The National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define health communications as:

The study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.

I’ve been doing some research on health marketing and health communications and I came across an excellent resource, Making Health Communication Programs Work (aka Pink Book) a publication by the National Cancer Institute. This book outlines how to develop, implement and evaluate health communication programs. There are ample appendices defining; selected planning frameworks, social science theories and models of change, information sources, sample communication planning forms and a full glossary.

[Pink Book full pdf]

Further Reading:

http://www.cancer.gov/pinkbook/page1

http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/HTML/Volume1/11HealthCom.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/whatishm.htm

If you’ve had your flu vaccine this year (seasonal and/or H1N1), tell your friends how it was. There are a lot of myths and facts regarding the flu shot. Help set the record straight with this fun Facebook application.



[Go to the application]

________________________________________________________________

Happy MLK Service day! How are you observing this year? I’ll be at the Greater Boston Food Bank on Thursday.

http://www.mlkday.gov/

Thanks to the Florida Department of Health, we all know to watch out for the 5th guy.

Meet the 5th guy

(photo via www.5thguy.com)

An American Society of Microbiology survey revealed that 4 out of 5 people wash their hands after using the restroom. This campaign focuses on that pesky 5th guy who didn’t.

How the campaign was developed

The Florida Department of Health set out to prepare people for the potential of a flu pandemic, but they faced a tough challenge: No pandemic on the horizon. Most Floridians doubt a pandemic is likely or threatens them personally, and they have a point: No one knows when (or if) a pandemic might hit. So instead of pitching panic, the state, working with the agency Marketing for Change, focused on the behaviors they hoped to change — a series of hygienic actions such as washing hands, covering coughs and staying home when sick. Then they built the campaign around what does matter to people: Fitting in. Four out of five people wash their hands after using the rest room. So the central character in this new campaign is the proverbial fifth guy, who spreads germs and suffers the social consequences. (via  http://www.5thguy.com/campaign.htm)

This hygiene awareness campaign is downright hilarious. It is an excellent example of using social media tools to advance public health. Catchy and timely, the 5th guy has it all.

Enjoy the videos

Adding a flu widget to your website or blog is a great way to recognize National Influenza Vaccination Week.

Remember vaccination is great, but it is still important to emphasize the importance of:

* Covering your cough
* Staying home if you’re sick
* Frequent handwashing

A friend of mine shared a link and some thoughts on this blog:

 www.kondom08.nu 

translate it with google: www.google.com/translate

A Swedish AIDS advocacy group handed out 100,000 numbered condoms, and recipients can blog about how they used them. My friend raised a good point of how it’s ” not about how condom use is hot or sexy, but more about how it’s a part of everyday life.” But these blog entries make condom use sexy. We live in a world where just about anything can be sexualized, why not condoms?

 

 

In other safer sex social media news, the Boston Public Health Commission has selected winners for the Get Reel: Check Yourself Video Contest.

The Boston Public Health Commission created a youtube video contest to empower teens to know their status, and get tested for STDs. I really like this idea, it’s a fun way to use the web promote sexual health awareness among teens.

Participants create a one-minute video telling  friends what they can do to protect themselves and their partners from getting an STD. The winning video will receive $750 and will be screened this summer in Boston movie theaters.

To learn more visit the youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/checkyourselfboston

The Association of Schools of Public Health has two great campaigns that promote awareness of public health.

What is Public Health? Answers the questions:

• What does public health encompass?


• What impact does public health have on our lives?


• What types of careers are available in the field of public health?

The site This is Public  Health answers the question with a  sticker campaign where public Health students, faculty, professionals and community members are marking examples of how public health impacts your life on a daily basis with  “This Is Public Health” stickers. Check out the Flickr group.