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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Richard Allan Aronson, MD, MPH, Maine CDC, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Key Bank Plaza, 7th floor, State House Station #11, Augusta, ME 04333-0011, 207 287-5345, Richard.Aronson@maine.gov, Christopher A. Kus, MD, MPH, Division of Family Health, New York State Department of Health, Corning Tower -- Room 890, Albany, NY 12237-0657, Dwight Littlefield, RN, MBA, Asthma Prevention and Control Program, Maine CDC, 286 Water Street, Key Plaza 5th floor, Augusta, ME 04333-0011, and Katharine Theriault, Franklin Community Health Network, 111 Franklin Health Commons, Farmington, ME 04938.

The widespread use of bureaucratic jargon, complex technical terms, acronyms, and violence related metaphors permeate the language and culture of public health. It appears everywhere in our discourse, written and verbal. For example, we “target” populations to “combat” violence; “fight” poverty; design “interventions” to “attack” infant mortality”; describe people as “high risk cases” to be “managed”; fill grant proposals and electronic mail with “bulleted” talking points and hard to follow acronyms; identify babies who “fail” a hearing screen as having birth “defects”; and continue to use “surveillance” in the post-9/11 era to build “infrastructure”. The uncritical and ubiquitous use of such words and terms, though largely unintentional, contribute to cultural norms that undermine the purpose and ideals of public health. People and communities cry out to be honored, respected, and included in public health practice. But our dominant communication patterns often have the opposite effect. The challenge is to change our language so that it explicitly embraces social support, non-violence, and justice as critical determinants of health. We can thus create and sustain humane public health policies and systems that honor the dignity of all people and that reduce unconscionable disparities and inequalities. The author, who has held leadership positions in three state health departments over 25 years, describes innovative promising practices to do just that, including the use of five guiding principles for MCH in Wisconsin and an initiative by the Governor's Children's Cabinet in Maine to draw on multiple levels of resiliency to guide policy and systems change.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) will be able to

• List ten words or terms, commonly used in public health discourse, that undermine the purpose of our profession as defined in 1988 by the Institute of Medicine.
• Articulate how to replace these words and terms with language that strengthens our capacity to create and sustain humane public health policy.

Keywords: Communication, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation