Communication Research On Health Disparities And Coping Strategies In Covid 19 Related Crises

This book presents health communication scholarship from Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, United States, and Venezuela, that recognizes the central role of communication in addressing and coping with health disparities across diverse populations. It thus advances understanding of the nuances of long standing, as well as emerging health disparities in our ever-changing social environment. The volume features eleven original, interdisciplinary research and evidence-based articles from scholars with distinct disciplinary backgrounds and unique positionalities who offer new and meaningful perspectives for scholars and practitioners in their diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice efforts within domains such as health communication and public health. Contributions to the book facilitate meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchanges to address a wide range of key health disparities related to structural barriers and racial inequities. Featuring highly interdisciplinary research spanning from the Global South to the Global North, this book will be a key resource for researchers, scholars and practitioners in both communication studies and health sciences, as well as their respective allied fields such as media studies, telecommunications, journalism, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, medical science, nursing, public health, psychology/psychiatry, and medical informatics. It was originally published as a special issue of Health Communication.

This contributed volume identifies how the information processes of public institutions and citizens have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, within a new context that emerged: the infodemic disorder. Public debate is largely characterized today by a crisis of the legitimacy of institutions, accompanied by a crisis of authority in public communication, leading to the emergency of a state of information disorder due specifically to the need to find information related to the coping of the pandemic. This condition is characterized by growing attention to issues related to ‘fake news’, ‘misinformation’, and ‘media manipulation’, that are intertwined in digital platform ecosystems, and the effects of which on democracy, public communication and research, and the sharing of information in the civic sphere are broad and far-reaching. This volume analyzes the links between communication strategies of public institutions, and the resulting citizen communication, in an attempt to tease out how communication processes have changed during the pandemic. It was decided to investigate this infodemic disorder as it appeared in three different geographical contexts: Europe, Canada and Mexico and, at the same time, to bring out the formal and informal coping strategies implemented by public institutions and citizens. Beginning with an introduction to the crisis of information created by the pandemic, the contributors build a theoretical framework, provide contagion data, and subsequently, for each of the geographical contexts analyzed, explore the public communication strategies and those activated by citizens seeking to share information.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Exploring how and why communication breakdowns occur during pandemics and world disasters, this book offers solutions for improving communication and managing future public health crises. A compilation of evidence-based lessons learned, this book shows how to effectively convey critical lifesaving information during a pandemic. It assesses how trust in leaders and governments during a public health crisis is formed and the impact this has on how information is perceived by the public. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, the book demonstrates how informative policy decisions and health risk messages can be better communicated for the handling of future pandemics. At a macro-level, the book looks at issues concerning situational awareness, how different countries managed or mismanaged the pandemic, and the lessons readers can learn from those occurrences. At a micro-level, it examines individual differences in public health message perceptions and corresponding actions taken or not taken. An interdisciplinary critique of the delivery and reception of messages during global disasters, this text is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in Communication Studies, Health Communication, Risk Communication and Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, and Disaster Management.

Health Communication and Mass Media is a much-needed resource for those with a professional or academic interest in the field of health communication. The chapters engage and expand upon significant theories informing efforts at mediated health communication and demonstrate the practical utility of these theories in on-going or completed projects. They consider how to balance the ethical and efficacy demands of mediated health communication efforts, and discuss both traditional media and communication systems and new web-based and mobile media. The book's treatment is broad, reflecting the topical and methodological diversity in the field. It offers an integrated approach to communication theory and application. Readers will be able to appreciate the ways that theory shapes health communication applications and how those applications inform the further construction of theory. They will find practical examples of mediated health communication that can serve as models for their own efforts. While the book serves as an introduction to mediated health communication for students, professionals, and practitioners with limited experience, researchers and advanced practitioners will also appreciate the exemplars and theoretical insights offered by the chapter authors. This book will be of interest to anyone involved in health communication programs or more generally with communication and allied studies, as well as to those in the health professions and their related fields.

Both international and internal migration brings new challenges to public health systems. This book aims to critically review theoretical frameworks and literature, as well as discuss new practices and lessons related to culture, migration, and health communication in different countries. It features research and applied projects conducted by scholars from various disciplines including media and communication, public health, medicine, and nursing.

The physical effects of COVID-19 are felt globally. However, one issue that has not been sufficiently addressed is the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens worldwide are enduring widespread lockdowns; children are out of school; and millions have lost their jobs, which has caused anxiety, depression, insomnia, and distress. Mental Health Effects of COVID-19 provides a comprehensive analysis of mental health problems resulting from COVID-19, including depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, trauma, and PTSD. The book includes chapters detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the family’s well-being and society dynamics. The book concludes with an explanation on how meditation and online treatment methods can be used to combat the effects on mental health. Discusses family dynamics, domestic violence, and aggression due to COVID-19 Details the psychological impact of COVID-19 on children and adolescents Includes key information on depression, anxiety, and suicide as a result of COVID-19