Public Health Communication in a Digital World

Success in public health practice relies on the ability of public health professionals and teams to communicate clearly, appropriately, accurately, and persuasively. This communication is both internal (amongst the team or organisation) and external (including the public, stakeholders and key decision makers). While public health communication has traditionally focused on how to change behaviour in individuals, influencing decisions makers and advocating for inclusive and equitable health changes are also key considerations.

Digital and social media have transformed the way we communicate, increasing access to, and authorship of, information across both traditional and digital media – so much so that we are living in what the World Health Organisation calls an ‘infodemic’. More than ever, public health professionals require more than knowledge of theory: they require the ability to be responsive, be creative and identify appropriate platforms of communication.

In this unit, students will expand existing knowledge of public health communication learnt in previous units as it applies to health protection and health promotion. Informed by communications theory, social marketing theory and concepts such as health literacy, they will critically appraise the effectiveness of contemporary public health messaging. Students will draw on this key knowledge, as well as the critical lens they develop, to make decisions on devising public health communications.