Communicating to Advance the Public's Health Workshop Summary (2015) / Chapter Skim
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2 The Science of Health Communication: Guiding Principles for Population Health Campaigns
2 The Science of Health Communication: Guiding Principles for Population Health Campaigns
Pages 5-10
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From page 5... ...
Health communication should focus not on population outcomes (such as increased life expectancy) or on categories of behaviors (such as limiting environmental toxins, reducing exposure to tobacco smoke, or safer sex)
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From page 6... ...
In other words, Hornik said, "If you are trying to influence a behavior in a particular population, then the focus needs to be on what influences them, not what influences you." Identifying Effective Paths to Change Even when communication is the most effective path to change, Hornik said, different behaviors will still require different paths to change, and research will be needed to identify the communication paths with the greatest potential to motivate behavior. For example, in an anti-smoking campaign sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Philadelphia Department of Health, researchers tested 29 messages to determine which had the greatest potential to convince smokers already interested in quitting to seek help.
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From page 7... ...
Changing social norms is likely to require a slow, incremental process of communication over time, with repetition from multiple sources. Routine Exposure Through Paid Media Without paid advertising, Hornik said, it is difficult for a population health campaign to provide media exposure that is broad and frequent enough to drive change, but large-scale communication initiatives are expensive.
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From page 8... ...
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE MEDIA EXPOSURE AND EFFORTS TO SHAPE COVERAGE Hornik estimated that public health communication campaigns account for less than 1 percent of the total volume of health information conveyed through the media. The vast majority of health information in the media comes from sources such as news programs, documentaries, doctor shows, drug advertisements, health magazines, radio talk shows, 1 Hornik did not address whether social media could be effective components of the "all but the kitchen sink" campaigns discussed in the next section.
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From page 9... ...
One way to shape media coverage is through media advocacy. Originally developed by Larry Wallack and Lori Dorfman, media advocacy links grassroots organizations and lobbying in order to influence mainstream media coverage and, ultimately, specific policy outcomes.2 Other strategies to affect coverage include standard public relations practices (e.g., issuing press releases and communicating with reporters to shape the content and framing of stories)
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From page 10... ...
For example, media coverage about climate change could reframe beliefs about electricity use, change social norms, and ultimately motivate people to replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives. However, Hornik said he would be concerned about developing messages focused on media coverage without clear evidence that such a strategy would change beliefs and drive behavior change.
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