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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Erin K. Fortunato and Michael Siegel, MD, MPH. Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, 580-3rd floor, Boston, MA 02118, 617-414-8430, ekf@bu.edu

Introduction: Effectively framing public health is crucial to securing support and funding. The research literature includes little on framing public health issues and almost nothing on framing public health itself. This deficit indicates a need to study the framing of public health as an institution and develop frames that resonate with the values of the public and policy makers. This analysis identifies and analyzes the current frames of public health and devises improved frames for the future. Methods: We examined the Congressional debate over the final Department of Health and Human Services budget for Fiscal Year 2006 and thirty-eight newspaper articles from United States regional sources from 2/1/05-8/1/05 using the search terms “public health” and “budget cuts”. Results: The dominant frame is one of health promotion. It equates public health with medical care for the poor and focuses on health, which is not a compelling core value. The theme inherent in this frame is sacrifice. It is unlikely to be effective because it implies that the wealthy should sacrifice for the poor; positions public health on the losing side; focuses on obligation rather than benefits; and is historically ineffective. Conclusion: It is recommended that public health be framed as security, a compelling core value shared across social classes, which Congress is more likely to thoroughly fund than health. There is a great opportunity to frame public health as freedom from the unknown, control over threats to our economic and physical survival, and ultimately security against natural and man-made disasters.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe framing’s significance in marketing, media coverage, and generating support and funding for public health.
• Identify the current dominant frame of public health and outline its limitations.
• Articulate a more effective frame to successfully generate support and funding for public health.

Keywords: Marketing, Funding

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered