Why is it so hard to effectively relay health information? I find it interesting that the promotion of health behaviors and the avoidance of disease and the spread of it heavily relies on the act of health communication. And yet, public health professionals fall short of accomplishing this crucial step. Why is that and what can we—as public health professionals—do to improve?
I really enjoyed hearing from Susan as she detailed the steps to relaying proper health communication. I found the information related to how to speak with reporters and other news outlets especially interesting. Susan stressed the importance of walking into a conference knowing the information you plan to share instead of worrying about what they my ask you. Susan also described various tips about how to not only discuss the health information at hand, but also how the health professional should behave.
As a member of both the Public Health field and also the public who often receives health information, I have identified general qualities that health communication should have. 1) Health communication should be clear, simplified, accessible, and timely. 2) If health information is subject to change—the information gained and shared at the beginning of a pandemic, for example—health professionals should preface messages by saying “this information is subject to change as our knowledge does”. 3) The health information should come first from our most credible source and encourage other, more community specific resources to share the same information so that the information circulated is consistent and accurate.
The recent COVID-19 Pandemic has highlight that failure to provide quick, concise, understandable health communication (in combination with other factors) leads to distrust and decreased credibility. I look forward to seeing how health communication improves and evolves as various means of communication grow in popularity and even credibility (e.g., TikTok and other social media platforms). What type of improvements and/or evolution do you predict?
Hey Brianna! I really like the point you brought up about being uniquely situated as both a public health student and member of the general public. Even after taking just a few undergraduate courses in the field, I already find myself with a more critical perspective when watching the news and reading public messaging related to public health. I often think about how the future of technology will impact our society, and definitely predict TikTok and other social media platforms becoming the primary source of health news – particularly among younger generations. However, these platforms are driven by interest-based algorithms, running the risk of continuing to polarize the public on what should be scientific consensuses.
Great post Brianna and I think the most important message is that things change, the science changes, safety measures may change and it is not because scientists and public health officials don’t know what they are doing but instead because science and research is nuanced and describing that nuance to a lay person is hard. I also think that Americans don’t like to be inconvenienced so if what you are saying is going to inconvenience them in some way, they are going to be less likely to hear you. That said, what are other approaches that get folks to be more invested in public health for EVERYONE, not just themselves?