Culture, Communications and Health
I just got the program for the 9th Annual MCH (Maternal and Child Health) Summer Institute on Addressing Health Disparities: Culture, Communications and Health, to be held July 24-25, 2007 at the Humphrey Center, University of Minnesota West Bank. According to the program,
This Summer Institute will focus on the role of health communications in reducing health disparities affecting women, children, families and communities. Exciting keynote speakers and in-depth breakout sessions will focus on issues of culture and health literacy; the implications of communications inequality; the health communication needs of specific communities of color; and new strategies to increase communication effectiveness. A special feature of the Institute is a sneak preview of the upcoming PBS documentary: “Unnatural Causes: Is Health Inequality Making Us Sick?"
The Institute objectives are listed as
- Increase awareness about health disparities affecting women, children, and families;
- Improve ability to integrate literacy and cultural considerations into health communication efforts;
- Understand how diverse communities are exposed to, and respond to, health information in the media;
- Improve skills for addressing health disparities through new approaches to evaluation, program development, using the media, and working collaboratively with the University; and
- Highlight the role that communications plays in improving the health and nutrition of diverse populations
This strikes me as very important, both practically and conceptually. Everything we have learned about working with communities tells us that clear, honest, culturally-appropriate communication is essential to effective public health efforts.