Tamsin Rose made a presentation and ran a workshop on "Using information and communication to reduce inequalities" at the WHO Regions for Health Network Annual meeting in Katowice, Poland on 24-25 November 2005.
The presentation, which can be downloaded here, explored how the practice of health promotion has moved away from centralised, single message campaigns towards social marketing which involves targeted messages and a variety of media based on the needs and aspirations of the target audiences.
The workshop reviewed case studies from 3 regions (Wales, Emilia-Romagna, South Tyrol) on how they used information and communication to consult on priorities for health policy, to raise awareness of public health issues and gain public acceptance for healthcare reforms. In addition, details of information campaigns on topics such as smoking, food hygiene and childhood immunisation were shared.
The workshop concluded that health information needs to start early, e.g schools, and be integrated across the curriculum. Health information needs to come out of the healthcare ghetto and be connected into the daily interactions of people and communities. Policy-makers and health professionals have a duty to ensure that all people have a minimum level of information about health and are able to act on it. Social marketing tools can be used to reach different social groups, particularly those that are excluded or not integrated into healthcare systems.
