Benefits of Health Communication and Marketing

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HOST: In public health, we use health communication

and marketing strategies to try to influence behavior change.

In this Quick Learn video, Alexis will explain what

the difference is between health communication and marketing

and how the two can help you

in your diabetes behavior change activities.

ALEXIS: Health communication looks at ways to persuade people

to change their behavior, and it can be a variety of techniques

like public relations, media, public awareness campaigns,

interpersonal communication like peer counseling.

HOST: How is health marketing related to health communication?

ALEXIS: Marketing looks at many different factors

to help shape behavior such as where people can go to

engage in their behavior, environmental barriers

to the behavior, the cost of the behavior, and it

tries to make the behavior as easy as possible

for people to do.

HOST: So, you’re saying that,

in addition to using communication strategies,

health marketing addresses other factors

that support healthy behaviors.

But how do you know whether to choose a health communication

or a health marketing approach?

ALEXIS: So, say the goal of your program is

to increase the number of people with diabetes who get their

annual flu shot and you’re in a community where

flu shots are pretty much everywhere.

You can get them at work, you can get them

at the grocery store, you can get them at health fairs.

They’re pretty easy to get.

It’s one time of year during flu season

and people pretty much know what a flu shot is.

You can use health communication to remind people

to go get their flu shot, remind them of the benefits,

remind them of the risk of having diabetes

and not getting your flu shot.

Communication is a great way to remind people

once a year or during flu season

to go get their flu shot.

On the other hand, say your program goal is to

reduce the number of people with type 2 diabetes by

increasing access to diabetes prevention programs.

Well, that’s a much more complex issue.

So first you have to get people to understand their risk,

understand what it is, you have to get them to go get tested,

you have to get doctors to test, and then you have to get

doctors to refer, you have to get community based programs to

offer the program, then you have to get people to register

for a program and then go to a program.

It involves many more audiences,

many more issues, and what marketing does,

it helps you look at the whole landscape of

what it’s going to take to actually change behavior

and come up with coordinated approaches,

not just communication, but coordinated approaches that

bring all of that together and create an environment where

going to that program

is the easy choice for people to make.

HOST: Clearly, health communication and marketing

are more than running a few ads or handing out some brochures.

I can see why it’s important to have a coordinated plan.

Without one, it will be hard to know which direction to take

to accomplish your program goals and objectives.

ALEXIS: Having a planned approach to marketing

and communication means that you deliver the right message to the

right people at the right time and in the right amount.

The plan helps you track and evaluate that you’re

getting where you need to go.

If you don’t have a plan in place, then

you have no way of knowing if you’re making progress towards

reaching your program goals and objectives.

HOST: And where can you turn for more help?

You can use the National Diabetes Education Program’s

Health Communication and Marketing Toolkit.

It helps you create effective health communication

and marketing plans and shows you how to manage your team

and guide them to success! 79 00:04:04,144 --> 00:00:00,000 [MUSIC]