Lecture 1 Introduction
Introduction: Effective health communication… Covid-19 (Finset et al, 2020)
Approach of the article
● In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly across the world.
● Governments had to take strong and sometimes extreme measures.
● This raised an important question: how can communication help people understand
and respond correctly during a crisis?
The main idea: communication is not just about giving information, but about helping people
act in the right way during uncertain situations.
1. Massive flow of health information:
● During COVID-19, there was a huge amount of information worldwide, especially
through social media.
● This is sometimes called an “information overload.”
● Because of this, it became very important to give messages that are:
○ clear
○ reliable
○ suitable for different groups of people
Not everyone understands information in the same way, so messages must be adapted to
the audience.
2. Dealing with uncertainty and fear
● COVID-19 caused panic because it was seen as contagious and deadly.
● It was called an “invisible enemy” because people could spread it without symptoms.
● People felt a loss of control over their lives.
When people feel fear and uncertainty, they do not always act rationally. This makes
communication more difficult.
The article gives 4 important elements:
1. Open and honest about what is (un)known: stick to the facts and recognize the
temporality of it
→ Be honest about what you know and what you don’t know.→ Also explain that
knowledge can change over time (for example, advice about face masks changed).
2. Consistent and specific information: clear, specific, non-ambiguous “layman’s
language”
→ Messages should not be confusing.→ Use simple language so everyone can
understand it.
3. Decision making skills: make decisions with confidence and honesty (show
leadership)
, → Leaders should communicate clearly and confidently.
→ This builds trust (e.g., weekly press conferences).
4. Acknowledge emotions
→ Recognize that people feel fear, stress, or sadness.→ Show empathy and
understanding.
Important: people don’t just need facts, they also need emotional support.
3. Promote behavioral change
● Many COVID measures were simple (like washing hands), but hard to follow
consistently.
● People had to change daily habits, which takes effort.
● There is often an intention-behavior gap: People know what to do, but they don’t
always do it.
Knowing something is not enough, you need strategies to actually change behavior.
The article gives 4 recommendations:
1. **Creating a ‘mental model’**→ Help people understand how something works (for
example, how a virus spreads).→ Visual explanations can help (like diagrams).
2. Real interventions→ Make it easier to perform the behavior in real life.→ Example:
placing hand sanitizer in public places.
3. Appeal to collective action→ Emphasize: “we are in this together.”→ Use role
models to influence behavior.
4. Maintain behavioral change→ At first, people need to consciously think about the
behavior (self-efficacy = confidence in doing it).→ Over time, it becomes a habit and
requires less effort.
So behavior change is a process, not a one-time action.
What is this course about?
Health campaigns usually focus on:
● long-term planning
● changing behavior and lifestyle
This means the course is not only about communication, but also about influencing behavior
over time.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: what is risk?
Risk in this course:
● The likelihood (chance) that something happens
● multiplied by how serious (severe) the consequences are
So:
,Risk = chance × severity
● Risk perception is subjective→ Different people see the same risk differently→ This
makes it difficult to measure and communicate
Example: some people were very afraid of COVID, others were less concerned.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: what is health?
There are different definitions:
WHO (1946):
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of
disease.
→ This sees health as a fixed state (you are either healthy or not).
More recent definition:
Health is the ability to adapt to and manage life’s challenges.
→ This sees health as a dynamic process (it can change over time).
Modern view: health is about resilience and coping
There are three ways to look at health:
● Objective health → Based on the body (medical condition)→ Determined by experts
(e.g., doctor diagnosis)
● Subjective health → How a person feels about their own health→ Personal
perception
● Social health → How society and the environment influence health→ Includes
support from others
These three perspectives can give different answers about whether someone is “healthy.”
A case:
A person has a very high BMI and is classified as obese by a doctor. They feel unhappy
because they have difficulty walking. However, their community supports and accepts them.
Is this person healthy?
● Objectively? → No, because medically they are classified as obese.
● Subjectively? → Probably no, because they feel upset and limited.
● Socially? → Yes, because they are accepted and supported by others.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: prevention levels
Prevention
, ● Risk and health communication is often about prevention.
● This means: stopping a problem before it happens, or stopping it from getting worse.
● In simple terms: “avoid it from happening.”
There are three levels of prevention:
● Primary prevention
● Secondary prevention
● Tertiary prevention
Important:
The level of prevention determines how you communicate. So, your message and strategy
will be different for each level.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: primary prevention
Primary prevention means:
● Preventing a disease before it starts
This fits the idea: “prevention is better than cure.”
You focus on healthy people and try to keep them healthy.
Examples:
● Anti-smoking campaigns
● Promoting healthy eating
● Encouraging physical activity
● Vaccinations
The goal is: stop the problem from ever happening.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: secondary prevention
Secondary prevention means:
● Detecting a disease or problem early
The disease is already there, but not yet severe.
The goal is:
● Find it early
● Treat it early
● Prevent it from getting worse
Examples:
● Cancer screening (like breast cancer screening)
Introduction: Effective health communication… Covid-19 (Finset et al, 2020)
Approach of the article
● In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly across the world.
● Governments had to take strong and sometimes extreme measures.
● This raised an important question: how can communication help people understand
and respond correctly during a crisis?
The main idea: communication is not just about giving information, but about helping people
act in the right way during uncertain situations.
1. Massive flow of health information:
● During COVID-19, there was a huge amount of information worldwide, especially
through social media.
● This is sometimes called an “information overload.”
● Because of this, it became very important to give messages that are:
○ clear
○ reliable
○ suitable for different groups of people
Not everyone understands information in the same way, so messages must be adapted to
the audience.
2. Dealing with uncertainty and fear
● COVID-19 caused panic because it was seen as contagious and deadly.
● It was called an “invisible enemy” because people could spread it without symptoms.
● People felt a loss of control over their lives.
When people feel fear and uncertainty, they do not always act rationally. This makes
communication more difficult.
The article gives 4 important elements:
1. Open and honest about what is (un)known: stick to the facts and recognize the
temporality of it
→ Be honest about what you know and what you don’t know.→ Also explain that
knowledge can change over time (for example, advice about face masks changed).
2. Consistent and specific information: clear, specific, non-ambiguous “layman’s
language”
→ Messages should not be confusing.→ Use simple language so everyone can
understand it.
3. Decision making skills: make decisions with confidence and honesty (show
leadership)
, → Leaders should communicate clearly and confidently.
→ This builds trust (e.g., weekly press conferences).
4. Acknowledge emotions
→ Recognize that people feel fear, stress, or sadness.→ Show empathy and
understanding.
Important: people don’t just need facts, they also need emotional support.
3. Promote behavioral change
● Many COVID measures were simple (like washing hands), but hard to follow
consistently.
● People had to change daily habits, which takes effort.
● There is often an intention-behavior gap: People know what to do, but they don’t
always do it.
Knowing something is not enough, you need strategies to actually change behavior.
The article gives 4 recommendations:
1. **Creating a ‘mental model’**→ Help people understand how something works (for
example, how a virus spreads).→ Visual explanations can help (like diagrams).
2. Real interventions→ Make it easier to perform the behavior in real life.→ Example:
placing hand sanitizer in public places.
3. Appeal to collective action→ Emphasize: “we are in this together.”→ Use role
models to influence behavior.
4. Maintain behavioral change→ At first, people need to consciously think about the
behavior (self-efficacy = confidence in doing it).→ Over time, it becomes a habit and
requires less effort.
So behavior change is a process, not a one-time action.
What is this course about?
Health campaigns usually focus on:
● long-term planning
● changing behavior and lifestyle
This means the course is not only about communication, but also about influencing behavior
over time.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: what is risk?
Risk in this course:
● The likelihood (chance) that something happens
● multiplied by how serious (severe) the consequences are
So:
,Risk = chance × severity
● Risk perception is subjective→ Different people see the same risk differently→ This
makes it difficult to measure and communicate
Example: some people were very afraid of COVID, others were less concerned.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: what is health?
There are different definitions:
WHO (1946):
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of
disease.
→ This sees health as a fixed state (you are either healthy or not).
More recent definition:
Health is the ability to adapt to and manage life’s challenges.
→ This sees health as a dynamic process (it can change over time).
Modern view: health is about resilience and coping
There are three ways to look at health:
● Objective health → Based on the body (medical condition)→ Determined by experts
(e.g., doctor diagnosis)
● Subjective health → How a person feels about their own health→ Personal
perception
● Social health → How society and the environment influence health→ Includes
support from others
These three perspectives can give different answers about whether someone is “healthy.”
A case:
A person has a very high BMI and is classified as obese by a doctor. They feel unhappy
because they have difficulty walking. However, their community supports and accepts them.
Is this person healthy?
● Objectively? → No, because medically they are classified as obese.
● Subjectively? → Probably no, because they feel upset and limited.
● Socially? → Yes, because they are accepted and supported by others.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: prevention levels
Prevention
, ● Risk and health communication is often about prevention.
● This means: stopping a problem before it happens, or stopping it from getting worse.
● In simple terms: “avoid it from happening.”
There are three levels of prevention:
● Primary prevention
● Secondary prevention
● Tertiary prevention
Important:
The level of prevention determines how you communicate. So, your message and strategy
will be different for each level.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: primary prevention
Primary prevention means:
● Preventing a disease before it starts
This fits the idea: “prevention is better than cure.”
You focus on healthy people and try to keep them healthy.
Examples:
● Anti-smoking campaigns
● Promoting healthy eating
● Encouraging physical activity
● Vaccinations
The goal is: stop the problem from ever happening.
Key definitions is risk and health communication: secondary prevention
Secondary prevention means:
● Detecting a disease or problem early
The disease is already there, but not yet severe.
The goal is:
● Find it early
● Treat it early
● Prevent it from getting worse
Examples:
● Cancer screening (like breast cancer screening)
