This project proposal was developed during my internship with the Arthritis Foundation as a student at Northwestern University.

 “Make Arthritis Visible” Young Adults Instagram Campaign Proposal

The Arthritis Foundation is the foremost leader of people living with arthritis proudly representing the fifty-four million Americans of all ages who are living with the disease. We are an organization focused on finding a cure and championing the fight against arthritis through vital information, advocacy, community, and most importantly, focusing on the people.

In Illinois, nearly 1 in 4 adults report having doctor-diagnosed arthritis; if we factor in the number who have not been to a doctor for their arthritis pain, the number is likely closer to 1 in 3 adults, totaling more than 2.3 million individuals in Illinois. The disease can cause disability, joint replacements, chronic pain, and many additional medical concerns. The CDC estimates the economic burden of arthritis in Illinois to be $1.7 billion in direct costs.

Living as a Young Adult with Arthritis

Despite its reputation, arthritis does affect young people, including young adults, many which have grown up with the disease. In the United States, approximately 300,000 children are living with juvenile arthritis (JA) – signs and symptoms vary widely and there is no cure; approximately 50% of children diagnosed with JA persist with arthritis and other rheumatoid conditions throughout adulthood Though many supportive services and programs are geared toward either children or adults with arthritis, the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood is often overlooked. Young adults from ages 18 to 25 are facing major challenges such as attending college, joining the workforce, and learning to navigate their medical needs as an adult. We recognize that this group needs specialized support to help them successfully manage their condition and thrive into adulthood.

In addition to physical symptoms, children and young adult who have been diagnosed with an arthritis condition report higher levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and/or suicidality compared to those without arthritis. In the general population, the prevalence of any kind of mental illness among young adults 18 to 25 years old is nearly 30% and chronic pain is a reason cited in over 10% of suicides where a cause is indicated. Mental health is a topic particularly relevant for this population but often overlooked by medical professionals who focus on treating the physical symptoms of arthritis conditions. We want to raise awareness to start conversations, recognize the relationship between arthritis and mental health, and help those struggling recognize that they are not alone.

In June 2021, we held a focus group that gathered feedback from young adults with arthritis between the ages of 18 and 25 who were previously active with their local Arthritis Foundation offices. Four individuals from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa were interviewed about their struggles with mental health, their use and affinity for social media, and what needs they have that the Arthritis Foundation may support. One salient result of that focus group was that navigating young adulthood was hard because people do not understand what it means for a young person to have arthritis and there is a need to educate young adults about what life is like for their peers living with arthritis. The insights from this focus group informed the main messages of our pilot “Make Arthritis Visible” in Young Adults Instagram Campaign with the goal to build a more amenable and supportive community for young adults living with arthritis in Illinois.

The Campaign

The intent of our “Make Arthritis Visible” in Young Adults Instagram Campaign is to raise awareness about young adults living with arthritis, how the condition affects people in this age group, and emphasize the mental health struggles that they might face. Young adults are the target audience of our campaign because they often lack knowledge about the struggles some of their peers are facing relative to arthritis; many would already be receptive to messages about mental health as many young adults have had experience with that directly or indirectly. The measurable outcomes of the campaign will be tracked via the landing page and via Instagram through analytics associated with the ad campaign and increases in the number of followers.

Instagram is an ideal platform to target this demographic as 67% of Instagram users are ages 18-24 according to a poll by Ispos. In addition, advertising on Instagram is straightforward, affordable, and can be targeted by specific demographic and location parameters. Further, we hope to make the campaign more effective by partnering with universities and other institutions that serve young adults to promote it on their own Instagram channels. We believe that local higher education institutions such as University of Illinois, College of DuPage, and Illinois State University may wish to support, or spread the social media campaign. There are also opportunities to partner with organizations focused on serving young adults such as the Urban League of Young Professionals and the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network.

The core components of the campaign are:

• The art assets created for the Instagram posts themselves
• The custom landing page that the posts will all lead to when people click through
• The slogan or tagline found on all the ads
• A common color palette and creative elements that define the campaign visually

We will create a landing page with a custom web address to which all the ads will lead – this will serve as the hub for all the awareness messaging created for the campaign, as well as resources and information that the Arthritis Foundation has available for young adults who may want to get involved or utilize our services. There are opportunities in the process of creating the campaign for marketing professionals to volunteer by providing pro bono work. We are currently in the planning phase of a collaboration with the Chicago-based marketing agency, MERGE, who has already agreed to provide some campaign imagery and copywriting services. We plan to run the campaign for 6 months and measure the following outcomes:

• Landing page click-throughs
• Follower growth
• Impressions (how many times our ads are shown to users)
• http://www.arthritis.org click-throughs
• “Contact Us” results

Despite the fact that most of the work is done automatically through the Instagram ad campaign system, it is necessary to have team members dedicated to monitoring comments, tracking the effectiveness of ads, and making adjustments to messaging as the campaign progresses. There are many advantages to using social media, including reaching a wide audience for a low price, being able to target young people, and more. Getting started can be simple, but in order to make this campaign effective, we need the support of our community to provide in-depth information to both those seeking to learn more about arthritis in young adults and those seeking connections to our support networks.

We hope that you will be interested in supporting and expanding our campaign to support the mental and social well-being of young adults with arthritis. Mental health is a serious concern for young adults and those with arthritis often feel unsupported, misunderstood, and isolated from their peers. With your help, we will be able to meet our audience where they are – namely, online – in a meaningful way that will help young adults with arthritis feel connected to their peers and help their peers understand more about how arthritis impacts their lives.

Research Sources

America’s Health Rankings. Arthritis in Illinois. Updated 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Arthritis/state/IL

Dunlop DD, et al. Arthritis and heart disease as risk factors for major depression:
the role of functional limitation. Med Care. 2004; 42(6): 502–511.

Illinois Department of Public Health. Illinois arthritis data report. 2007.

Murphy LB, et al. Anxiety and depression among US adults with arthritis:
Prevalence and correlates. Arthritis Care & Research. 2012.

National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics: Mental Illness. Updated January 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
Hassett, A. A. (2014). The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. Current Pain & Headache Reports, 1-7.
Racine, M. (2017). Chronic pain and suicide risk: A comprehensive review. Progress In Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry.