Health Communication & Social Marketing

Health communication is defined as the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health (NCI 2001) .

• The scope of health communication includes disease prevention, health promotion, health care policy, and the business of health care as well as enhancement of the quality of life and health of individuals within the community.
• Health communication considers a variety of channels to deliver its targeted or tailored messages to specific segments among varied audiences, including individuals, communities, health professionals, special groups, and policy makers.

Social marketing is the use of strategic marketing practices “…to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience.” (Kotler & Andreasen, 2003)

• Social marketing is customer centered and focuses on three major decisions: segmentation, targeting and positioning. Guided by these decisions, the “marketing mix” (or 4 Ps of marketing: place, price, product & promotion) is developed to produce the desired responses in the target markets.
• Eight established benchmark criteria have been widely accepted as essential components of social marketing efforts: consumer orientation, insight, behavioral objectives, segmentation, exchange, competition, marketing mix, and theory.

Task Force Recommendations & Findings

This table lists interventions reviewed by the Community Guide, with a summary of the Task Force finding (definitions of findings). Click on an underlined intervention title for a summary of the review.

Health Communication Campaigns That Include Mass Media & Health-Related Product Distribution

Recommended December 2010

Related Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The following interventions, related to health communication campaigns, are separated by strategy. They can also can be found on the associated topic pages.

Mass Media
Cancer Prevention & Control Preventing Skin Cancer: Mass Media Campaigns	Insufficient Evidence June 2011
Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Mass Media Campaigns	Recommended June 2002
Obesity Prevention & Control Mass Media Interventions to Reduce Screen Time	Insufficient Evidence January 2008
Promoting Physical Activity Campaigns and Informational Approaches: Mass Media Campaigns	Insufficient Evidence March 2010
Tobacco Use Increasing Tobacco Use Cessation: Mass Media—Cessation Series	Insufficient Evidence May 2000
Small Media
Cancer Prevention & Control Client-Oriented Screening Interventions: Small Media	Recommended December 2005
Interpersonal Communication (e.g., group education, one-on-one counseling)
Cancer Prevention & Control Client-Oriented Screening Interventions: One-on-One Education	Recommended March 2010
Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention Use of Child Safety Seats: Distribution and Education Programs	Recommended June 1998
Obesity Prevention & Control Provider-Oriented Interventions: Provider Education	Insufficient Evidence October 2007
Promoting Physical Activity Campaigns and Informational Approaches: Classroom-Based Health Education Focused on Providing Information	Insufficient Evidence October 2000
Vaccinations to Prevent Diseases Universally Recommended Vaccinations: Provider Education When Used Alone	Insufficient Evidence March 2010
Violence Prevention Focused on Children and Youth School-Based Programs to Reduce Violence	Recommended June 2005
Comprehensive, Community-wide Approach
Cancer Prevention & Control Preventing Skin Cancer: Community-wide Multicomponent Interventions	Insufficient Evidence April 2012
Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention Use of Child Safety Seats: Community-Wide Information and Enhanced Enforcement Campaigns	Recommended June 1998
Prevention of Birth Defects Community-Wide Campaigns to Promote the Use of Folic Acid Supplements	Recommended June 2004
Promoting Physical Activity Campaigns and Informational Approaches: Community-Wide Campaigns	Recommended February 2001
Vaccinations to Prevent Diseases Universally Recommended Vaccinations: Community-Based Interventions Implemented in Combination	Recommended June 2010

Referenced Documents

Kotler P, Andreasen A. Strategic marketing for nonprofit organizations (6th edition). New York: Prentice-Hall; 2003.

---