Health communication: an

overview
By
Solomon A. Oyeleye, Ph.D
Aondover Eric Msughter, Ph.D

Department of Mass Communication,

Caleb University, Imota, Lagos
 Health Communication Overview?
Objectives of the session
•Introduce students to a basic understanding of

the field of health communication,

•Expose students to its scope, dimensions,

origins and key functions in society.

•Discuss the applications and limitations of HC

to public Health communication programs.

 HEALTH COMMUNICATION
Definition:
It is about all aspects of Human
Communication that relates to health.
According to Rogers( 1996, p.15) Health
Communication refers to any type of human
communication whose content is concerned
with HEALTH
Definitions
 The study and use of communication strategies
to inform and influence individual and
community decisions that enhance health”
(2001)U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 2005).
 The word “influence” is also included in the
Healthy People 2020 definition of health
communication as “the art and technique of
informing, influencing, and motivating
individual, institutional, and public audience
about important health issues” (U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, 2005, p. 11-2)
Standard Definition
 Health communication is a multifaceted and
multidisciplinary approach to reach different
audiences and share health-related
information with the goal of influencing,
engaging, and supporting individuals,
communities, health professionals, special
groups, policymakers and the public to
champion, introduce, adopt, or sustain a
behavior, practice, or policy that will
ultimately improve health outcomes
Key knowledge areas

 health communication draws from

numerous disciplines, including health
education, mass and speech
communication, marketing, social
marketing, psychology, anthropology,
and sociology (Bernhardt, 2004; Institute
of Medicine, 2003; World Health
Organization, 2003)
Background
 Health communication interventions have
been successfully used for many years by
nonprofit organizations, the commercial
sector, and others to advance public,
corporate, or product-related goals in
relation to health
Scope of health comm.
 It
relies on different
communication activities or action
areas, including interpersonal
communications, public relations,
public advocacy, community
mobilization, and professional
communications (World Health
Organization, 2003; Bernhardt,
2004
PUBLIC HEALTH SCOPE
 scope of health communication in public
health “includes :
 Disease prevention,
 health promotion,
 Health care policy,
 The business of health care
 The enhancement of the quality of life and

health of individuals within the community”

(p. 11–20; Ratzan,1994).
PUBLIC HEALTH SCOPE
 Health communication “links the domains of
communication and health” and is
increasingly regarded as a science (Freimuth
and others, 2000), of great importance in
public health, especially in the era of
emerging infectious diseases, global threats,
bioterrorism, and a new emphasis on a
preventive and patient centered approach to
health
Dimensions of HC: Constituency
Relations
Constituency relations: a critical component of all
other areas of health communication as well as a
communication area of its own. Constituency
relations refer to the process of (1) creating
consensus among key stakeholders about health
issues and their potential solutions, (2)
expanding program reach by involving key
constituencies, (3) developing alliances, (4)
managing and anticipating criticisms and
opponents, and (5) maintaining key relationships
with other health organizations or stakeholders.
Dimensions Medical Comm
• Professional medical communications, a peer-
to-peer approach targeting health care
professionals that, among others, aims to:
(1) promote the adoption of best medical and
health practices;
(2) establish new concepts and standards of care
(3) publicize recent medical discoveries, beliefs,
parameters, and policies;
(4) change or establish new medical priorities;
and (5) advance health policy changes.
Dimensions: IPC
• Interpersonal communications, which uses
interpersonal channels (for example, one-on-one
or group meetings) and is based on active
listening, social and behavioral theories, and the
ability to relate to and identify with the audience’s
needs and cultural preferences and efficiently
addressing them.
 This includes “personal selling and counseling”

(World Health Organization, 2003, p. 2), which

takes place during one-on-one encounters with
members of interested audiences and other key
stakeholders, as well as during group events and
in locations where materials and services are
available.
Dimensions IPC contd
 It also includes provider-patient
communications, which has been identified
as one of the most important areas of health
communication (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2005) and should aim at
improving health outcomes by optimizing
the relationships between providers and their
patients.
Dimensions PR, Policy, Advocacy
 • Public relations, public advocacy, and
government relations, which relies on the
skillful use of culturally competent and
audience appropriate mass media, as well as
other communication channels to place a
health issue on the public agenda, advocate
for its solutions, or highlight the importance
that the government and other key
stakeholders take action.
Dimensions CM
 Community mobilization, a bottom-up and
participatory process. By using multiple
communication channels, community
mobilization seeks to involve community
leaders and the community at large in
addressing a health issue, becoming part of
the key steps to behavioral or social change,
or practicing a desired behavior.
Health Communication Origin
 Health Communication originates from the
field of communication, the means by which
information is imparted, or shared with
others.
 Communication is also defined as the transfer

of information between a source, and one or

more receivers, a process of sharing
meanings using a set of common rules
( Northouse and Northouse, 1998)
Types of Human Communication
 Humans communicate in many ways; through
verbal means and non-verbal means.
 Humans constantly communicate, even with
gestures, silences, signs, symbols, etc.
 Humans communicate continuously,
intentionally or unintentionally about their
perceptions, emotion, intentions, and identities.
 According to Hergie and Dickson, (2004)
without the capacity for sophisticated
communication channels, for sharing
knowledge, both within and between
generations, our advanced civilization would
not exist.
Communication in Health:
 Effective communication is as central to
effective healthcare as communication is to
life.
 According to Kreps, (2003) Communication is

pervasive in creating , gathering, and sharing

health information. It is a central human
process that enables individual and collective
adaptation to health risks at many different
levels.
Milestones in health comm
 In 1991, an International health
Communication conference produced the
Toronto Consensus statement on the
relationship between communication
practices and health outcomes. (Simpson, et
al., 1991)
In summary, the consensus summary was:
 That communication problems in medical

care are prevalent and important.

 That lack of information, explanation and

feedback is related to patient anxiety, and

dissatisfaction
Summary of consensus contd:
 That providers often misperceive the amount and type
of information that patients want to receive.
 Improved quality of clinical communication is related to
positive health outcomes.
 Explaining patient concerns, even when they can not be
immediately resolved leads to a fall in anxiety.
 Greater participation by patients in the encounter
improves satisfaction, compliance and treatment
outcomes.
 Psychological distress levels reduce in patients who
perceive that they have received adequate information
 Communication skills are required by providers to
speed up relevant communication without unduly
prolonging the process.
Milestones contd
 In 1992, the UK Department of Health
published the Patient’s charter about the
rights of patients to be given clear and
adequate explanation about any treatment
proposed, including risks involved and
alternatives to the recommended treatment.
 Substantial evidence now exists to show that

effective communication by healthcare

providers leads to:
Milestones contd
 More positive health care outcomes for
patients, themselves and others.
 That with effective communication, providers

are likely more to have comprehensive and

accurate diagnosis, detect emotional stress in
patients who are more satisfied with their
care, and less anxious, and who agree to
follow advice given.
 Sources for additional information on this:

(Lloyd and Bor, 1996, Greenfield et al. 1985,

Dulmen and Bensing,2001, Rooter, 2000,
Davis and Fallowfield, 1994,Stewart, 1995).
Poor comm. in health leads to:
A range of negative outcomes such as:
 Patients not engaging with the health service

when they should.

 Refusal to adhere to guides and treatment

regimen.
 Lack of trust and confidence in providers.
 Psychological damage, physical harm,

litigation, or at worst death. ( Macdonald,

2004)
In general:
 Communication is a double edged sword.
If effective, it leads to positive outcomes,
otherwise, as Pettigrew and Logan, (1987)
noted, communication promotes both
health and illness in society, and makes
the system run at optimal or marginal
effectiveness.
 Emphasis should be on effective

communication which according to

Schofied, (2004) is like a drug that can
also be prescribed.
Functions of Health communication
 Increase knowledge and understanding of
health-related issues.
 Empower people.
 Change behaviors.
 Improve 2 way dialogue and exchange of

information and ideas related to health

practices.
 To inform individuals and public about

important health concerns.

 Motivate people
Key Characteristics of HC
 Audience-centered
 Research-based
 Multidisciplinary
 Strategic
 Process oriented
 Cost-effective
 Creative in support of strategy
 Audience and media specific
 Relationship building
 Aimed at behavioral or social change
Health comm. in the marketing mix
 Many in the private sector regard health
communication as a critical component of the
marketing mix, which is traditionally defined
by the key four Ps of social marketing,
product, price, place, and promotion—
 In other words, “developing, delivering, and

promoting a superior offer” (Maibach, 2003

 Marketing model of HC
Audiences and political Social And Behavior
 Audience
 Health beliefs, attitudes, and behavior  Social Environment
 Cultural, age, and gender-related  Stakeholders’ beliefs, attitudes,
factors and practices
 Literacy levels
 Social norms
 Risk factors
 Social structure
 Existing initiatives and programs
 Lifestyle issues
 Socioeconomic factors  Recommended Health Behavior,
 Political Environment  Service, or Product
 Policies, laws  Benefits
 Political willingness  Risks
 and commitment  Disadvantages
 Level of priority in  Price or lifestyle trade-off
 political agenda  Availability and access
Health Communication Settings
 Client- provider, patient –family or caregiver,
provider-administrator, provider-family, etc
 Provider- children, mentally retarded, older

people, adolescents.
 Patient counseling ( one off, regular,

scheduled)
 Risk communication.
 Handling bad news.
Health Education and Promotion
 Health communication is not limited to
healthcare contexts only. Such as in
Hospitals, clinics, or pharmacies and homes.
 Health communication also happens on a

wider scale through health education and

promotion, using various channels of
interpersonal and mass communications.
Why health education?
 French and Adam (2002) showed that the
most significant determinants of health is
social and economic circumstance, and that
the least important is individual health
behavior.
 Thus, it is argued that cost effective health

care should focus more on broader public

health education campaigns than on trying to
influence behavior at the individual level.
Improving communication skills
 Studies have shown that providers with
adequate communication skills made greater
significance to patient's well being.
 Not only providers, persons in general, with

effective communication skills are said to

have more confidence, are less likely to suffer
from depression, or anxiety, cope with stress,
adapt and adjust to major life’s transitions
such as stress, or loneliness.
Limitations of HC
 It can not solve all health problems.
 Requires the enabling environment, the

systems and structures must be there to

support it. (such as the absence of
appropriate health services or hospitals) or
capability (such as an inadequate number of
healthcare providers in relation to the size of
the population being attended).
 It takes time, slow and difficult to assess

results.
Thank You