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.