Integrating health communication into public health curricula

1
Integrating health communication into public
health curricula

• Matthew W. Kreuter, PhD, MPH
• Health Communication Research Laboratory and
• Center for Cultural Cancer Communication
• Saint Louis University School of Public Health
• ASPH Education Committee Meeting
• Chicago, IL May 9, 2005

2
What is public health communication? (Bernhardt,
2004)

• Focus on improving the health of populations
• (not deconstructing underlying mechanisms of
  communication)
• Addresses multiple levels of ecological model
• (e.g., targets individual, social,
  environmental change)
• Audience-centered at all stages of planning
  development

3
A continuum of options
Build minimum set of HC knowledge and skills
into existing PH core classes
Integrate new HC courses into curriculum of
existing PH disciplines
Develop comprehensive coursework for HC as a new
PH discipline
4
A continuum of options
Build minimum set of HC knowledge and skills
into existing PH core classes
Integrate new HC courses into curriculum of
existing PH disciplines
Develop comprehensive coursework for HC as a new
PH discipline
5
Health communication at SLU

• New MPH track within Behavioral Science/Health
  Education
• 4 new courses internship
• First cohort in Fall, 2006

6
Unique resources at SLU

• Health Communication Research Laboratory since
  1996
• SLU Center of Excellence since 2000
• NCI-funded CECCR since 2003

7
Guiding principles

• Public health communication
• Applied in focus
• Building specific skills

8
Integration of HC within BSHE
PH Core BSHE Core HC Core

Epidemiology Applied BS theory Audience research methods in HC
Biostatistics Comm. Diagnosis Persuasion message design
Beh. Science Program Planning Customized HC for individuals and groups
PH Admin. Program Eval. Media strategies for PH professionals
Envr. Health Research Methods Internship in HC
PH Ethics Basis of PH Educ.
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Audience Research Methods in HC

• Planning, conducting, and analyzing data from
• In-depth individual interviews
• Cognitive response testing
• Key-informant interviews
• Focus group interviews
• Media use surveys
• Network analysis
• Usability testing
• HC pre-testing

10
Persuasion and message design

• Understanding and applying theories of
• Social influence/persuasion
• Mediated communication
• Information processing
• Message framing
• Message design

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Customized communication for individuals groups

• Understanding applying
• Audience segmentation
• Group-targeted HC
• Individually-tailored HC

• Developing
• Segmentation strategies
• Creative briefs
• Tailoring assessments, algorithms, message
  libraries

12
Media strategies for PH professional

• Understanding
• Media use and effects
• Communication processes in communities
• Emergency and crisis communication

• Planning and managing
• Media campaigns
• Buzz marketing
• Media advocacy
• News and entertainment media
• Evaluation to media interventions

13
Core HC competencies

• Conducting understanding audience research
• Understanding info processing and HC effects
• Segmenting audiences, customizing HC
• Designing managing effective HC strategies
• Understanding media effects and processes
• Achieving PH objectives through media