The Let’s Talk Public Health #HealthComm Toolbox shares FREE resources and tools that public health students, professionals, agencies, associations, nonprofits, schools of public health, and other health-related service providers, organizations and brands can use for their health communication efforts.
Health Communication
Health communication is the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence decisions and actions to improve health. Health education, health promotion, health marketing, and social marketing are all types of health communication. Common objectives for health communication include:
- Creating messages and materials to influence knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around a particular public health issue
- Garnering buy-in and support for health-related initiatives in your community
- Advocating for programs and policies that promote health
- Building awareness of health-related products, services, organizations, and brands
- Building relationships and coordinating with cross-sector stakeholders
Resources for Health Communication
These resources will provide the foundational components of health communication, as well as tools and resources to support your efforts:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Health Communication Playbook: Resources to Help You Create Effective Materials
- The Community Guide - Health Communication and Social Marketing: Campaigns That Include Mass Media and Health-Related Product Distribution
- Community Preventive Services Task Force - The Community Guide
- Healthy People 2020 - Evidence-Based Resources for Health Communication and Health Information Technology
- Healthy People 2030 - Evidence-Based Resources for Health Communication and Health Information Technology
- National Cancer Institute - Making Health Communication Programs Work (the “Pink Book”)
- National Prevention Information Network - New Methods For Health Strategy Communication
- US Agency for International Development - Health Communication Capacity Collaborative
Writing for Public Health
Writing skills are a key part of health communication. Public health writing can include instructional and guidance documents, academic documents, informational documents, organization documents, professional meeting documents, career documents, print media, digital media, social media, outdoor media or paid media.
Resources for Writing for Public Health
These guides on public health writing will get you started:
- Boston University School of Public Health - Public Health Writing Guide
- Health Writer Hub - Getting Started As A Health Writer Guide
- Population Health Exchange - Public Health Writing Guide
- Vital Strategies - Communicating with Data: A Guide for Writing Public Health Data Reports
- World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization - How to Improve Scientific Writing in Public Health
Using Digital and Social Media for Health Communication
Digital and social media are key tools for health information dissemination and behavior change communication. Websites, social media platforms, and mobile applications provide potential channels for:
|
Improve the discoverability and reach of your social media content by incorporating relevant holidays, observances, and hashtags into your marketing and promotion. |
Resources for Using Digital and Social Media for Health Communication
These tools and resources will get you started with using digital and social media to public health communication and marketing:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - The Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - What is Health Marketing?
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Writing for Social Media
- Community Preventive Services Task Force - What Works: Health Communication and Health Information Technology
- Digital Communications Division, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Building & Managing Websites
- Digital Communications Division, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Digital Communications
- Hootsuite - How to Use Social Media in Healthcare: A Guide for Health Professionals
- Journal of Public Health Management and Practice - Social Media in Public Health: Strategies to Distill, Package, and Disseminate Public Health Research
- National Association of County and City Health Officials - Social Media Toolkit A Primer for Local Health Department PIOs and Communications Professionals
- Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - HIPAA & Health Apps
- Social Sprout - Social Media and Healthcare: How to Prioritize What Patients Need
- Technology Transformation Services, U.S. General Services Administration - Digital.gov Guides and Resources
- University of Michigan School of Public Health - Social Media Guide for Online Networking
Data Visualization for Health Communication
Data visualization involves using pictures, graphs, and other visual objects and design elements to clearly and efficiently organize and communicate data or information. The goal of data visualization is to make data and information compelling and easy to digest for target audiences. Data visualization can help with explaining difficult concepts and identifying and displaying patterns, trends, and correlations. Common types of data visualization include static and interactive charts, tables, graphs, maps, infographics, and dashboards.
Resources for Data Visualization for Health Communication
These tools and resources will assist you with visualizing your health data and information:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - GIS Resources: Tips for Creating Maps for Public Health
- Elsevier Connect - A 5-step Guide to Data Visualization: How to Display Data in a Meaningful Way – Some Dos and Don’ts
- Health Affairs - Infographics And Public Policy: Using Data Visualization To Convey Complex Information
- HealthDataViz - Data Visualization Best Practices Resource Library: Links to Educational Content By Skill Area, Chart Type, and Healthcare Topic
- HealthDataViz - Tables, Graphs, Dashboards, & Reports: Data Visualization Best Practices
- Hubspot - Data Visualization 101: How to Choose the Right Chart or Graph for Your Data
- Hubspot - The Power of Data Visualization Plus Examples of Good and Bad Visuals
- The Johns Hopkins University - 5 Lessons for Creating Health Care Performance Dashboards
- National Cancer Institute - Making Data Talk: A Workbook
- The Regents of the University of Michigan and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. - Visualizing Health
- SAS - Data Visualization: What It Is and Why It Matters
- Tableau - Data Visualization Beginner's Guide: A Definition, Examples, and Learning Resources
- Tableau - Interactive Government Data Visualizations
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Guide to Data Visualization
Branding for Public Health
Branding is a key strategy for raising public health awareness and establishing positive associations with public health behaviors, products, services, campaigns, programs, people, and organizations.
Resources for Branding for Public Health
These resources have additional information on branding for public health professionals and organizations:
- The Compass - How to Create a Brand Strategy Part 1: Using Audience Insight to Drive Your Brand
- de Beaumont Foundation - Personal Branding for Public Health Professionals: Advancing Your Career, Your Organization, and Public Health
- de Beaumont Foundation - Personal Branding for Public Health Professionals: It’s Health Promotion, Not Just Self-Promotion
- National Association of County and City Health Officials - Branding Your Local Health Department: The Process
- National Association of County and City Health Officials - Marketing and Communication resources for community health assessments
- National Association of County and City Health Officials - Promoting the Local Public Health Identity A Guide for Local Health Department
Advocacy for Public Health
Advocacy for public health includes representing, speaking for, or elevating the voices of people affected by public health issues; facilitating communication between those affected and policymakers; and organizing or supporting coalitions and other initiatives around public health issues. Whether it’s writing letters, sending emails, or meeting with the media, policymakers, or stakeholders of an industry or community, advocacy for public health plays an important role in advancing public health goals.
Resources for Advocacy for Public Health
These guides and toolkits can inform your public health advocacy efforts:
- American Public Health Association - Advocacy for Public Health
- Annual Review of Public Health - Public Health and Media Advocacy
- Association of Public Health Nurses - APHN Public Health Policy Advocacy Guide Book and Toolkit
- Global Health Advocacy Incubator - Public Health Media Advocacy Action Guide Elements Of A Media Advocacy Campaign
- Institute for Public Strategies - The Art of Media Advocacy: How to Use News to Elevate Community Voices and Advance Change
- National Association of County and City Health Officials - The NACCHO Advocacy Toolkit
Combatting Health Misinformation
Health misinformation includes rumors, myths, conspiracy theories, and other unproven claims regarding health-related data or information that are false or misleading. Health misinformation continues to be a widespread problem online, and can create confusion and cause people to make decisions that are detrimental to their health.
Resources for Combatting Health Misinformation
These resources will help with identifying and reporting health misinformation:
- CDC Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, and Trust for America’s Health - Public Health Communications Collaborative
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health - Finding and Evaluating Online Resources
- Network of the National Library of Medicine - Evaluating Health Websites
- Network of the National Library of Medicine - Identifying and Combating Health Misinformation
- World Health Organization - How to Report Misinformation Online
Cross-Sector Communication for Public Health
Cross-sector communication is a must for public health professionals and organizations, because the social determinants of health span several non-health sectors, including:
- Housing, community planning
- Transportation, motor vehicle supervision, and highway safety
- Climate, energy, conservation, and environment
- Human and social services
- Public safety, law enforcement, and corrections
- Business and economic development
- Faith-based, charitable, civic and professional organizations
- Education systems
- Parks and recreation
- Courts and judiciary systems
- Public works and infrastructure
- Agriculture and food safety
Resources for Cross-Sector Communication for Public Health
These tools and resources will help you in your efforts to communicate and coordinate with representatives from public, nonprofit, and private entities across sectors.
- de Beaumont Foundation and Aspen Institute - Good Health Is Good Business: The Value Proposition of Partnerships Between Businesses and Governmental Public Health Agencies to Improve Community Health
- de Beaumont Foundation and Aspen Institute - Public Health Reaching Across Sectors (PHRASES)
- Public Health Institute and American Public Health Association - Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments
Accessibility in Health Communication
Accessibility includes making health information, advice and guidance easy to understand and act on, as well as ensuring that communication channels are intuitive and easy for target audiences to use. You cannot achieve your health communication goals, if the health messages, materials, information or data you’re disseminating are not accessible to your audience.
Accessibility Compliance Standards and Guidelines in Health Communication
The most common accessibility compliance standards and guidelines include the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (508), and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Complying with these standards and guidelines ensures that health information and communication channels, materials, and content (i.e., website, social media, videos, PDFs, word documents, etc.) are accessible to people with disabilities.
Resources for Accessibility Compliance Standards and Guidelines in Health Communication
These tools and resources will help you to understand the various standards and guidelines, as well as how to implement them in your health communication:
- Business 2 Community - What is 508 Compliance?
- Technology Transformation Services, U.S. General Services Administration - Federal Social Media Accessibility Toolkit Hackpad
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Section 508 Guide: How to Identify Errors in PDF
- U.S. General Services Administration - Section508.gov
- WebAIM - WebAIM's WCAG 2 Checklist
- WebFX - ADA vs. 508 Compliance vs. WCAG
Health Literacy
Healthy People 2030 defines personal health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others,” and organizational health literacy as “the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.” People need information they can understand and use to make the best decisions for their health. Health messages, materials, information or data that are too technical or complex for target audiences to understand and use can negatively impact health status, behaviors, outcomes, and costs.
Resources for Health Literacy
These resources will help you with your efforts to improve and expand both personal and organizational health literacy.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Health Literacy Tools and Training
- Boston University - Health Literacy Tool Shed
- Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. - Improving Print Communication to Promote Health Literacy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Health Literacy Information, Tools, Training, and Links
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Attributes of a Health Literate Organization
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - Health Literacy Studies: Assessing Materials
- National Library of Medicine - MEDLINE/PubMed Search and Health Literacy Information Resources
Plain Language for Health Communication
Plain language is language that is clear and easy to understand. According to the Plain Language Action and Information Network, a material or message is plain language if “your audience can find what they need, understand what they find the first time they read or hear it, and use what they find to meet their needs.” Using plain language is a key strategy for promoting health literacy.
Resources for Plain Language for Health Communication
These tools and resources will help you in your efforts to communicate health messages, information or data in plain language.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and User’s Guide
- Center for Plain Language - Five Steps to Plain Language
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Everyday Words for Public Health Communication
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - The CDC Clear Communication Index
- Digital Communications Division, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Plain Writing in One Page
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute - PRISM Readability Toolkit
- National Institutes of Health - The “Clear Communication” initiative
- National Institutes of Health - Plain Language: Getting Started or Brushing Up
- Plain Language Action and Information Network - Resources
- Technology Transformation Services, U.S. General Services Administration - Plain Language Web Writing Tips
- UnitedHealth Group - Just Plain Clear Glossary
- University of Michigan Library - Plain Language Medical Dictionary
Readability in Health Communication
Readability is a term used to describe how easily target audiences can read and understand an individual or organization’s writing. Factors that impact readability include the complexity of writing (i.e., sentence length, syllable density, etc.), word familiarity, and the legibility of handwriting, typeface, and font. Conducting public health writing and creating health communication messages and materials for high readability is also a key strategy for promoting health literacy.
Resources for Readability in Health Communication
These tools and resources will help you in your efforts to assess and improve the readability of your health communication materials.
- Health Communications - Improving Readability by Design
- Readability Formulas - Flesch Grade Level Readability
- Readability Formulas - Fry Graph Reading Formula
- Readability Formulas - Gunning Fog Index
- Readability Formulas - New Dale-Chall Readability Formula
- Readability Formulas - SMOG – Simple Measure of Gobbledygook
- WebFX - Readability Test Tool
Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Communication
Cultural and linguistic competence is the ability to respect, understand, and respond to the language preferences and cultural beliefs and practices of target audiences. Public health professionals must tailor health information, advice and guidance to recognize and account for diversity in culture and language within target audiences. This makes health messages, information and data more accessible; improves the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of health communication; and increases the likelihood of positive behavior change and health outcomes. Additionally, public health organizations must create and integrate attitudes, values, and principles that promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity, respect, and knowledge into their organizational standards, policies, and practices.
Resources for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Communication
These tools and resources will help you in your efforts to build cultural and linguistic competence:
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Innovations Exchange - The Provider's Guide to Quality & Culture
- American Hospital Association - Becoming a Culturally Competent Health Care Organization
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Implementing the National CLAS Standards: For Racial, Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities, People with Disabilities and Sexual and Gender Minorities
- The Interagency Working Group on Limited English Proficiency (LEP) - LEP.gov: Public Benefits and Health resources
- The Joint Commission - Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals
- National Center for Cultural Competence - Cultural and Linguistic Competence Policy Assessment
- National Center for Cultural Competence - Cultural and Linguistic Competence Health Practitioner Assessment
- Network of the National Library of Medicine - Consumer Health Information in Many Languages Resources
- Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Resources for Effective Communication
- Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Evaluation of the National CLAS Standards: Tips and Resources
- Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - The Guide to Providing Effective Communication and Language Assistance Services
- Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Think Cultural Health: Education