Before developing health communication or social marketing campaigns, you have to do your research. This is also the time to plan how you will track and evaluate the success of your campaign. After it’s over, you need to evaluate the effectiveness. Keeping abreast of the latest communication science research can help you identify new approaches. These sources can help your campaign and health communication achieve maximum impact, and to evaluate their success.
Research Summaries
The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds health communication campaigns can change health behaviors when combined with the distribution of free or reduced-price related products. The finding, based on a systematic review of literature conducted by CDC’s Community Guide Branch, showed health communication campaigns, as part of a broader social marketing framework, actually strengthened the link between health communication campaigns and initiation and maintenance of the targeted behavior change. Read a summary of the review.
Journals and Reports
American Journal of Public Health – A public health publication featuring original work in research, research methods, and program evaluation.
Theory at a Glance [2.9 MB, 64 pages] National Cancer Institute – Resource for public health practitioners and the public health community summarizing health behavior theories.
Data & Metrics – Understanding communications channels is imperative to conducting strategic, effective and user-centric health interventions, campaigns and outreach.
Nonprofit Organizations/Research Centers
Institute of Medicine – Information about a an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.
Kaiser Family Foundation – Information about the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the U.S., as well as the U.S. role in global health policy.
Public Communication Campaign Evaluation – An environmental scan of challenges, criticisms, practice, and opportunities prepared for the Harvard Family Research Project