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Articles on Public health campaigns

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For much of the 20th century, Americans were used to seeing people bearing the signs of past polio infection. Genevieve Naylor/Corbis via Getty Images

‘Got polio?’ messaging underscores a vaccine campaign’s success but creates false sense of security as memories of the disease fade in US

Polio vaccines have been a massive public health victory in the US. But purely celebratory messaging overlooks the ongoing threat if vaccination rates fall.
The monkeypox pandemic has seen an increase in the use of the term “men who have sex with men.” Westend61/Getty Images

‘Men who have sex with men’ originated during the HIV pandemic to focus on behavior rather than identity – but not everyone thinks the term helps

The term ‘MSM’ allows public health interventions to gloss over the social, political and cultural complexities of identity. But it’s not without its limitations.
At the beginning of the vaccine rollout, First Nations people were identified as a high priority list. Despite this, access to the vaccine for First Nations communities was quite limited. Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image

First Nations people in rural NSW lived with more anxiety and fear about COVID-19 than non-First Nations people

A new study has found First Nations people in rural NSW experienced more anxiety and fear about COVID than non-Indigenous people. How did government messaging contribute to this?
With mask mandates and vaccine requirements lifting, public health information remains crucial so people can weigh their own COVID-19 risks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Adapting to life with COVID-19: Lessons our own immune system can teach us about public health information

To help people make informed decisions about ongoing COVID-19 risks, public health messaging needs to adapt as the pandemic evolves, just as immune systems adapt to new viruses and variants.
While the vast majority of primary care providers have higher confidence in vaccines than the general public, some do not. Evgeniy Shkolenko/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The 1 in 10 U.S. doctors with reservations about vaccines could be undermining the fight against COVID-19

Many COVID-19 vaccination campaigns encourage doctors to serve as a trusted source of vaccine information. But certain vaccine-hesitant providers may stymie these efforts.
Viewing immunity as a carpet that we weave together evokes labour and artistry, and suggests we have a role in crafting something rather than simply being acted upon by a virus. (Shutterstock)

How we think about immunity can help us navigate COVID-19 risks together

The metaphor of a collective “carpet of immunity” invites us to imagine immunity as a collaborative project, spreading out to protect those for whom the end of mandates means increased vulnerability.
Sometimes facts and statistics aren’t enough to convince someone to get the COVID-19 vaccine. PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

A direct recommendation from a doctor may be the final push someone needs to get vaccinated

There are a variety of reasons why people do or don’t want to be vaccinated. Depending on how they frame their messaging around vaccination, doctors can often be the deciding factor.
Protesters gather at Indiana University in June 2021 to demonstrate against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and faculty. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Forceful vaccine messages backfire with holdouts – how can it be done better?

Subtly shifting the crafting and delivery of public health messaging on COVID-19 vaccines could go a long way toward persuading many of the unvaccinated to get the shot.
When the messenger is distrusted, adherence to public health advice fails. Anti-mask protesters hold signs during a demonstration against measures taken by public health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in St. Thomas, Ont., in November 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

Public health campaigns can be ruined by the personal conduct of politicians

When politicians disregard public health directives, new research shows it causes the public to distrust governments’ handling of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crises disrupt our expectations for the future, thereby affecting our emotions, planning behaviours and identities. (Unsplash/Nick Fewings)

Successful health campaigns during COVID-19 need to manage our altered ideas about the future

When a crisis like COVID-19 disrupts expectations for the future, it also disrupts how health messaging works. Advertising research shows three ways that health campaigns can succeed in a crisis.
Public service announcements, news articles and social media posts are all part of the coronavirus messaging landscape. Noam Galai via Getty Images

COVID-19 public health messages have been all over the place – but researchers know how to do better

During the pandemic, clear and reliable health communication can literally be a life-and-death issue. Researchers who focus on the science of science communication highlight strategies that work.

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