Communication is a bedrock of public health. Public health practitioners need to communicate what they do and why it matters in a way that is compelling and relevant in people’s everyday lives to build trust with the communities they serve. It sounds pretty straightforward on the surface, but communicating about public health has layers of complexity. As my co-author Katy Evans, PhD, and I discussed in our recent JPHMP column, ineffective communication from those in the field of public health has serious consequences for public health; when communication falls short, it creates opportunities for misinformation to flourish, and trust in public health suffers. With so much at stake, how can we ensure that public health practitioners are confident and effective in their communication?
Read Our Article in the May issue of JPHMP
The de Beaumont Foundation and CommunicateHealth are making strides toward improving public health communication and literacy with a new evidence-backed toolkit. Dr. Evans and I covered the five big ideas for effective communication that emerged from the research, which are:
- Public health works at the community level, while health care works at the individual level.
- Public health focuses on preventing people from getting sick or hurt.
- Public health workers serve their local communities.
- Public health workers play a variety of professional roles — and many work behind the scenes.
- Public health benefits everyone.
These big ideas are one component of developing public health literacy. The toolkit also features strategies to make it easier to discuss public health. These include:
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- Use examples. Clear examples of public health activities make abstract concepts more tangible. People are more apt to remember examples of public health practice such as:
- Restaurant inspections
- Affordable vision and hearing screenings
- Free sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing
- Educational events and materials to help community members care for their health
- Keep messaging grounded. Public health often deals with big-picture goals over the long term for sustained impact, but this can be difficult to grasp. Qualifying language, like “public health workers aim to…” and underscoring that small steps lead to bigger impacts help make public health goals feel realistic and within reach. Using examples is also important in keeping messaging grounded, bringing public health concepts back to the real world.
- Consider systemic issues. Systemic injustices against people of color, people who are LGBTQ+, and other groups who have been experienced mistreatment in health systems may affect how they view public health. Be receptive and empathetic to people’s concerns, and approach conversations about public health issues with care. There may be important context behind apprehension or skepticism to engage with public health.
- Highlight opt-in services. Public health guidelines may be viewed as restrictions on personal choices and freedoms. Counter this narrative by highlighting public health services that people can opt into on their own terms, such as:
- Health screenings
- Substance use counseling
- Car seat workshops
- Build on existing mental models. Mental models shape how we view the world. A common mental model is thinking of public health workers as health care providers. While these professionals have different responsibilities, building on the existing mental model can help to build understanding of public health. Share examples of public health activities connected to health care that take place in community settings, such as:
- Health screenings
- Substance use counseling
- Nutrition education
- Vision and hearing screenings
- Share talking points at every opportunity. Public health is a broad, complicated field, but the more that we can talk about it, the more we can help to build understanding and support. As public health professionals, we have the opportunity and responsibility to build public health literacy in our communities. Use talking points that address knowledge gaps and include diverse examples of public health activities. Look for opportunities to incorporate public health talking points into everyday conversations.
- Use examples. Clear examples of public health activities make abstract concepts more tangible. People are more apt to remember examples of public health practice such as:
Bolstering the public’s understanding of public health work is essential in counteracting declining trust in public health systems. What Dr. Evans and I learned throughout our research is that, while understanding isn’t sufficient for trust, it is necessary. We can’t begin addressing problems of trust in our field if people don’t understand what we are talking about in the first place. While communication alone won’t earn trust, communicating effectively about the work you do in your community can strengthen it.
About the Author
- Emma Prus, MPP, is a Senior Program and Research Associate at the de Beaumont Foundation, focusing on research, evaluation, messaging, and public opinion polling. Emma holds an MPP with a focus on program evaluation and policy analysis from George Washington University.
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