Report Publish Date: December 10, 2024
This journal article lays out what we know about effectively communicating with the public to improve population health. The authors discuss barriers and challenges for public health communication. And they share practical guidance for effective public health communication.
The COVID-19 pandemic and other health crises have shown how crucial—and challenging—informing people about public health can be. Many people don’t understand public health or the science behind it and don’t trust the messengers. Plus, funding cuts have affected how well local, state, and federal health organizations in many countries can communicate with the public.
The authors of this review define public health communication, discuss the domains of public health communication research (including research on how to address misinformation and disinformation), provide practical guidance for public health communicators, discuss how to evaluate communication interventions, and make suggestions for future directions.
Based on a review of the literature on health communication and, more specifically, public health communication, the researchers give a broad overview of the field.
“To put it bluntly, scientists can develop the most effective vaccines and medical innovations known to humankind, but the impact of these innovations will be minimal if people do not accept them because they do not trust the scientists, doctors, public health practitioners, and elected officials who promote them.”
—Jeff Niederdeppe, Cornell
Using what we already know about public health communication, learning more about what works, and investing in public health communication could help public health practitioners improve population health in the future.
Development and amplification of effective, culturally resonant, trust- worthy, and evidence-based public health communication are urgently needed. Research evidence, theory, and practical experience from within and beyond the interdisciplinary field of health communication are well-positioned to help public health authorities, researchers, and advocates navigate the complex societal challenges that influence health and well-being in global contexts. This review offers a broad overview of the field, considers what constitutes “effectiveness” versus “effects” in public health communication, and describes core concepts of public health communication as a process rather than a product. We review domains and dominant foci of public health communication research, articulate challenges for health communication to advance health and social equity and address mis-/disinformation, and offer practical guidance on message development, audience segmentation, multilevel intervention, and evaluation of communication programs. We conclude by identifying important questions for future public health communication research, interventions, and funding.
Annu. Rev. Public Health 2025. 46:15.1–15.21; https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth- 071723-120721
This study and report were conducted and created by the following people.
