AAOS Launches National 2012 Public Service Announcement Campaign

Orthopaedic Surgeons Aim to Educate about Overuse Injuries, Driver Focus, Obesity and Wartime Lessons Advancing Civilian Trauma Care

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today launched its 2012 public service announcement (PSA) campaign. The campaign is a multimedia, national initiative featuring four public health messages produced in print, as well as radio and TV. Orthopaedic surgeons not only treat, but want to prevent accidental traumas and help people maximize their musculoskeletal health and quality of life.

"Education is inherent in the Academy's mission, and this includes educating people not only about their musculoskeletal health but also about their safety.  This year's PSA campaign provides crucial information about orthopaedic health and safety for people of all ages.  With these ads, we highlight how parents can protect their kids' growing bones, muscles and joints and also remind adults of the choices they can make to protect their own health," said Leon Benson, MD and vice chair of the AAOS Communications Cabinet.

The television, radio, and print ads for the 2012 campaign will be delivered to more than 9,000 national and local media outlets. The print visuals will also be seen in locations such as airports, shopping malls, and bus shelters.

Get Up, Get Out, Get Moving!

The Academy, in partnership with the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) presents the television ad "Sedentary." This spot, produced in both 30- and 60-second lengths, humorously depicts all of the things today's child can do without physically moving throughout his or her day. This is a light but memorable take on a very serious subject: childhood obesity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12.5 million children in the U.S. are obese. Obesity can affect a person's mental, emotional, social and physical health. Without weight-bearing activity, bone health is threatened, too. Kids who play and are active every day build strong bones for life, which is the goal.

"When parents think exercise is fun, kids do, too. Exercise helps children build healthy bones – and healthy habits – for life. That's why the Academy has sponsored this PSA. We hope to remind families to enjoy an active life together – to Get Up! Get Out! And, Get Moving! for better health," said Michael F. Schafer, MD, Chair of the AAOS Communications Cabinet.

The Academy also produced a companion print advertising message, which reads: "Once, kids played like their lives depended on it.  If only kids still did." emphasizing the importance of physical activity, including weight-bearing exercises.  POSNA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) partnered on this print ad, poster and postcard.

View the 2012 TV PSA "Sedentary"

Overuse Sports Injuries.

Teaming with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and its "STOP Sports Injuries" program, this campaign includes a print ad and a radio spot warning parents, coaches and kids that year-round, specialized, one-sport training is a threat to a child's growing body. Too much muscle repetition is not a good thing for children.

The print ad is a photo of a young athlete with red stitching like that on a baseball superimposed along his elbow to represent sutures with the headline, "Sometimes, the game they love doesn't love them back."  Readers and listeners are directed to the websites orthoinfo.org and stopsportsinjuries.org to learn more about helping to protect young athletes from serious –sometimes lifelong – sport injuries.

Hear the 2012 Radio PSA "Repetitive"

"Decide to Drive"

This print visual depicts a woman unveiling a car with the message:  "The most advanced safety feature this car has is the driver standing next to it." The safe-driver promotion is now in its third year and is presented in partnership with the Auto Alliance. The 2012 message will make its debut at the Chicago Auto Show in February of 2012.

The National Safety Council (NCS) estimates that nearly 28 percent of crashes – about 1.6 million a year – can be attributed to cell phone talking and texting while driving. Orthopaedic surgeons are the medical specialists who treat the trauma that can result from crashes caused by distracted drivers, which is why the members of the AAOS hope to raise awareness about this danger and help drivers make driving their only priority when behind the wheel.

Driver focus is the number one ingredient in safe driving and this initiative asks drivers to "decide to drive" when behind the wheel. In 2012, the AAOS aims to keep the conversation going and help drivers focus on the road. Drivers can share stories of distracted driving and learn about the other components of this ongoing program on decidetodrive.org and continue the conversation on https://www.facebook.com/DecidetoDrive.org and http://twitter.com/decidetodrive .

Lessons Learned from the Frontlines

The public will find a compelling story of human courage and the connection between wounded warriors and advances in medicine in a multimedia PSA centering on a woman injured in San Diego.

Dominique Gambale and her husband were walking out of a restaurant late one Saturday night in February 2011, when a taxi cab lost control and ran into a group of people. She was pinned between the taxi and the restaurant – and when she woke up in the hospital, she kept hearing people say one word: "amputation."  Her orthopaedic surgeon thought he could save her leg because of what he had learned treating blast injuries in Iraq. And, he did. One year later, Dominique is working hard to walk again and her leg is healing.

The message is captured in a print poster, postcard and on an ad presented with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) by a photo of Ms. Gambale, the headline reads: "A crash in California almost took her leg. A bomb blast in Iraq helped save it." directing the public to the PSA website (orthoinfo.org/dominique). This Internet micro site features a video that tells Ms. Gamble's story, photos, and radiographs. On the site, visitors also can read interviews with Ms. Gambale, her husband, James and her orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Paul Girard.

AAOS' 2012 PSA Campaigns  

Previous PSA Campaigns

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SOURCE American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons