What is communication?

Public health communication is the development, dissemination, and evaluation of relevant, accurate, accessible, and understandable information shared with and received from intended audiences to protect and advance the health of the public.

Public health communication is inherently interventionist, seeking to promote and protect health through change at all levels of influence.

Public health communication is a key intervention used by public health practitioners at all levels. It embraces a range of communication strategies. Public health communication has a number of purposes such as:

* Influencing social norms
* Advocating for healthy public policy
* Providing public alerts
* Increasing individual knowledge and awareness and promoting behaviour change

Audiences range from individuals, groups, communities, stakeholders, to decision-makers, and community partners. Public health communication is bi-directional, i.e., between PPH and community members. Communication can be a cost-effective population-based strategy. Effective communication strategies and mechanisms have the potential to quickly reach large audiences or specific groups and individuals, and provide a means to receive information. Public health communication strategies are high quality and targeted that reflect the interest, needs and values of the intended audience.