Health

What surrounds us shapes our health

Americans overwhelmingly view health as a product of people’s choices, not something that is influenced by the environments, neighborhoods, and systems around us. We can’t assume that even “favorable” audiences understand these structural influences on health. Framing can help widen the lens.

What the Research Tells Us

Rebranding health topics as “public health issues” doesn’t change thinking.

Because people don’t understand public health, calling something a “public health issue” isn’t a sufficient reframe. Instead, express the concepts that make it a public health issue—something that affects all of us and every community.

Infuse health equity communications with values like dignity and justice.

The public associates the word “equity” with business and finance, and right-wing groups have misconstrued and politicized the term. Shift to broadly resonant themes like inherent human dignity and the pursuit of a just society.

Make key concepts more accessible.

The “social determinants of health” framework is essential to understanding the role of policy and public health, but the phrase can be off putting and opaque. Try alternate phrasing, like “the vital conditions for health” or a metaphor like, “the foundations of community health.”