They're not your typical greeting cards. Consider these punch lines:
"What have you been up to since your last HIV test?"
"Sleep is a necessity. Not a luxury." And "You can quit smoking today!"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has developed more than 80 electronic greetings called Health-e-Cards to spread health information. Some are animated, others have music, and one urging screening for colorectal cancer features actor Jimmy Smits.
Want to congratulate a friend on becoming pregnant? The CDC's got a card for that, too. Decorated with a photograph of tiny yellow baby booties it says: "You're going to be a wonderful mother! Staying healthy during your pregnancy gives your baby a healthy start in life!" A link inside the card takes the recipient to detailed information on the agency's Web site about the importance of taking folic acid to prevent birth defects, as well as other tips.
Know someone with a new dog? Cat? Fish? The CDC even has cards with tips about pets among the 21 health topics covered by the greetings.
More than 30,000 cards have been sent since the agency started posting them on its Web site in February 2007, CDC officials said this week. About one-third of the E-cards' recipients have clicked through the card into the agency's Web site for more information, and 6,500 people have signed up to be notified when the CDC creates a new card, they said.
"We're really excited about the Health-e-Cards," said Erin Edgerton, the content lead for interactive media in the CDC's Division of eHealth Marketing.
The cards take research-based health information that the CDC has used in more traditional ways --- such as in brochures, posters and on its Web site --- and put it into links inside cards for people to send to friends, family and co-workers. Several are available in Spanish.
"We're letting the users of cdc.gov become our health advocates," Edgerton said. The CDC's Web site receives about 1.4 million page views daily.
CDC officials said they did not have any estimate of what each card cost to produce. It's minimal, said Ann Aikin, CDC health communications specialist, noting the cards are built in-house.
The CDC's E-cards combine health information from a reliable source with an additional benefit of the implied endorsement from the person sending the card, said Ronald Rice, the Arthur N. Rupe Chair in the Social Effects of Mass Communication at the University of California."It's the same as with music sharing and mobile phone lists: You're taking advantage of the fact that people are linked into their own networks and providing the supporting information for the attitude and behavior change," he said.
So what's the most popular CDC greeting card? About 4,000 people have sent a card featuring the agency's remake of the holiday carol "The 12 Days of Christmas." Sung by CDC staff, the tune begins: The first way to health, said the CDC to me, wash hands to be safe and healthy.
ON THE WEB
To access CDC's electronic greeting cards, go to: www2a.cdc.gov/ecards/
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution