Communication interventions intended to affect health behavior are an increasingly important strategy for improving the health of the American people. However, effective communication is highly dependent upon the social and cultural milieu that shapes the individuals, families, and communities that are the intended recipients. Because we live in an increasingly diverse nation, it is important to understand more fully how these different messages should be constructed and delivered.
This report, Speaking of Health: Assessing Health Communication Strategies for Diverse Populations, addresses the challenge of improving health communications in a racially and culturally diverse society. Although messages tailored to specific audiences can be effective, the report describes the difficulty and complexity of categorizing audiences.
Given the role that communication campaigns are likely to play in the coming years, the field of public health communication should be strengthened and should become more science based. This means supporting research that improves our understanding of the values/context that determine how information will be received, supporting evaluation of campaigns to determine their effectiveness, and a greater attention to the ethical and social concerns that must be appreciated and respected in the design of communications campaigns.