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Public Health Communication – An Employer’s Perspective. Judith McDivitt, Ph.D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Nutrition and Physical Activity Communication Team. Definitions .
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Public Health Communication – An Employer’s Perspective Judith McDivitt, Ph.D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Nutrition and Physical Activity Communication Team
Definitions • Health Communication – “An area of theory, research, and practice related to understanding and influencing the interdependence of communication (symbolic interaction in the forms of messages and meanings) and health-related beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes.” (Cline, 2003) • Public Health Communication - “The art and techniques of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues.” (HP2010)
Roles of HC Specialists at CDC • Contribute to behavior change • Produce and disseminate information to a wide variety of audiences • Media relations • PR/marketing • Address public health crises • Contribute to communication and social science
Common Qualifications in CDC HC Specialist Announcements - 1 • Knowledge of the principles, theories, methods and practices of health communication and (social marketing, crisis/risk communication, media relations)
Common Qualifications – 2 • Ability to design, implement, and monitor (evaluate) health promotion activities that integrate health communication, social marketing, and behavior change strategies and tactics
Common Qualifications – 3 • Ability to communicate orally • Ability to communication in writing
Other Qualifications • Specific to a channel (e.g., Web, news media) • Specific to an audience (e.g., Hispanic, low literacy) • Partnerships • Translation – science, programs
Gaps in Knowledge and Skills • Knowledge about HC • Strategy versus technique • Ability to develop theory and research-based strategies and messages • HC at all social-ecological levels • Planning expertise • Using an audience focus
Core HC Competencies • Basic understanding of breadth and depth of health communication • Appreciating the need to understand and address ones audience • Choose audience, then channel • Need for formative research • Translation for a variety of audiences • Communication as complement
HC Competencies – ReviewJohn Finnegan, U. Minn • Planning and management of strategic communication • Information management • Media relations management • Oral and written skills • Informatics • Communication for public education and policy