Abstract

This book is about communicating for health and social change. With a clear focus on public health and health promotion practice, it provides a unique introduction to media and cultural studies perspectives on health communication.
 
Health Communication explores the dynamic world of contemporary mass media and diverse forms of alternative, mobile and social media:

• How are communities using media to communicate about health and advocate for social change?
• What are the challenges and opportunities involved with using the media for health communication?
• How can health promotion practitioners utilise media to create opportunities for more participatory and empowering approaches to health communication?

This indispensable guide to health communication provides readers with detailed and practical insights into the role of media and culture in contemporary health issues. Accessible theory is blended with case studies from around the world giving students, academics, and practitioners an invaluable framework for practice and a rich source of material for discussion.

"A useful and up-to-date descriptive account of traditional as well as new innovative health communication strategies, full of excellent concrete case examples from a diverse range of media, geographical and cultural contexts." – Anders Hansen, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director for the Centre for Mass Communication Research, Department of Media and Communication, University of Leicester, UK
'Get straight into the examples and case studies…they will encourage you to question issues and consider alternative ways to deliver health promotion in practice from a range of perspectives using a diverse range of health communication strategies.' - Nova Corcoran, Lecturer and Leader of MSc Public Health Award, University of South Wales, UK

'I feel there is an excellent balance between the early chapters on the complexity of culture and working with media and the later chapters where the practical case studies provide great insight into the everyday use of media…. This book provides a series of case studies which offer an in-depth understanding of the challenges and lessons learnt when providing public health, health promotion practices and strategies aimed at changing people's and communities' attitudes, beliefs and behaviours affecting health.

This is the type of book students need to use to develop their perspectives of public health and health promotion practice.' – Dr C Margaret Skropeta, Senior Lecturer, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Using a unique cultural studies approach, this timely book examines the influence of both traditional and emerging forms of media on international public health
Belinda Lewis (PhD) is a senior lecturer in Health Promotion and Health Communication in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia. She has over 20 years' experience teaching health communication and works with a diverse range of public health agencies, local governments, health services, and community groups in Australia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and South-east Asia.

Jeff Lewis (PhD) is Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Australia. He is an internationally recognised researcher, author and scholar in media and cultural studies. His books include: Global Media Apocalypse 2013, Crisis in the Global Mediasphere 2011, Cultural Studies 2008, Language Wars 2005