Message Design Strategies to Raise Public Awareness of Social Determinants of Health and Population Health Disparities

Abstract

Context:Raising public awareness of the importance of social determinants of health (SDH) and health disparities presents formidable communication challenges.Methods: This article reviews three message strategies that could be used to raise awareness of SDH and health disparities: message framing, narratives, and visual imagery. Findings:Although few studies have directly tested message strategies for raising awareness of SDH and health disparities, the accumulated evidence from other domains suggests that population health advocates should frame messages to acknowledge a role for individual decisions about behavior but emphasize SDH. These messages might use narratives to provide examples of individuals facing structural barriers (unsafe working conditions, neighborhood safety concerns, lack of civic opportunities) in efforts to avoid poverty, unemployment, racial discrimination, and other social determinants. Evocative visual images that invite generalizations, suggest causal interpretations, highlight contrasts, and create analogies could accompany these narratives. These narratives and images should not distract attention from SDH and population health disparities, activate negative stereotypes, or provoke counterproductive emotional responses directed at the source of the message. Conclusions:The field of communication science offers valuable insights into ways that population health advocates and researchers might develop better messages to shape public opinion and debate about the social conditions that

Beliefs and Attitudes Regarding Determinants of Health in Turkey and Palestine

“…Starting from the family, educational institutions, social institutions, employers, industrialists, the government and society, 33 each factor of them can build political management skills through complementary work and research findings [93]. In addition, it is a fruitful work to recruit the media as a social policy to highlight the factors affecting the health and health promotion [94].…”

Translating Evidence into Population Health Improvement: Strategies and Barriers

“…For example, the article accompanying the brief on residential segregation described how a local resident's neighborhood left her isolated from needed resources (43). As journalists know, such narratives can be effective in communicating health information and persuading audiences (59). Steady coverage by the media partners also spurred reporting by other local news outlets such as St. Louis Public Radio and the daily St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper.…”

From awareness to action on the social determinants of health

“…Yet, political leaders tend to come from higher socioeconomic groups in society and may feel no personal stake in policy outcomes (Neiderdeppe et al 2008). Raising awareness of the social determinants of health among political elites may ultimately involve, as Neiderdeppe et al have argued, the difficult challenge of convincing higher socioeconomic groups to forego their own self interest and consider the plight and circumstances of low socioeconomic groups in formulating policy (Neiderdeppe et al 2008). Even under those conditions in which increased awareness has occurred among policymakers, there will be a failure to influence behavior, specifically policy change, if supporting structures are not in place to enable, reinforce, or push for change (Green and Kreuter 2005).…”

“…Research has suggested that policymakers should be the primary targets of campaigns to raise awareness on the social determinants of health since their views, as opposed to the views of specific constituencies, tend to shape the final form of policies (Bartels et al 2005;Neiderdeppe et al 2008). Yet, political leaders tend to come from higher socioeconomic groups in society and may feel no personal stake in policy outcomes (Neiderdeppe et al 2008).…”

“…Research has suggested that policymakers should be the primary targets of campaigns to raise awareness on the social determinants of health since their views, as opposed to the views of specific constituencies, tend to shape the final form of policies (Bartels et al 2005;Neiderdeppe et al 2008). Yet, political leaders tend to come from higher socioeconomic groups in society and may feel no personal stake in policy outcomes (Neiderdeppe et al 2008). Raising awareness of the social determinants of health among political elites may ultimately involve, as Neiderdeppe et al have argued, the difficult challenge of convincing higher socioeconomic groups to forego their own self interest and consider the plight and circumstances of low socioeconomic groups in formulating policy (Neiderdeppe et al 2008).…”