Health Communication

Health communication may be defined as

“The art and technique of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues. The scope of health communication includes disease prevention, health promotion, health care policy, and the business of health care as well as enhancement of the quality of life and health of individuals within the community” - Healthy People 2010, p. 11-20

“An area of theory, research and practice related to understanding and influencing the interdependence of communication (symbolic interaction in the forms of messages and meanings) and health related beliefs, behaviors and outcomes.” Cline, R. 2003

“Health communication is a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach to reach different audiences and share health-related information with the goal of influencing, engaging and supporting individuals, communities, health professionals, special groups, policy makers and the public to champion, introduce, adopt, or sustain a behavior, practice or policy that will ultimately improve health outcomes.” Schiavo, R. 2007, p. 7

or the mechanism by which health messages are communicated from experts in the medical and public health fields to the people who can be helped by these messages.

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