Writing Health Communication
An Evidence-based Guide
- Charles Abraham - University of Exeter, UK
- Marieke Kools - Maastricht University, Netherlands
Health Communication
The book outlines the steps a writer needs to go through in creating successful materials. Starting with an understanding of how people read and process information and how behaviour is influenced, the book then covers the practicalities of
" Choosing an approach
" Message framing
" Text design and layout
" Using graphics
" Computer tailoring
Each chapter is illustrated with examples - including both good and bad practice and covering a range of health topics. For students and professionals in healthcare, health promotion, health education and public health, Writing for Health Communication is an invaluable guide to best practice.
Too much detail for the students on the course
This was a clear, well written text. It provides very useful practical advice for anyone working in health related fields embarking on work communicating with people whether at an individual or population level. As such it would be useful for those in the world of work and those in education. It could be very useful for students in nursing, allied health and medical training, undergraduate and post graduate courses. the content is well supported by theory explanations and discussions.
There are useful ethical considerations - I like the chapter abotu fear. the bite sized summaries of chapters at the end were very useful
This text, in part, plugs the gap that health promtion students find when the less tangible aspects of message communication are discussed and the lecturer has taken them to the edge of the evidence base! Presenting material is key to social marketing and this text will help with the basics in communicating persuasively.
Nice book with good anecdotes!
A really useful text, providing helpful and usable advice on how to communicate well on health issues. I like the fact that the final chapter briefly summarizes the earlier content.
This is a well written and well produced book with a variety of thought-proking ideas about ways of presenting information. It's not a book on writing about the doing of a practice such as counselling, for example. I would say it it for those producing teaching materials, publicity, information and for those purposes it is very good. I have only recommended it as supplemmental because it will be useful to some but not all of the students on my courses.
Sage College Publishing
