Key Insights from Module 1

The first part of health communications class served as an introduction to the topic of health communications and further expained how communication is effective and why it is an important part of any health promotion campaign.
The first major insight I had in module 1 was regarding the definition of health communication itself. Throught the project of code your own communication I realized that communication comes in many forms and that we are constantly receiving health messages and the effective messages are the ones we can relate to and process so that the message promotes a change in behavior. Along with this insight I really enjoyed looking at the different campaigns especially the live strong ads. By watching these I realized why they were effective.
The second major insight I had during module one is related to the first, looking at the different health promotion adds and deciding if they were low versus high involvement I realized that as a public health student I am biased to certain types of advertisements and therefore different populations of people will resond to the types of communication that appeal to them. So I may appreciate a high involvement add whereas a highschool student who has no interest in health may appreciate a more low involvement approach. It is also interesting to note that because I have a science background I am not used to such extensive reading and that was a huge adjustment for me in this class.
The final major insight that I had for module 1 was something that I already knew to be very important but it was reinforced well. I was reminded that formative research and really getting to know their background and motivations is essential to effective public health work and a successful health communication campaign. I really enjoyed the Pink book reading and its very direct and straighforward style. I will be able to apply this information in the future because before any work can be done it is important to do the apporpriate research.
In our project for class it will be very important to use what I've learned so far and consider the audience of 6-8th graders who have very particular motivators and rewards to get them to change behavior and be more physically active.