On March 20 and 21, 2023, the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a workshop titled Effective Health Communication within the Current Information Environment and the Role of the Federal Government. Workshop speakers and participants, a majority of whom were working in government agencies in federal health communication or leadership positions, joined both in person in Washington, D.C. as well as virtually to explore the current health information environment as it pertains to public trust and behavior change, explore how federal health agencies can communicate effectively within the current information environment and what is needed to support effective health communication moving forward. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR EFFECTIVE HEALTH COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE CURRENT INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT AND THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
  • GOALS AND ROLES OF FEDERAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION
  • HEALTH COMMUNICATION: CONNECTING SCIENCE, PRACTICE, AND POLICY
  • INCREASING CREDIBILITY: AN ALTERNATIVE TO “FOLLOW THE SCIENCE”
  • TIMELINESS AND TRANSPARENCY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM COVID-19 REAL-TIME REPORTING
  • ETHICAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION IN A DEMOCRACY: INSIGHTS FROM EUROPE
  • THE ROLE OF EMOTION
• 2. Key Cross-Cutting Challenges and the Implications for Federal Health Communication
  • THE CHALLENGE OF DECLINING TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS
  • CHALLENGES OF THE COMPLEX HEALTH COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT
  • POLITICAL POLARIZATION OF HEALTH AND SCIENCE
  • THE CHALLENGE OF EQUITY IN HEALTH AND HEALTH COMMUNICATION
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Capacity: Listening to and Engaging Communities
  • PRINCIPLES FOR UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES
  • COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS: LESSONS FROM FLINT, MICHIGAN
  • CENTERING COMMUNITY: LESSONS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH — SEATTLE & KING COUNTY
  • FEDERALLY QUALIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
  • STRATEGIES FOR VIRTUAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
  • DISCUSSION
  • INSIGHTS FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS
• 4. Capacity: Digital Data and Information Systems
  • DATA INFRASTRUCTURE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE HEALTH COMMUNICATION ECOSYSTEM
  • MEDIA CLOUD
  • ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
  • DISCUSSION
  • INSIGHTS FROM DATA AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS BREAKOUT SESSIONS
• 5. Capacity: Expertise and Human Capital
  • EXPERTISE AND CAPACITIES NEEDED FOR EVERYDAY HEALTH COMMUNICATION
  • CAPACITIES NEEDED FOR EFFECTIVE HEALTH COMMUNICATION IN EMERGENCIES
  • ENGAGING AND HONORING THE EXPERTISE OF NATIVE POPULATIONS
  • CAPACITIES FOR EFFECTIVELY ENGAGING THE NEWS MEDIA
  • EXPERTISE AND HUMAN CAPITAL NEEDED FOR EFFECTIVE LARGE-SCALE HEALTH COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS
  • DISCUSSION
  • INSIGHTS FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS
• 6. Capacity: Organizational Capacities for Agility
  • APPROACHES FOR INCREASING AGILITY IN GOVERNMENT
  • REFLECTIONS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE RESPONSE PANEL
  • DISCUSSION
• 7. Capacity: Building Relationships to Enhance Effective Health Communication
  • RELATIONSHIP BUILDING DURING COVID-19 IN NYC
  • CO-CREATION OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
  • CULTURAL HUMILITY: LESSONS FROM LEADERSHIP DURING SANDY HOOK; FLINT, MICHIGAN; AND ZIKA
  • EVIDENCE-BASED COLLABORATION
  • DISCUSSION
• 8. Key Themes and Final Reflections
  • A PARADIGM SHIFT IN FEDERAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION
  • LISTENING TO, COLLABORATING WITH, AND INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES
  • LEVERAGING SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH COMMUNICATION EXPERTISE
  • COORDINATION AND PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPAND CAPACITY
  • MECHANISMS TO SUPPORT COLLABORATION AND LEARNING
• References
• Appendix A. Workshop Agenda
• Appendix B. Participants and Committee Biographies
• Appendix C. Insights from Community Engagement Breakout Sessions
• Appendix D. Insights from Data and Information Systems Breakout Sessions
• Appendix E. Insights from Expertise and Human Capital for Research and Evaluation in Federal Health Communication Breakout Sessions

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Effective Health Communication Within the Current Information Environment and the Role of the Federal Government: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27210.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27210

This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Printed in the United States of America.