appropriate awareness campaigns for all individuals at risk.