Effective communication for NCD prevention and control

Well-conceived, carefully implemented and sustained public health communication programmes have the capacity to elicit change among individuals and populations by raising awareness, increasing knowledge, shaping attitudes, promoting motivation and ultimately changing behaviours. In addition to promoting healthy behaviours among those targeted, public health communication initiatives can also help change social norms and promote policy changes that promote a more conducive environment for people to adopt healthy behaviours. This chapter provides examples of a range of approaches used (providing facts, eliciting fear, encouraging action, highlighting benefits). The chapter describes: (i) the challenge of communicating about NCDs and their risk factors, principles of effective communication, targeting the right audience in the right way, the role and impact of mass media campaigns and opportunities and challenges of social media. The importance of regularly assessing communication campaigns is also described to determine how and to what extent strategies and activities are reaching the targeted audiences and what impact they are making.