Earned Print and Digital Media in Advancing Hypertension Management Services in Punjab, India: A Descriptive Study.

Background: Most often, the role of media in the wider dissemination of information about health and diseases is underscored. The present study aims to systematically analyze and describe the outreach of print and online-earned media generated during a "hypertension control project" undertaken in a state of North India.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analysis was conducted. All earned news stories published in print and online as part of the hypertension control project from January to November 2021 were included in the study. An integrated model of media communication was employed as an intervention method, which was created through a comprehensive literature study and Delphi methodology. Following a quantitative content analysis of earned media, a hypothetical value (in Indian Rupee) for print and online media was calculated.

Results: Two hundred and eighty-five news items (154 print and 131 online) in total were published over an 11-month period, primarily (n = 153, 53.6%) in newspapers with over 70,000 readership. The earned media steadily increased over time, peaking in June and July. Most news items were feature articles (62.5%) followed by case stories (37.5%), with a prime focus on awareness generation (41.4%) among the public and increasing the capacity of stakeholders (35.1%). Press releases were highest at 53%, followed by press conferences (33.7%) and one-to-one interaction (13.3%). Most articles were focused on core hypertension (55%) and transfats (40.7%). The print and online news had a hypothetical cost of 152,970 US$ and 7,280 US$, respectively, which surpassed the resources spent on all project events.

Conclusions: In the absence of financial support for paid media, earned media was strategically used to promote awareness about hypertension control.