Health Communication

Lisa S. Wolff

The concept of communication involves the processes of encoding, transmitting, receiving, and synthesizing information. While there are numerous definitions of health communication , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define the concept as ‘the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.’ The study of health communication has been influenced by the fields of social and clinical psychology, behavior change theory, medical sociology, cultural anthropology, marketing, and of course, communication theory. Health communication is a broad field for research and program development, as many different levels and channels of communication within varying social contexts are examined. Similarly, the field includes numerous methods and areas, such as media literacy, media advocacy, public relations, advertising, education entertainment, risk communication, individual and group instruction, and partnership development, to name a few. ...

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