Health communication, as an area of theory, research, and practice, focuses on the relationships between communication and health, health attitudes and beliefs, and health behavior. Communication rapidly is becoming recognized as a significant factor in health care and promotion. Health communication has become a vital part of national public health efforts as evidenced by: the recent development of offices of communication at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the opening of the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute in 1999; and the recognition of health communication as central to the "prevention agenda for the nation," as identified in the Healthy People Year 2010 objectives (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2000) (Cline, 2001, in press). This session brings together health communication scholars, representing the National Communication Association as well as chapters from the forthcoming Handbook of Health Communication, and health communication practitioners, representing the Health Communication Working Group of APHA, for the purposes of developing both stronger links between health communication scholarship and practice, and collaborative efforts by two major organizations of health communication professionals.
Learning Objectives: Session participants will (1) be able to identify the roles of health communication in health promotion and disease prevention efforts, (2) understand the diverse array of areas of theory and research comprising the field, and the relevance to health communication practice, and (3) become familiar with two major organizations for professionals interested in health communication.
Keywords: Health Communications, Research Agenda
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.