Mass communication and social marketing

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Mass communication and social marketing

• Peter D. Rumm, MD, MPH

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Public Health Defined

• Public health carries out its mission through
  organized, interdisciplinary efforts that address
  the physical, mental and environmental health
  concerns of communities and populations at risk
  for disease and injury. Its mission is achieved
  through the application of health promotion and
  disease prevention technologies and interventions
  designed to improve and enhance quality of life. 
  
• Health promotion and disease prevention
  technologies encompass a broad array of functions
  and expertise, including the three core public
  health functions
• http//www.asph.org/document.cfm?page300

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Keep in Mind the Core Functions Public Health

• Assessment
• Assurance
• Policy development

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Never Forget the Essential Public Health Services

• Monitor health status to identify community
  health problems
• Diagnose and investigate health problems and
  health hazards in the community
• Enforce laws and regulations that protect health
  and ensure safety
• Inform, educate and empower people about health
  issues
• Mobilize community partnerships to identify and
  solve health problems
• (a) Link people to needed personal health
  services and(b) Assure the provision of health
  care when otherwise unavailable
• Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and
  quality of personal and population-based health
  services
• Assure a competent public health and personal
  health care workforce
• Develop policies and plans that support
  individual and community health efforts
• Research for new insights and innovative
  solutions to health problems
• Public Health Foundation TaskForce 2000.

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Dont Forget Health Promotion Science what an
MPH brings to the table!

• Models APEX, PATCH, Proceed-Proceed, LOGIC etc.
• Theories
• Theory of reasoned action
• Diffusion of innovations
• Health Belief Stages of Change
• Social Capital
• many more!

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Communications

• "We take communication for granted because we do
  it so frequently, but it's actually a complex
  process." Joseph Sommerville, PhD
• "You can communicate best when you first listen."
  Catherine Pulsifer
• "Your ability to communicate is an important tool
  in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with
  your family, your co-workers or your clients and
  customers." Les Brown
• "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.
  Courage is also what it takes to sit down and
  listen." Winston Churchill

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Principles of Mass Communication Kreuter et. al.

• Use objectives to stay focused
• Make informed decisions
• Dont reinvent the wheel
• There is no such thing as a free lunch
• To maximize effectiveness strategically combine
  multiple tactics to influence complex problems
• Be creative!

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Signposts to be Effective Adapted from Kreuter
et. al.

• I. Determine what health communication can do for
  you
• II. Determine whom are you trying to communicate
• III. What does it cost your audience to hear your
  message?
• III. What do you want to say?
• IV. How will the message get to your audience?
• Source for the last two slides Kreuter, Lezin
  et. al. Community Health Promotion ideas that
  Work, 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett, 2003.

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CDC 4 Principles Social Marketing

• Product what the consumer is asked to "buy"
  (often a behavior),
• Price the actual cost or something the consumer
  must give up/ do in order to obtain the product,
• Place how and where the product reaches the
  consumer, and
• Promotion how information about the product is
  disseminated.

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Social Marketing Defined

• One frequently quoted definition of social
  marketing is the "application of commercial
  marketing technologies to the analysis, planning,
  execution, and evaluation of programs designed to
  influence the voluntary behavior of target
  audiences in order to improve their personal
  welfare and that of their society" (Andreasen,
  1995)

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Definitions of Mass Communications

• Includes journalism, programmes in radio and
  television broadcasting, public relations,
  communications arts, library science, programmes
  for technicians in museums and similar
  repositories, documentation techniques
  www.unece.org/stats/gender/web/glossary/F/field1.h
  tm
• The transmission of messages which may be
  processed by gate keepers prior to being sent to
  large audiences via a channel of broad diffusion
  highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072400773/student
  _view0/chapter1/glossary.html
• (Perhaps best) Communication from one person or
  group of persons through a transmitting device (a
  medium) to a large audience or market.
  www.sociologyessentials-2nded.nelson.com/glossary
  4.html

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Important Public Health Terms

• Risk Communication from the standpoint of ASTDR
• Overview of Issues and Guiding Principlesfor
  Health Risk Communication putting risk into
  perpective and disseminating this message to
  different audiences in a timely manner

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Caution re Risk Communication

• Merely disseminating information without regard
  for communicating the complexities and
  uncertainties of risk does not necessarily ensure
  effective risk communication. Well-managed
  efforts will help ensure that your messages are
  constructively formulated, transmitted, and
  received and that they result in meaningful
  actions. Consider how the process works and some
  general principles for improving effectiveness.

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Myths re risk communication!

• Belief in some common myths often interferes with
  development of an effective risk communication
  program. Consider the myths and actions you can
  take.
• Myth We don't have enough time and resources to
  have a risk communication program.Action Train
  all your staff to communicate more effectively.
  Plan projects to include time to involve the
  public..
• Myth Telling the public about a risk is more
  likely to unduly alarm people than keeping
  quiet.Action Decrease potential for alarm by
  giving people a chance to express their concerns.
  
• Myth Communication is less important than
  education. If people knew the true risks, they
  would accept them.Action Pay as much attention
  to your process for dealing with people as you do
  to explaining the data.
• Source ASTDR website

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Continued

• Myth We shouldn't go to the public until we have
  solutions to environmental health problems.
  Action Release and discuss information about
  risk management options and involve communities
  in strategies in which they have a stake.
• Myth These issues are too difficult for the
  public to understand.Action Separate public
  disagreement with your policies from
  misunderstanding of the highly technical issues.
• Myth Technical decisions should be left in the
  hands of technical people.Action Provide the
  public with information. Listen to community
  concerns. Involve staff with diverse backgrounds
  in developing policy.

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The Health Alert Network

• Sophisticated information portal being built on
  the backs of the terrorism funding by the
  CDC/HRSA.

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What is Going on with the HAN?

• Currently, HAN is a strong national program,
  providing vital health information and the
  infrastructure to support the dissemination of
  that information at the State and Local levels,
  and beyond. A vast majority of the State-based
  HAN programs have over 90 of their population
  covered under the umbrella of HAN. The HAN
  Messaging System currently directly and
  indirectly transmits Health Alerts, Advisories,
  and Updates to over one million recipients. The
  current system is being phased into the overall
  PHIN messaging component.

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NEDSS

• Closely related
• The National Electronic Disease Surveillance
  System (NEDSS) is an initiative that promotes the
  use of data and information system standards to
  advance the development of efficient, integrated,
  and interoperable surveillance systems at
  federal, state and local levels.  It is a major
  component of the Public Health Information
  Network (PHIN).

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GOAL OF NEDSS AND HAN

• To detect outbreaks rapidly and to monitor the
  health of the nation
• Facilitate the electronic transfer of appropriate
  information from clinical information systems in
  the health care system to public health
  departments
• Reduce provider burden in the provision of
  information
• Enhance both the timeliness and quality of
  information provided
• Surveillance Systems collect and monitor data for
  disease trends and/or outbreaks so that public
  health personnel can protect the nation's health.
• The vision of NEDSS (and the HAN) is to have
  integrated surveillance systems that can transfer
  appropriate public health, laboratory, and
  clinical data efficiently and securely over the
  Internet. NEDSS will revolutionize public health
  by gathering and analyzing information quickly
  and accurately.

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Communication Lessons

• KISS
• Say you dont know but will find out
• Do your research and evaluations
• Look your audience in the eye
• Be enthusiastic
• Dont over-state your knowledge!
• Dont underestimate your impact!