14/3/202

Health Communication
Professor Ruzita Abd. Talib

Professor Ruzita Abd. Talib

Nutritional Science Program
Faculty of Health Sciences
rzt@ukm.edu.my

Dr. Ruzita Abd. Talib is a Professor of

Nutrition at Nutritional Science Program,
Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Her major research interest includes
Nutrition Education and Promotion,
particularly in childhood obesity
intervention and the application of
glycemic index in dietary
management of diabetes.
She has published more than 100
scientific papers/reports local and
internationally.

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Introduction

• Communication requires a sender, a message, a

receiver and a channel of communication.
• Convincing people to adopt healthy behaviors or
policymakers and professionals to introduce and
change practices in support of better health has
never been an easy task.
• Live in a new norm due to pandemic COVID19.
Health communication approaches will work only
f i they have an in-depth understanding of
andemic.
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Defining Health Communication

There are several definitions

of health communication.

all of them point to a similar role of

this approach in the process of
advocating for and improving
individual or public health outcomes.

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An understanding of health communication theory and

practice requires reflection on the literal meaning of the word
communication:
Exchange of information,
between individuals, for
example, by means of Message: a spoken or
speaking, writing, or using a Act of communicating
written message
common system of signs
and behaviors

Rapport: a sense of mutual Access: a means of access

understanding and sympathy or communication, for
example, a connecting door

In fact, all literal meanings of communication can help define

the modalities of well-designed health communication
programs
a two-way exchange of
information that uses a common
system of signs and behaviors

Health
communication
should be based
on:
communication channels and It should be accessible and create
messages are the “connecting “mutual feelings of understanding and
doors” that allow health sympathy” among members of the
communication interventions to reach communication team and intended
intended audiences. audiences

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 Definitions of health communication is organized by key
words most commonly used to characterize health
communication and its roles:
1. To inform and
influence (individual
and community)
decisions:
• Health communication is a
key strategy to inform the
public about health concerns
and to maintain important
health issues on the public
agenda.
4. Increase knowledge
and understanding of
health-related issues
• The goal of health
communication is to
increase knowledge and
understanding of health-
related issues and to improve
the health status of the
intended audience.
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2. Motivating
individuals
• Effective health
communication is the art and
technique of informing,
influencing, and motivating
individuals, institutions, and
large public audiences about
important health issues
based on sound scientific
and ethical considerations.
5. Empowers people
• Communication empowers
people by providing them
with knowledge and
understanding about specific
health problems and
interventions.
3. Change behaviors
• Health communication, like
health education, is an
approach which attempts to
change a set of behaviors in
a large-scale target audience
regarding a specific problem
in a predefined period of time”
6. Exchange,
interchange of
information, two-way
dialogue
• Health communication is the
scientific development,
strategic dissemination, and
critical evaluation of relevant,
accurate, accessible, and
understandable health
information communicated to
and from intended audiences
to advance the health of the
public.
 Concept of health communication
Health communication is transferring or
giving information, persuading, influencing
or warning clients/patients about risky
behaviour.

HC is an art and technique of informing,

influencing and motivating individual or
groups about important health issues.

HC encompasses the study and use of

communication strategies to inform and
influence Individual and community
decisions that enhance health.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Health Communication Strategies

Health communication strategies are those plans adopted by the health educator to
inform and influence people to bring about behavioural change (knowledge, attitude).

Information dissemination programmes the risk of a particular lifestyle, choices and personal
methods makes use of variety of media to behaviour
offer information to the public about: the benefits of changing that behaviour and improving
the quality of life.

The use of communication strategies is crucial to ensure optimum utilization of health

information provided by the health educators so that individuals and communities may
observe healthy living practices and seek appropriate medical help in due time.

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 campaigns

inter personal entertainment

communication advocacy
HC strategies
includes:

new media
technologies advocacy

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What health communication can and cannot do?

Health Communication Can Help: Health Communication Cannot:

• Raise awareness of health issues to drive
policy or practice changes.
• Influence perceptions, beliefs and
attitudes that may change social norms.
• Show benefits of behavior change.
• Demonstrate healthy skills.
• Provoke public discussion to drive disease
diagnosis, treatment, or prevention.
• Improve provider-patient relationships,
and ultimately, patient compliance and
outcomes.
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• Work in a vacuum, independent from other
larger public health or marketing
interventions.
• Replace the lack of local infrastructure or
capability.
• Compensate for the absence of adequate
treatment or diagnostic or preventative
options.
• Be equally effective in addressing all
issues or relaying all messages, at least in
the same time frame
 any combination of planned learning experiences;

Definition of Health
based on theories
Education

provide individuals, groups, and communities the

opportunity to acquire information and the skills
needed to make quality health decisions.

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any planned combination of educational,

political, regulatory, or organizational supports
Definition of Health
Promotion
for actions and conditions of living conducive to the
health of individuals, groups, and communities

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 The Relationship
Between Health
Education
and Health
Promotion

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Health educators

• a professionally prepared • specifically trained to use

individual who serves in a appropriate educational
variety of roles. strategies and methods
HEALTH
EDUCATOR • to facilitate the

• need for health educators

S development of policies,
procedures, interventions,
to provide education at all
and systems conducive to
three levels of prevention.
the health of individuals,
groups, and
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communit1i6es.

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 assess individual and plan health education implement health
community needs for strategies, education strategies,
health education interventions, and interventions, and
programs programs

Areas of Responsibility for HE

conduct evaluation and communicate and serve as a health

research related to advocate for health education resource
health education and health education person
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Three Levels
of Prevention

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 WHO principles for effective communications

• The Framework is organized according to

six principles to ensure WHO
communications are:
• accessible
• actionable
• credible and trusted
• relevant
• timely
• understandable.

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Barriers of Effective Health Communication

Low
health
literacy
Inadequate Poor
feedback communication
link

Inappropriate Poor
channel Barriers
research

Wrong
Unclear person
messages sending
messages
Lack of
receivers

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 Recommendation

• Based on the importance of health communication on prevention of diseases and

promotion of health, it is recommended that:

• Health communication should be in co-operated in the curriculum of all levels of health

institutions to equip health educators/providers with adequate knowledge concerning
communications on health-related issues.

• Health education should stand as a discipline of its own.

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Components of intervention
Nutrition education in classroom
setting Cooking
demonstration
Chef Ceria Sihat

Physical activity

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 1. The HEBAT! Camp activities

The concept of
Energy Balance

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The HEBAT! Camp activities

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 The HEBAT! Camp activities

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The HEBAT! Camp activities

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 Weight Reduction Programme for Obese Adult

Individual counselling and group discussion

Interactive and informative education session

Cooking Demonstration F.E.A.T Carnival F.E.A.T Healthy

Shopping

Aerobic exercise Gardening

60 munities, 2 Jungle trekking
3 times/week
times/week

Weight resistance training

(resistant band) 30-60 munities, 2
times/week 27

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Individual counselling and group discussion

Cooking F.E.A.T Healthy

Demonstration F.E.A.T Carnival
Shopping

Interactive and informative education session 28

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 Interactive and informative education session

Aerobic exercise Gardening- 3 times/week

60 munities, 2 times/week

Weight resistance training (resistant

Jungle trekking 3 sessions
band) 30-60 munities, 2 times/week
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Outcomes:
Published healthy recipes book

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 Recipes cooked by respondents
at home

Respondents of F.E.A.T Study were encouraged to cook recipes from

the recipe book for at least once a week.

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Terima Kasih

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