ADVANCES IN PUBLIC-HEALTH COMMUNICATION

There have been tremendous advances in recent years in the innovative use of communication to address public health problems. This article o utlines the use of communication techniques and technologies to (posit ively) influence individuals, populations, and organizations for the p urpose of promoting conditions conducive to human and environmental he alth. The approaches described include social marketing, risk communic ation, and behavioral decision theory, entertainment education, media advocacy, and interactive decision support systems. We also address cr iticism of these approaches among public health professionals because of perceived discrepancies in their inherent goals and objectives. In conclusion, we call for the rapid diffusion of state-of-the-art public health communication practices into public health service agencies an d organizations.