Developing Effective Health Communication Campaigns

Health communication campaigns have been used to address many of the most prevalent non-communicable disease risk factors, such as physical inactivity. Typically, campaigns are shared via mass media to reach a high proportion of the population and at a low cost per head. However, the messages shared are in direct competition with other campaigns, such as product marketing, which can result in the campaign not being seen adequately to lead to behaviour change. Moreover, as health campaigns are shared widely, the messages may not be understood or considered appropriate by certain audiences due to their broad nature. This can lead to unintended consequences, such as inadvertent social norming of the risk behaviour. To improve the success of health communication campaigns, they should be based on theory, with the theory of planned behaviour, the elaboration likelihood model, and the extended parallel process model, three of the most widely used. Such theories highlight the importance of targetting a campaign to the audience. Targetting a health communication campaign involves considering the audience in the development and dissemination of the message. Campaigns could also be co-developed with the audience in question to ensure relevance. Digital technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to tailor messages to the target audience effectively. Examples of targetted and broad health communication campaigns are presented.

TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS IN EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH COMMUNICATION

Health communication is a field of study that has been included in the communication world since the 1970s. Health communication has a field of application carried out by individuals and media-mediated communication in health service delivery and health promotion. Health communication is an applied field of study because it examines both the pragmatic effects of human communication on the provision of healthcare and public health promotion and studies in this area are often used to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. Health communication campaigns are prepared to reveal desired health behaviors in society and to prevent risky health behaviors. However, whether these campaigns achieve their goals is an issue that is rarely discussed. Health communication and its applications at the mass communication level are realized through health communication campaigns. The success of a health communication campaign is measured by comparing the current situation before and after the campaign. This brings us to the concept of evidence-based health communication. This study describes the design stages of evidence-based health communication, which is an effective phenomenon in measuring campaign success. The similarities and differences among non- experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental designs were revealed in the study. The aim of the study is to explain the campaign design stages of evidence-based health communication and provide a guide to the pre-campaign preparation process for practitioners. Thus, practitioners will be able to choose the most suitable design for their target audience and avoid application mistakes.

Designing COVID-19 Campaigns to Achieve Individual Compliance

The literature describes a pandemic as a unique form of health crisis that requires intensive communicative efforts. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how COVID-19 health communication campaigns are designed on three continents to get individuals to comply with the proposed actions and measures. Results indicate that the prevalence of emotional messages correspond with previous research findings, which demonstrated that similarity with a testimonial and narratives can be useful tools to increase message effectiveness. Hence, government officials are advised to invest in message presentation.

Media and Health Communication Campaigns

Health communication campaigns are a significant attempt that makes people aware of health risks and aims to inform the public about numerous issues that threaten public health. Media is the totality of communication channels and tools used to collect, store, and convey information or data to the public. Also, the media shape the behavior of the public through advertising and entertainment in the way it uses language and images. Within this framework, media is arguably one of the most utilized and efficient tools in terms of spreading public health messages and endorsing disease prevention. As its name would suggest, health communication campaigns are a vital part of the health promotion programs and strategies. In this sense, the media have many benefits for developing great health communication campaigns. Briefly, the purpose of this chapter is to discuss the use of media in health communication campaigns and campaign processes.

TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS IN EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH COMMUNICATION

Health communication is a field of study that has been included in the communication world since the 1970s. Health communication has a field of application carried out by individuals and media-mediated communication in health service delivery and health promotion. Health communication is an applied field of study because it examines both the pragmatic effects of human communication on the provision of healthcare and public health promotion and studies in this area are often used to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. Health communication campaigns are prepared to reveal desired health behaviors in society and to prevent risky health behaviors. However, whether these campaigns achieve their goals is an issue that is rarely discussed. Health communication and its applications at the mass communication level are realized through health communication campaigns. The success of a health communication campaign is measured by comparing the current situation before and after the campaign. This brings us to the concept of evidence-based health communication. This study describes the design stages of evidence-based health communication, which is an effective phenomenon in measuring campaign success. The similarities and differences among non- experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental designs were revealed in the study. The aim of the study is to explain the campaign design stages of evidence-based health communication and provide a guide to the pre-campaign preparation process for practitioners. Thus, practitioners will be able to choose the most suitable design for their target audience and avoid application mistakes.