HEALTH COMMUNICATION IN THE PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND DRUG-USE

Research on substance abuse prevention programs indicates that effecti veness is greater when multiple intervention approaches that address t he specific vocabulary, perceptions, and values of the target populati on are employed. The field of health communication provides unique per spectives on media that can be applied to increase the salience and ef fectiveness of substance abuse prevention programs. Well-designed and Well-delivered health communications have the capacity for reaching re mote audiences, changing health attitudes and behavior, shaping social norms, changing the way health issues are portrayed by the popular me dia, and influencing decisions about legislation and policies. Health communication approaches are generally employed within the broad conte xt of health promotion programs, along with education, community devel opment, empowerment, and social change approaches. This article descri bes the role of health communication in substance abuse prevention, re views major conceptualizations of health communication, and introduces the unique features of the four articles included in this special sec tion of Health Education Br Behavior.