Community pain education campaign launches

A bold pain education campaign is hitting towns across Western Victoria and the Limestone Coast this year, designed to shift community attitudes and improve awareness around chronic pain.

Starting in February 2026, campaign messages began appearing across multiple platforms, drawing on data and insights generated through community co-design workshops held across Mount Gambier, Millicent, Naracoorte, Ararat, Stawell, Hamilton and Horsham during 2025.

The campaign is the third stage of the four-year federally funded EQUiPP project — which originated at UniSA and is now part of Adelaide University — and is being implemented across seven communities in Western Victoria and the Limestone Coast.

Rolling out in stages throughout 2026 and the first half of 2027, the campaign has been shaped by feedback from our co-design participants and designed to appear in a range of everyday settings. You may spot a billboard on your way to work, see campaign messages on social media, read about the project in your local paper or come across activities and events in your community.

The campaign includes a suite of science-backed, evidence-based resources for people living with chronic pain, those supporting a friend or family member, and healthcare professionals, all developed to improve understanding of contemporary pain science and care.

Renowned pain neuroscientist and Adelaide University Professor Lorimer Moseley AO said the campaign was designed not only to dispel common myths, but also to provide people and their communities with science-backed, evidence-based ways to prevent and overcome chronic pain.

“Like any health challenge, it takes a community and if we can bring everyone up to speed on modern pain science and care, we can significantly shift the dial on the chronic pain problem,” Professor Moseley said.

“About 20 per cent of people have chronic pain that affects their quality of life, so we all know someone who is in trouble and could do with our support and understanding.”

“This is a bold experiment - a world first - to leverage community understanding to reduce the immense burden of chronic pain, its substantial side effects and impacts, on individuals and communities across Western Victoria and the Limestone Coast.”

The success of the campaign relies on your support and here is our call-to-action.

If you live or work in one of the participating communities and would like to learn more about local campaign activities, please contact the EQUiPP team at: equippcommunities@adelaide.edu.au.