From The Nation: We Can’t Message Our Way Out of a Public Health Crisis

Signs of Failure > doing the same thing over-and-over makes it worse . . . What if it is not the type of messaging but the concept of public health messaging itself that is falling short?

HYPERLOCAL EXAMPLE

Mayor John Giles signs proclamation requiring face coverings in Mesa

June 20, 2020 at 5:33 pm
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Mayor John Giles signed a proclamation today requiring, with some exceptions, face coverings to be worn in Mesa. The proclamation is the fourth signed during the state of emergency declared on...

We Can’t Message Our Way Out of a Public Health Crisis

As the coronavirus has spread, public officials have spent a lot of time urging people to wear a mask and socially distance, when they can’t stay home—and offered not much else.

By Abdullah Shihipar Today 5:00 am

The Nation 

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While one person may be isolating themselves, going out only for essential goods, and wearing a mask, their neighbor may be taking no precautions whatsoever, shunning masks, and ignoring social distancing. Most Americans report wearing a mask in polling, but certain states, including Ohio, Wyoming, and North Dakota, report low compliance. There are also intense debates about mask ordinances—as of this writing, at least 13 states do not have an ordinance and some officials have rejected calls to enact one. With more than 280,000 dead and rising, public health officials across the country are struggling with how to communicate with the public about the how and why to stay safe.

Research has been done on how to appeal to people’s sense of personal safety to get them to wear masks; articles have been written about ensuring we don’t shame people while we try to get them to adopt the best practices. In the midst of all this discussion, we may be missing the bigger picture . . .

THE TAKE-AWAY:

For public messaging campaigns to have their intended effects, people need to be provided with resources to follow the guidance

For messages to be effective, they have to be understandable. Anyone who has read messages from local health departments during the pandemic can also attest to how confusing information can be

A pandemic of these proportions demands an imaginative response. We have gotten so caught up in trying to get messaging to work in what seems like an impossible situation that we have forgotten what it takes to build a society in which the messaging can work.