Health

Health matters to all of us, but people tend to think about it in narrow, stigmatizing, and fatalistic ways. Framing can help widen the lens.

Too often, factors and circumstances that shape our health are devalued or ignored. The public, elected officials, and some health providers tend to focus narrowly on lifestyles and behaviors.

Language can entrench and spread misconceptions—or it can unlock alternative ideas and perspectives.

Explore these studies to find frames that help explain the social determinants of health and health equity.

Featured Work

Framing Resource

Talking about Health Equity

Here are three sample definitions that use the phrases “fair and full” or “fair and just,” which can complement or replace the word equity.

Toolkit

Boosting Public Discourse: Reframing Childhood Immunization

Find guidance and resources to advocate for expanding access to childhood and adolescent vaccination.

Framing Resource

Explaining the Social Determinants of Health

Here are helpful things to keep in mind when you’re trying to explain why some demographic groups experience better or worse health outcomes than others.

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Report

Discussing Public Environments in the Community: A Focus Group Report about Nutrition and Physical Activity

This report recounts findings from focus groups conducted for the FrameWorks Institute as part of a multi-method investigation into how Americans think about community and societal determinants of...

Report

Fostering a Systematic View of Food and Fitness through Metaphor

What metaphors help people see food and fitness as systemic issues, not just lifestyle choices? This study weighs the effects of different comparisons - and finds that some offer more food for...

Report

Calories Not Communities: A Media Content Analysis of Food and Fitness News

A media content analysis to identify the common frames used in the news to communicate issues related to food and physical activity.

Report

Implications of the Consumer Frame for Food and Fitness Cognitive Analysis of Media Depictions

How do advertising and news media affect our thinking about food and fitness? This content analysis identifies common tropes - and the way they influence public thinking about public policy.

Report

Fitness as a Personal Ideal: Findings from Cognitive Elicitations in Colorado and Chicago

A report on additional cognitive interviews conducted in Colorado and Chicago to further test and refine our understanding of the way thinking about food and fitness defaults to individual lifestyle.

Report

Civic Wellbeing: An Analysis of Qualitative Research Among California Residents

A report of focus groups conducted to better understand the interplay between this dominant frame and the policies advocates seek to promote, and to probe the ability of such values frames as...

Frame Testing Recommendations

Framing the Food System

This MessageMemo distills insights from a set of related studies. It recommends ways to communicate more effectively about the food system, obesity, and related issues.

Report

Health Individualism: Findings from Cognitive Elicitations among Californians

A report on cognitive interviews conducted in four California communities to determine the mental models people use to reason about community health. This research funded by The California...

Toolkit

Talking Food Systems

included in this toolkit are new applications materials, based on the research findings, that can help engage the public in understanding food policies, potential reforms and solutions to pressing...

Report

Digesting Public Opinion: A meta-Analysis of Attitudes Toward Food, Health and Farms

This report identifies public opinion in relevant issue areas related to Food and Health.

Report

FrameWorks Research on Children’s Oral Health

A summary of the research on children’s oral health that informs the communications recommendations.

Report

Framing Children’s Oral Health for Public Attention and Support

This FrameWorks MessageMemo assesses the communications environment that affects the success or failure of children’s health advocates to communicate effectively about children’s oral health.