Use of a photography exhibit to raise awareness of the public health impact of the war in Iraq

This presentation describes how a college of public health used photography and evidence-based information to co-create with the photographers, an exhibit to educate the public on the impacts of the Iraq war on public health. APHA's policy statements opposing the war helped garner support for the innovative project shown in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (UAMS COPH) and Philander Smith College, a private, historically black institution. The primary local sponsor for the shows was the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice, an advocacy organization which partnered with the two academic institutions to broaden exposure to the traveling 61-photo exhibit, “Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq.” The photographs include thought-provoking images of Iraqis and present a perspective that has had limited representation in the mainstream U.S. media. Accompanying text panels, researched and written at the UAMS COPH, include data on civilian casualties; the war's impact on the natural environment, physical infrastructure, health care system, and health status of Iraqis; and long-term effects on U.S. troops and their families as well as the US economy. Findings from an exit survey of exhibit viewers will be reported to describe the extent text panels were read; how much the information expanded understanding of the war's impact on public health; whether they would recommend it to a friend; whether they are a health/public health student or professional; and an open-ended request for reactions to the exhibit.