Category: We Heart Health Literacy

New health comm resource alert! Our friends at the de Beaumont Foundation recently published Communicating About Public Health, a toolkit to help public health professionals build understanding of the field among the people they serve. We’re proud to share that CommunicateHealth supported this timely project! For today’s edition of Voices From the Field, we chatted with Mark Miller, de Beaumont’s Vice President of Communications, about key takeaways from the toolkit — and how we can apply those lessons to some of the biggest challenges health communicators are facing today.

Quick question: What is public health? If you don’t have an answer on the tip of your tongue, dear reader, you’re not alone. When Mark Miller arrived at the de Beaumont Foundation in 2017, he quickly recognized that public health professionals needed accessible language to explain the work they do. The lack of clear, consistent messaging about public health made it harder for professionals to build understanding, support, and trust with the people they serve. “To trust and support something, you first have to understand what it is,” Mark says. “At the de Beaumont Foundation, a big part of what we do is helping people communicate more effectively about what public health is and why it matters.” And that task has become more complex over the past few years. The field was thrust into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark notes — and in the aftermath, “many people are starting with not just a lack of understanding, but negative impressions and emotions.”

Last year, the de Beaumont Foundation teamed up with CommunicateHealth to create Communicating About Public Health: A Toolkit for Public Health Professionals. The toolkit builds on years of de Beaumont’s message testing work before and during the pandemic — and it’s grounded in new research that de Beaumont and CommunicateHealth conducted with more than 1,600 U.S. adults in 2024. Communicating About Public Health features messaging to help public health pros address 5 key knowledge gaps or misconceptions about the field. The goal is to build understanding of public health through everyday conversations and written communication. “The toolkit helps professionals connect the dots between issues that they’re dealing with at the moment — like a disease outbreak or a food safety issue — and the broader goal of public health,” Mark explains.

Communicating About Public Health also offers practical strategies to help pros tailor messages for specific audiences. At the beginning of the pandemic, there were a lot of efforts to educate people living in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, Mark says, and the de Beaumont team identified the need to connect with politically conservative audiences, including people living in rural communities. As part of an effort to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines across the political spectrum, the de Beaumont Foundation collaborated with GOP consultant and pollster Frank Luntz to learn about conservative audiences’ values and beliefs. While presenting this work at a Society for Health Communication event, Mark asked attendees: “When you think about health equity, how many of you think about political affiliation or rural communities?” It’s a thought-provoking question worth revisiting. “In public health, we often talk about meeting people where they are,” Mark says. “That’s critically important, and we need to approach that in an even broader way.”

If there’s one thing we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the value of acknowledging uncertainty. During uncertain times, it’s especially important to be upfront about what we don’t know. Mark also encourages health communicators to empathize with people’s genuine curiosity about topics like vaccination. “In our research during the pandemic, an approach that worked well acknowledged the importance of personal choice,” Mark explains. “For example, try using language like: ‘It’s natural for people to have questions. I want to try to answer your questions so you can make the best decision for you and your family.’”

With all the transitions and disruptions we’re experiencing, Mark advises health communicators to get back to basics. “Remember what drew you to this work,” Mark says. “Focus on those important goals — and seek new ways to accomplish them.” In unpredictable times, that’s a lesson all communicators can embrace.

The bottom line: Mark Miller and his team at the de Beaumont Foundation know that building understanding of public health is a key step toward building trust. Check out Communicating About Public Health for messages to help you build understanding of public health in your community!  

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): This week, CommunicateHealth chatted with Mark Miller at the de Beaumont Foundation about Communicating About Public Health: a helpful new toolkit for #PublicHealth pros. Check out our conversation: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/voices-from-the-field-mark-miller-de-beaumont-foundation #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm

Monday is Transgender Day of Visibility — a day when we celebrate the lives and contributions of trans and nonbinary people, amplify their voices, and honor their victories. It’s a day to acknowledge the strength and power of the trans community while also having honest conversations about the factors — like discrimination, stigma, and violence — that have required trans people to develop such resilience and courage. These factors affect health and well-being just as much as medical concerns (for example, trans people have higher rates of conditions like HIV/AIDS and mental illness).

But here’s the problem: We don’t always have the data to fully see the impact of any of these realities. Many public health surveys and studies ask participants to identify either their sex (a biological construct) or their gender (a social construct), but not both. This approach makes it almost impossible to fully understand the experiences of trans and nonbinary people. And when public health data fails to include a population (or when a population is erased from public data sets), that population is left out of research findings, policy decisions, and health care services.

So, what can we as health communicators and researchers do? We can start by doing our best to make sure our trans and nonbinary community members are visible. And although we don’t have all the answers, we do have a few suggestions.

• Use the two-step method to gather sex and gender information on surveys. It asks participants to name both their current gender and their sex assigned at birth. This approach helps make trans and nonbinary people visible in data — and when people are visible, public health programs can better meet their needs.
• Partner with trans people. In short, when trying to learn about a population, team up with them. One term for this is community-based participatory research (CBPR) — it’s a collaborative approach that directly involves communities in study design, data collection, and analysis. (Check out Howard Brown Health’s guide to CBPR for trans and nonbinary health!)
• Partner with community-based organizations that serve trans populations. These organizations bring lived experience, trust, and deep connections that can help ensure research is respectful, relevant, and actionable.
• When trans data is deleted from public data sets, link to new data. It may not always be possible to find a one-to-one replacement, but do your best. For example, U.S. Trans Survey may be an option for some public health-related data, The Trevor Project can provide data related to mental health in LGBTQ+ young people (and segments some data by gender identity), and this survey of trans adults includes categories on discrimination, mental health, and accessing health care. And if the information you’re linking to isn’t the perfect fit for the information that was deleted, consider explaining why. After all, a key part of supporting equity is advocacy — and when we call out attempts to erase the presence of trans people, we continue to advocate for and support trans visibility.
• Prioritize inclusive language. This almost goes without saying — but now more than ever, choose language that reflects trans people’s identities and experiences and conveys respect to everyone. Check out our Inclusive Language Playbook for actionable tips!

The bottom line: When trans people are left out of data, they’re left out of health care — and that perpetuates and deepens disparities. Inclusive approaches to collecting gender information and population research are vital to honoring the experiences and addressing the needs of trans people.  

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): Celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility with these tips about inclusive data: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/on-transgender-day-of-visibility-lets-talk-about-inclusive-data-in-public-health/

Here at We ❤️ Health Literacy HQ, we’ve spent the past decade listening to Veterans and designing mental health information based on their feedback. Along the way, we’ve learned about challenges that many Veterans face as they transition from military service to civilian life. We’re concerned that recent federal funding cuts and diminishing support for Veterans’ health research, mental health care, and other vital services could make it more difficult for Veterans to manage these challenges.

For example, some Veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), develop chronic pain, or lose mobility because of events that happened during their service. Social determinants of health also play a key role in Veterans’ health outcomes. As Veterans readjust to civilian life, many struggle to find work, contributing to financial instability and housing insecurity. If a Veteran can’t afford basic needs like safe housing, getting regular medical care becomes that much harder.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care to thousands of Veterans every year — but the system can be confusing to navigate. Understanding eligibility rules and accessing care can be overwhelming, especially for Veterans with complex health needs. In this enlightening article, Veteran Jenn Kerfoot describes the transition from military to civilian life as “a leap into the unknown” — especially when it comes to health care. Jenn says it best: “In the military, every aspect of your health care is meticulously managed for you. Terms like coverage, eligibility, copayments, and scheduling complexities are foreign languages. But upon being discharged, a Veteran is in uncharted waters, navigating a sea of administrative tasks that are as crucial as they are bewildering.”

As health communicators, we have an opportunity to help Veterans navigate the complex health care system by making health information clear, accessible, and actionable. When you’re designing health info for Veterans, keep these tips in mind: 

• Co-design with Veterans. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, and usability testing are just a few ways to involve Veterans in the process of creating communication materials. Even if you’re developing materials for a broader audience, including Veterans in formative research and testing is a great way to make sure your materials reflect Veterans’ perspectives. (Want to brush up on your moderation skils? Check out these simple tips.)
• Partner with organizations that serve Veterans, like American Veterans (AMVets) or Disabled American Veterans (DAV).Teaming up with organizations that serve your audience can amplify your reach and reinforce the credibility of your materials.
• Prioritize accessibility. Of course, it’s always important to make communication materials accessible, but we’re including this special shoutout because Veterans are more likely to be living with a disability. According to the U.S. Census, about a third of Veterans have a disability related to their military service. So when you’re designing for Veterans, be sure to follow accessibility best practices like including alt text, building in plenty of white space, and using high color contrast.
• Highlight crisis resources. Help Veterans access mental health support when they need it most. Direct readers to resources like the Veterans Crisis Line, which offers free, 24/7 support by phone, text message, and online chat.
• Share peer support resources. We’re proud to support AboutFace, a VA website where Veterans can learn about PTSD from others who’ve been there. Veterans can also access peer support services through VA. And organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and National Association of Minority Veterans (NAMVETS) can help Veterans connect with others who share similar experiences.

The bottom line: Veterans may face increasing barriers to health care, but health communicators can help by making Veterans’ health information clear, accessible, and actionable. 

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): Help #Veterans access care by making health information clear, actionable, and accessible. Check out these tips from CommunicateHealth: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/health-comm-for-the-current-moment-serving-those-who-served/ #HealthComm #HealthCommunication

Here at We ♥️ Health Literacy HQ, we’re always looking for ways to actively counter stigma when we’re writing about highly stigmatized topics. Stigma and discrimination against already-marginalized groups of people are especially widespread right now — but the substance of it isn’t new. People living with HIV have been fighting harmful stereotypes and discrimination since the AIDS epidemic began in the early ’80s. That’s almost 45 years!

So, what can we as health communicators do to take a stand against stigma while still communicating important messages to help keep our audiences safe and healthy? We’ve got a few ideas for you:

• Focus on behaviors, not identities. Consider a sentence like, ”Gay men are at higher risk for HIV.” Without context, this statement doesn’t capture the whole picture. Many gay men aren’t at risk for HIV at all, and many other people are at risk. So be sure to explain the behaviors that raise people’s risk (like having condomless sex with someone who doesn’t know their HIV status or sharing equipment for injecting drugs) — and leave identity out of the equation.
• Clearly explain the steps people can take to keep HIV from spreading. For example, people who don’t have HIV but have sexual partners who do can take PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) or use condoms. And taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help people with HIV stay healthy and avoid giving HIV to anyone else. More knowledge = healthier people and less stigma — so tell your audiences what they can do to stay safe and healthy.
• Use positive framing. No doubt about it, HIV is a serious condition. But these days, it’s very possible to live a long, healthy life with HIV — and to keep the disease from spreading (see above). Tell your audiences so! This kind of positive framing not only empowers people with HIV but also helps everyone recognize that people with HIV are just… people, going about their lives like anyone else.
• Use language thoughtfully. As always, choosing words that help people feel seen and accepted goes a long way toward countering stigma and stereotypes. This can include using people-first language (think “people with HIV” rather than “HIV patients”), taking care to get people’s pronouns right, and avoiding terms like “clean” to describe HIV test results. Pay attention to the terms that folks with HIV and the organizations that serve them are using — and, of course, test your materials with your audience whenever you can!
• Choose images carefully. Just like the words we use, images can help us counter stigma. But they can also perpetuate it. Be mindful of this when you’re choosing images for your HIV materials. While choosing a specific group of people as your priority audience is a good idea, keep in mind that if you’re only showing a specific group (say, gay men) or a specific subset of that group (like gay men of only 1 race, skin tone, age, or body type) in your HIV materials, the final result might accidentally reinforce stereotypes about who gets HIV.

The bottom line: Anti-HIV stigma is widespread and harmful. Making intentional choices about terminology, framing, images, and more in your HIV communications can help counter that stigma and empower your audiences.

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): Get out in front of harmful anti-HIV stigma and stereotypes with CommunicateHealth’s HIV communication tips: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/health-comm-for-the-current-moment-countering-hiv-stigma/ #HealthComm #HealthCommunication

Learning from your audience is a key step for creating materials that help your audience feel seen and accepted. Ideally, every health communicator would have access to a legion of expert researchers to conduct research sessions — but we know that’s not always the case. Time and budget constraints mean that formal research isn’t always on the table. And even when research is an option, it’s often health communicators (not specialized research professionals) in the room asking the questions.

But never fear, dear reader! Today, we’re bringing you some practical tips for moderating a research session — be it a focus group, in-depth interview, or usability testing — to help you make the most of the time you have with your audience and get useful insights that can inform your content.

Try these tips for moderating a successful research session:

• Break the ice. Spend a few minutes at the start of the session chatting with participants before diving into your research questions — for example, ask about their hometown or a favorite activity. This gives people time to “warm up” and get comfortable talking with you.
• Set expectations. Explain the purpose of your research and let participants know what to expect. Let them know how long you’ll be talking, what you’ll do with the information they share, and who will have access to it. If you’re going to be recording any part of the session, be sure to get participants’ consent — and give them a chance to ask any questions they may have before you get started.
• Create a discussion guide. A discussion guide is a tool that you can use to stay on track during your session. It’s not a script — but it can help you remember what you want to ask and give the session structure. Write out your questions, group them by topic, and note how much time you want to spend on each section. Consider highlighting your must-ask questions in case you’re short on time toward the end. And keep in mind that you can always adjust questions on the fly based on what’s happening in the conversation!
• Ask open-ended questions. How you ask a question can be just as important as what you ask about. To get the most from your participants, ask questions they can’t answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” For example, instead of asking “Do you exercise every day?” try “How often are you active?” or “Tell me about your physical activity routine.” Avoid asking leading questions that only leave people with 2 options to choose from, like “which is more helpful for keeping track of your medicine doses — a smartphone app or a paper schedule?” An open-ended way to ask that question might be: “How do you keep track of your medicine doses?”
• Be an active listener. Listen closely to your participants’ responses. This not only shows respect for your participant and helps you build trust — it also helps you fully engage with the new information you’re learning. When you’re using active listening skills, you’re in a better position to ask thoughtful follow-up questions or know when to probe for more information.
• Treat sessions like a normal conversation. Using a conversational tone can help your participants relax and be comfortable while they’re sharing their experiences — and keep the session from feeling like a “test.” Even so, some participants may ask if they’re answering your questions or doing tasks “correctly.” If that happens, try saying “there’s not a right or wrong way to answer — I’m here to learn about what you think.” Keep in mind that conducting research can mean talking to folks about sensitive or deeply personal subjects. It’s okay to acknowledge your participants’ emotions and show empathy
• Set yourself up for success. Planning ahead can make a big difference. If you can, ask a friend or colleague to do a “dry run” of your session before you meet with real participants. A dry run is an opportunity to check any technology you plan to use and make sure you have enough time to get through everything. And it’s a great way to get initial feedback on the tone and clarity of your questions!

The bottom line: Audience research is key to creating materials that resonate — and as health communicators, we sometimes have to put on our researcher hats to get it done. Following best practices can help you host successful research sessions and get the most from your audiences.

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!):Conducting research is a key way #HealthCommunicators can create materials that resonate with our audiences. This week, CommunicateHealth shares tips for moderating a research session: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/moderating-research-sessions #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm

If you’re a parent or caregiver of young kids (or just a person who enjoys well-made, educational public television), you might have come across PBS’s new addition to their children’s programming: Carl the Collector.

Carl’s a young boy/racoon who, as the show’s name implies, likes to collect things: from everyday things like rocks and sticks you might find on any playroom’s windowsill, to more whimsical items like fake mustaches. For Carl, his collections are more than just the product of a backyard excursion. Carl’s autistic, which makes him one of the few neurodivergent characters to have a lead role in popular TV.

Carl the Collector strikes a delicate balance between autism-driven stories and stories about everyday experiences that all kids can relate to — and the show strikes that balance exceptionally well. “Carl the Collector spotlights neurodivergent characters while exploring and celebrating the entire spectrum of humanity,” says Creator and Executive Producer Zachariah OHora. “[Their world] is designed to be a place where all viewers will see themselves or someone they know in it. We hope Carl and his friends will encourage empathy and understanding, and ultimately show that everyone benefits when we recognize and embrace our differences.” 

What we ❤️ most about Carl the Collector is that it’s a perfect example of how to center the lived experience of audience members when communicating about a health topic — and how this approach can make a great material even stronger. From the show’s creator, to its director, to other members of the production team, many of the people in charge of bringing Carl and his friends to life are either autistic themselves or have close relationships with people on the spectrum. Carl and his friend Lotta, the other autistic cast member, are voiced not by professional actors, but by kids who are neurodivergent (check out this article for more details about how the show’s produced). Lotta also highlights the experiences of autistic girls, who are often overlooked and underrepresented in media.

This commitment to reflecting Carl and Lotta’s everyday challenges, joys, and passionate interests makes Carl the Collector feel authentic in a way few TV shows do. But just like in real life, autism is only one part of their story. Carl and his friends explore, go on adventures, argue sometimes, and get into trouble — but most importantly, they learn how to work together to solve problems while respecting each other’s unique personalities. And that’s a lesson we all — adults, kids, and racoons — can embrace.

The bottom line: Carl the Collector brings us important lessons about autism in the best way possible — with sensitivity, humor, and taught by an adorable racoon in an argyle sweater.

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): If there’s ever a time to spotlight diversity — and authentic autism representation — it is now. Check out CommunicateHealth’s take on @PBS’s adorable new show, Carl the Collector, featuring one of very few neurodivergent main characters in children’s TV: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/tv-club-carl-the-collector/

A lot is happening in the world right now, dear readers. Things are changing daily — but what hasn’t changed is our commitment to clear and inclusive communication. That’s why we’re starting a new series called “Health Comm for the Current Moment.” It’s our attempt to shine a light on the issues that move health communicators, look behind the headlines, and bring you communication tips that (hopefully) make your work just a little bit easier. So without further ado, enjoy today’s post!

Here at We ❤️ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’ve spent a lot of time on this blog sharing ways to write more inclusively about all kinds of topics — including gender identity and sexuality, family structures, and disability.

But we also recognize that using inclusive language can come with challenges — like making sure language is inclusive and clear. When you’re writing for a broad audience, it’s likely to include both people who feel affirmed and validated when they see newer, more inclusive terms — and people who feel confused, or even alienated, by the same terms. And sometimes, there might just be terms you cannot use for, err… one reason or another.

This is tricky stuff. And while there are strategies we can use — like breaking our audience into segments — to help us decide what the “right” terms are for our particular audience, we still might sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we’re not sure what to do.

That’s why today, we’re shining the spotlight on “you”!

Ahem — that is, writing in the second person and addressing your reader as “you.” Using second person phrasing is not only a plain language best practice, but a clever way we can sidestep clunky wording or unfamiliar terms while still being clear about who we’re speaking to. Consider this example:

• Instead of: It’s important for pregnant people to get plenty of rest.
• Try: If you’re pregnant, it’s important to get plenty of rest.

Some readers might not be familiar with or receptive to the term “pregnant people” — but usually, readers will know whether they’re pregnant.

Here’s another example:

• Instead of: During a heat wave, unhoused individuals can use the cooling shelter the city has set up.
• Try: If you don’t have a safe place to cool down during a heat wave, you can use the cooling shelter the city has set up.

Some readers might not be familiar with the term “unhoused individuals” — a newer alternative to “homeless people” — or might prefer a different term. By addressing the reader as “you,” we can avoid creating confusion or accidentally causing offense while still clearly conveying our message.

And, when it does feel right to introduce a newer, more inclusive term, we can still use “you” to help the piece flow smoothly. Take this example:

• Breastfeeding can help protect babies from getting sick. Some people might prefer to use the term “chestfeeding” because it feels more gender-neutral or better aligns with their identity. When you feed your baby…

Here, we’ve introduced a newer inclusive term — chestfeeding — and explained why someone might use it. Then, we’ve transitioned to using second person language to avoid potentially clunky wording (like “When breastfeeding or chestfeeding a baby…”).

The bottom line: Addressing readers as “you” is not only a plain language best practice — it’s a tool we can use to make our communications clear and inclusive when we’re writing for broad and diverse audiences.

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): When we’re writing for broad, diverse audiences, it can be hard to make our communications both inclusive and clear. CommunicateHealth shares a simple tip health communicators can use to help all readers feel included: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/health-comm-for-the-current-moment-the-power-of-you/ #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm

Sharpen your library cards — for the latest post in our series “Voices From the Field,” we talked with Katherine Maas, Chief of Staff at the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS invests in community institutions dedicated to bringing information, education, and art to the public. IMLS’s mission is to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking and research, which supports educational and workforce development.” In short, they’re helping to make our libraries and museums even more awesome.

When asked what professional achievement she’s been especially proud of recently, Katherine Maas doesn’t have to think twice. “This year, we launched InformationLiteracy.gov, a collection of over 120 resources to help library and museum professionals promote information literacy in their communities.” (At We ❤️ Health Literacy headquarters, we’re super proud to have helped create the Information Literacy website!)

Information literacy, at the most basic level, means the skills that people need to find, understand, evaluate, and share information — and it never seemed more important than now. That very much includes our all-time favorite, health literacy, along with digital literacy, financial literacy, and science literacy. “All of these areas are connected,” Katherine says. “Digital literacy affects your ability to find good information to help you take care of yourself. And financial literacy underpins people’s ability to live their lives and support themselves, their families, and their health.” As for science literacy, the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a real eye opener about the need to break down, explain, and promote understanding of scientific processes.

Katherine notes that promoting information literacy and critical thinking skills can have a positive ripple effect into communities. In addition to helping people navigate today’s increasingly digital world, these important skills can have a tangible effect on workforce development. For example, understanding how to evaluate online information can help people apply for jobs (and avoid job scams!), earn a high school or college diploma, or learn a new trade to adapt to a changing job market.

It all comes down to helping people navigate their “information environment”: the people, organizations, and systems around us that collect, process, disseminate, and act on information. That’s where museums and libraries come in. “There are about 117,000 libraries and 22,000 museums in the U.S.,” Katherine says. “These local institutions are at the heart of their communities, and they’re able to see and help address information challenges that are unique to every community.”

Katherine points out that museums and libraries often serve as trusted messengers and spaces for learning for people in their community. And that puts them in the perfect position to help strengthen the skillsets people need to successfully navigate their information environment. “Libraries and museums encourage us to stop and think about how we know what we know. It’s hugely important for people to ask questions and think critically about what they consider facts — and ‘primary sources’ of information like history museums can play a big role in that.”

Finally, Katherine emphasizes that the point of the resources on InformationLiteracy.gov is to empower professionals — and by extension, the people in their communities — to have informed conversations about the issues that affect them, especially if that means navigating multiple perspectives. “When we developed InformationLiteracy.gov, we intentionally tried to bring people with different sets of expertise and different opinions to the table and share their strategies for reaching our common goal.” This collaborative approach has made InformationLiteracy.gov stronger and more adaptable to different settings and communities — and we think it shows!

The bottom line: Supporting information literacy may be one of the best strategies we have to help people navigate today’s complex digital environment. How lucky are we that there’s organizations like IMLS — along with thousands of museums and libraries across the country — to rise to the challenge!

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): CommunicateHealth’s new post in the series “Voices From the Field” features Katherine Maas from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Grab your #library card and check out this conversation: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/voices-from-the-field-katherine-maas-institute-of-museum-and-library-services/ #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm

As public health crises go, few have been as devastating as the opioid epidemic. Between 1999 and 2022, opioid overdoses claimed nearly 727,000 lives in the United States alone. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is weighing approval of a new medicine that promises to be a non-addictive alternative to opioids for treating pain. We’ll be following these developments closely — but in the meantime, we’re thinking about how we as health communicators can approach the extremely important, and extremely sensitive, topic of opioid use disorder (a question we first tried to answer in 2016).

Here’s our thoughts:

Include people with lived experience.

At this point, this almost goes without saying, dear reader — after all, nary a post gets published on here without mention of how important it is to involve your audience members in developing your materials. The more sensitive and complex the health topic, the more important it is to make sure the language you use accurately reflects the experience of people who’ve been there. That means engaging people with opioid use disorder, people in recovery, their loved ones and family members, or health care providers and allied professionals, depending on your communication goals.    

Reframe addiction as a medical problem.

All too often, addiction is still viewed as a moral failure instead of what it is: a medical problem that can be treated, just like any other disease. Health comm folks like us can support this mental shift by communicating about addiction and opioid use the same way we would talk about diseases like cancer or diabetes — with a focus on empathy and inclusive, non-stigmatizing language. Another strategy is to clearly explain what happens in the body when people become physically dependent on opioids or other drugs (for example, by sharing this video from the National Institute on Drug Abuse).

Explain harm reduction (then, explain it again).

For many folks, harm reduction — taking steps to make drug use safer — is one of the trickiest concepts to wrap their head around. It’s easy to see why. At a cursory glance, harm reduction strategies like needle exchanges or the Never Use Alone hotline may seem to “enable” people with opioid use disorder rather than encourage them to stop using. We could write a whole post about this topic (and we have!), but here’s the gist: The most important goal is to keep people alive. Recovering from opioid use disorder is tough, and it often takes people years and several attempts to stop using — but recovery is possible. Harm reduction is simply a way to keep people alive and as healthy as possible while they’re on their journey.

Highlight systemic reasons for the crisis.

Acknowledging the deeply rooted systemic reasons for the opioid epidemic in our country may not solve the crisis. But it may help reduce the social stigma so many people who misuse opioids face and help shift perception away from individual blame and toward systemic responsibility. We know now that for years, opioids were heavily marketed and promoted to doctors as safe — and that for years, they were over-prescribed, with far too little regulatory oversight. We also know there’s a myriad of systemic factors that contribute to the opioid crisis, like economic hardship, unequal access to health care, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Want more tips on communicating about opioids and overdose prevention? Check out this helpful messaging guide from Berkeley Media Studies Group.

Bottom line: People with opioid use disorder — and their loved ones — deserve clear, empathetic, and non-stigmatizing health information. As health communicators, we can do our part to make sure they get just that.

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!):The opioid crisis remains one of the most important public health topics of our time. CommunicateHealth shares thoughts on how #HealthComm professionals can talk about it: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/communicating-about-opioids-lessons-from-the-past-decade/ #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy

Way back in 2016, we talked about how icons make it easy to communicate with fewer words. And that’s still true! But a lot has changed in the world of iconography since then — especially when it comes to making icons more inclusive. So today, we’re exploring what’s new with our old pal the icon.

Just as we health communicators have been using more gender-conscious language, many designers have been exploring gender-conscious icons and pictograms. For example, you may have noticed the old-fashioned male and female stick figures slowly disappearing from bathroom signs. Now, instead of depicting gender, many bathroom signs depict, well, plumbing fixtures. By showing different combinations of toilets and urinals (and wheelchairs to indicate accessible stalls), these designs keep the focus on what the user needs. And that’s an approach we always ❤️!

Designers and accessibility advocates have also given the classic wheelchair icon a recent glow-up. Rather than a stiff, static depiction of a person sitting, this newer accessible icon shows their movement through space — shifting the focus from the wheelchair as passive object to the wheelchair user as active subject, and highlighting their ability to move and navigate.

And speaking of moves, if you watched the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, you may have seen the new pictograms for each sport. These designs didn’t default to clunky, static wheelchairs to stamp a design as “paralympic.” Instead, Olympic and Paralympic sports share the same pictogram, unless accessible equipment is key to the action. So the design for archery or swimming is shared, while wheelchair basketball gets a snazzy, dynamic chair added in.

You probably won’t want to use pictograms quite as fancy as the Paris designs in your health materials — the icons should be plain and clear in health comm, just like the language. But the next time you reach for an icon to help get your point across, we hope these examples help you choose a design that’s accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to everyone in your audiences.

The bottom line: Whether you’re creating health materials or designing for public spaces, use inclusive, accessible icons to help your audiences understand and navigate.  

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Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): How can we make icons more inclusive and accessible? CommunicateHealth takes a look at some icon updates:  https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/say-it-even-better-with-inclusive-icons/ #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm