Communication Research for Public Health

Catalog description

This course constitutes a workshop-style introduction to the research methodologies used in planning a communication program for promoting desirable health behaviors, designing appropriate messages, pre-testing communications, and assessing program progress. Examples pertain mostly to international reproductive health, but skills learned are applicable to all public health areas. Class sessions may include short lectures but consist mostly of exercises involving communication pre-testing, qualitative and quantitative needs assessments, and basic quantitative analyses for measuring program progress. These skills are basic to the systematic approach in designing, implementing, and assessing a health communication program aimed at changing health behaviors. The course focuses on simple communication research skills that produce actionable results for program implementers (rather than on methodological sophistication).