Designing health messages : Approaches from communication theory and public health practice / Compiled by Edward Maibach and Roxanne Louiselle Parrott.

Chapter overviews, subheadings, and summaries facilitate quick review for students and professionals.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Motivation to attend to health messages -- Presentation of content and linguistic considerations -- Encouraging risk reduction -- A decision-making approach to message design -- Moving people to behavior change -- A staged social cognitive approach to message design -- Fear appeals in health promotion campaigns -- Too much, too little, or just right? -- Thinking positively -- Using positive affect when designing health messages -- Designing messages for behavioral inoculation -- Reaching young audiences — Examples from the ‘American Responds to AIDS’ campaign -- Choosing audience segmentation strategies and methods for health communication -- Policy and administrative practices at a crossroads.

A comprehensive resource exploring how to design effective health campaign messages, linking communication theory with public health practice.