Strategic Communication for International Health Programs
Phyllis Tilson Piotrow, D. Lawrence Kincaid · 2001
During the past half century international health communication programs have gradually moved from a primarily individual educational effort to a more market-oriented approach more responsive to communities and to individuals as participants and as consumers. In the process health communication programs have adopted and adapted many strategic concepts from the expanding fields of commercial enterprise political campaigning and mass media. During the past two decades family planning and population programs have replaced agriculture-based extension programs as leaders in development communication. They have been followed by increasing emphasis on nutrition (Hornik 1998) child health through immunization and oral rehydration (Graeff Elder & Booth 1993; Seidel 1992) maternal health (Griffiths Moore & Favin 1991) and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases (Edgar Fitzpatrick & Freimuth 1992; Liskin Church Piotrow & Harris 1989). Because the source of behavior change or healthy behavior in the field of reproductive health as well as in the care of infants and children rests with the individual the family and the community these programs have highlighted the need for effective communication directly to individuals and communities and for improved communication between health care providers and their clients. Moreover as reproductive health programs have attracted larger resources from government donors (Conly & Speidel 1993) institutions and individuals worldwide have been stimulated to refine strategic communication models and to experiment with new ways of designing implementing and evaluating health promotion campaigns. Paradoxically the developing countries of Asia Africa and Latin America have often been at the forefront of these efforts despite low levels of literacy lack of easy access to media generally limited private sector and poor-quality government sector services discrimination against women and a whole array of cultural and religious constraints. This chapter summarizes elements of strategic health communication today and provides examples from programs in Asia Africa and Latin America. (excerpt)