The Communication Infrastructure as a Social Determinant of Health: Implications for Health Policymaking and Practice

Abstract

Persistent communication inequalities limit racial/ethnic minority access to life-saving health information and make them more vulnerable to the effects of misinformation. r Establishing data collection systems that detect and track acute gaps in the supply and/or access of racial/ethnic minority groups to credible health information is long overdue. r Public investments and support for minority-serving media and community outlets are needed to close persistent gaps in access to credible health information.

Coverage and Framing of Immigration Policy in US Newspapers

“…A large body of communication research has documented the influence of news coverage on population health outcomes through both direct and indirect mechanisms. 17 For example, content analyses of the media coverage of specific health policies (e.g., the Affordable Care Act [ACA]) and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages), theorize that the focus on and messaging of news coverage may directly inform the public about aspects of policy implementation, such as the process for enrolling in the ACA insurance exchanges. 18,19 The potential for this direct influence, however, may also vary as there is evidence of a marked absence of such health policy information in newspapers reaching underserved populations.…”

“…Consistent with earlier studies of the news coverage of policies, we argue that news coverage—a critical determinant of health 16 —of immigration policies may be a mediating factor between the policies themselves and health. A large body of communication research has documented the influence of news coverage on population health outcomes through both direct and indirect mechanisms 17 . For example, content analyses of the media coverage of specific health policies (e.g., the Affordable Care Act [ACA]) and taxes on sugar‐sweetened beverages), theorize that the focus on and messaging of news coverage may directly inform the public about aspects of policy implementation, such as the process for enrolling in the ACA insurance exchanges 18,19 .…”

News coverage of Mexico’s front-of-package food label policy

“…This policy was heralded by its supporters as having been based on a strong scientific basis, and, while evidence-based policy-making is generally considered positive, the communication of the science underlying policies to the general public is often lacking or confusing. 28 This issue, compounded by industry efforts to influence science and obfuscate scientific findings, 29 30 can dilute the impact of evidencebased messaging of a policy, for example, on support for the policy. Our findings on the inclusion of epidemiological data about the prevalence of conditions like obesity and diabetes are thus important, for they indicate that the media, policy-makers and advocates are knowledgeable of the scope of the public health problem driving a need for policy intervention.…”

Do Americans Lacking a Local Orthopaedic Surgeon Have Adequate Broadband for Telehealth?

“…Additionally, consolidation in the telecommunications industry has led to monopolistic behavior, particularly in fragmented rural markets where only one internet service provider may be available [3,52]. If not carefully considered, inflated pricing may negate the efforts of federal grant programs to establish new fixed broadband infrastructure and subsidize subscription in low-income communities [24,44,45]. As orthopaedic surgeons continue to advocate for investments into rural musculoskeletal healthcare, they must take care not to exacerbate existing demographic divisions in telemedicine use that have been described across a variety of clinical disciplines [32,46].…”