Category: We Heart Health Literacy

We’ve seen lots of good guidance lately that focuses on how people can keep themselves safe and healthy during the pandemic. And that type of guidance is useful and necessary.

But here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’ve been thinking a lot about what’s missing from that advice: how to protect other people. Because in a pandemic, every personal risk is a public risk — and every personal choice to wear a mask or stay at home is a public service. That means when we focus too much on self-protection, we’re missing half the message.

Fortunately, most people want to do good and help others — and this desire to help those around us can even help motivate behavior change. So when you write about COVID-19, use these tips to keep the public front and center in this public health crisis:

• Help people feel helpful (or even heroic!). Tell your audience that even if they aren’t worried about themselves or their families getting sick, they have a chance to protect other people. Going out to eat? Think about the server and the person at the next table. Traveling by plane? Think about the flight crew and other passengers. Stress that when they avoid exposing others to the virus, they could be saving a life. And to make these public effects feel more, well, personal, try highlighting real stories of people who’ve been affected by COVID-19.
• Call out “COVID privilege.” Not everyone has the option to stay home, and many people working non-remote jobs are risking their lives for less than a living wage. So remind readers who have the privilege of isolating themselves and their families to consider this power imbalance. Encourage them to take a question like this: “Is it safe for me and my family to go on vacation/have someone clean our house/go to a salon?” And reframe it like this: “Is it safe for us and everyone we’ll come in contact with?”
• Draw helpful public health parallels. People may bristle at mask mandates because the concept is so new. So help your readers make the connection with more familiar public health measures. Do they pay attention to speed limits when driving? Refrain from smoking in restaurants? Cover their mouth when they cough? Masks are just like that — something we all need to do to keep our fellow humans safe and healthy.
• Keep their eyes on the prize. There’s no point pretending that COVID prevention is all a (socially distant) walk in the park. And your audience may feel that their responsible choices are meaningless in light of irresponsible choices by their elected leaders. But individual actions do make a difference in a pandemic. So remind them that joining in collective efforts to prioritize public health now could lead to a healthier future for all of us.

We also want to acknowledge that it’s only useful to understand how your choices impact others… if you actually have choices. For many people, doing things that expose others to risk — like coming within 6 feet of coworkers and sending kids to daycare — are economic necessities. So keep this distinction in mind, and offer harm reduction tips to help your readers reduce the risk to themselves and to those around them.

The bottom line: COVID-19 is a public health crisis — so help your readers act for the good of us all.

Tweet about it: When you #communicateCOVID, telling people how to protect themselves from #COVID19 isn’t enough. @CommunicateHlth explains how to keep the public in public health: https://bit.ly/2OwgfEH

There are lots of numbers floating around these days in relation to COVID-19. We’ve written before about how people struggle with numeracy — but mix that with a dash of pandemic anxiety, and you’ve got a recipe for widespread confusion.

So this week, dear readers, we want to share a favorite go-to resource for helping folks digest some of this data: the Covid Act Now map. Created by a team of tech wizards, health experts, and policy specialists, the map shows COVID-19 data and risk level by state (and county when possible). The tool focuses on 4 key questions:

• Are COVID cases decreasing?
• Are we testing enough?
• Are our hospitals ready?
• Are we tracing fast enough?

As health communicators, we know how important it is to accurately interpret and clearly communicate data to our readers. So let’s take a moment to appreciate how Covid Act Now breaks down key risk indicators into plain language questions that we can all understand.

We also ❤ how Covid Act Now dishes out color-coded visuals to help answer complicated questions without relying only on tricky numbers. And the map is updated constantly, so we can easily absorb what’s happening right now — and use that knowledge to make informed health decisions. (Pretty important in an ever-changing public health crisis.) Now that’s a recipe we’re happy to share!

The bottom line: Share clear, easy-to-understand resources like the Covid Act Now map to help people make sense of big data during the pandemic.

Tweet about it: Check out @CovidActNow for a great example of how we can help people understand complicated #COVID19 data, says @CommunicateHlth: https://bit.ly/3iLBdgL #communicateCOVID

As health communicators, we know that the best way to keep COVID-19 from spreading is (still!) to stay home. But we also know that with states and communities reopening, people will be venturing out more — and that means it’s time to talk about harm reduction.

In the case of COVID-19, of course we’ll continue to tell people that the safest choice is to stay home. But we also need to help people stay safer when do they go out.

And we need to acknowledge that for many people, staying home isn’t an option. Essential workers — and now, in many states, non-essential workers — have to leave their homes or risk losing their paychecks.

People nationwide are also heading out to protest another public health crisis: systemic racism and police violence. And while we can’t eliminate their risks entirely, we can help them stay safer.

So share these tips to help people protect themselves and others whenever they leave their homes — no matter the reason:

• Stay outside. Studies have found that people are much less likely to get COVID-19 when they’re outdoors. That makes parks and backyards far better choices than bars or malls.
• Keep your distance. Since the early days of the pandemic, public health experts have advised everyone to stay at least 6 feet away from people they don’t live with — and that guidance hasn’t changed. Two friends meeting up at the park, for example, are better off sitting several feet apart in the grass than rubbing elbows on a park bench.
• Keep it quick. Researchers think that the longer you’re around someone who has COVID-19, the higher your risk of getting infected. That means popping into a restaurant for a few minutes to grab takeout is less risky than sitting inside for an hour while you eat dinner.
• Keep it small. Spending time in a crowd — think parties, concerts, or packed restaurants — is a bad idea (even outdoors!). It’s hard to keep your distance from others, and more people means a higher risk that one of those people could have the virus. So keeping gatherings very small can help.
• Wear a mask — and stay away from people who aren’t wearing them. Evidence shows that wearing a cloth mask helps stop people from spreading COVID-19 to others. And since people without symptoms can still be contagious, everyone needs to wear masks whenever they can’t keep their distance.
• Wash your hands. A lot. Use hand sanitizer if there’s no soap and water available. And don’t touch your face. Sound familiar? That’s because tips for “practicing good hygiene” still apply, whether you’re at home or out and about.

As always, be sure to adapt these tips to fit your specific audience. Harm reduction might look a lot different for certain groups, like people who are experiencing homelessness. So remember to keep your audience front and center when you’re developing health comm products — that’s always part of our job, but it’s especially important now.

The bottom line: People won’t stay home indefinitely — so offer practical advice to help them lower their risk of catching or spreading COVID-19 when they do go out.

Tweet about it: The best way to keep #COVID19 from spreading is to #StayHome — but people also need practical ways to lower their risk when they don’t. @CommunicateHlth offers #HarmReduction tips to #communicateCOVID: https://bit.ly/2NaXy8Q

This week, dear readers, we want to draw your attention to a timely resource from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Health Equity Principles for State and Local Leaders in Responding to, Reopening and Recovering from COVID-19.

As we continue to reflect on COVID-19 and racism, it’s not enough to simply acknowledge that these crises are interconnected. As health communicators, we need to promote pandemic response strategies that draw attention to the disproportionate burdens on Black and Brown communities and prioritize their health and well-being.

So what does an equitable pandemic response look like? Here are RWJF’s 5 health equity principles:

• Collect, analyze, and report data disaggregated by age, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, neighborhood, and other sociodemographic characteristics.
• Include in decision-making the people most affected by health and economic challenges, and benchmark progress based on their outcomes.
• Establish and empower teams dedicated to promoting racial equity in response and recovery efforts.
• Proactively identify and address existing policy gaps while advocating for further federal support.
• Invest in strengthening public health, health care, and social infrastructure to foster resilience.

Be sure to read more about these principles on RWJF’s site!

The bottom line: As we respond to this pandemic, we need to unite around a shared vision to address the deep-rooted systemic problems of racism and health inequity in our country. Resources like RWJF’s health equity principles are a good place to start.

Tweet about it: .@RWJF’s principles can help us unite around a shared vision of an equitable response to #COVID19, says @CommunicateHlth: https://bit.ly/3dUZWMO #communicateCOVID

The primary authors of this post are white. We know that we can’t fully understand the Black experience — and that we may get some things wrong. If we mess up, we want to hear that feedback.

This week, as protests against racism and police brutality fill our newsfeeds alongside continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re taking time to reflect on the interconnectedness of these public health crises.

Many major health organizations — like the American Medical Association and American Public Health Association — have released statements in recent days affirming that racism and police brutality are public health crises at least as urgent and life-threatening as coronavirus. And as the drastic racial disparities in COVID-19 death rates show, when a Black person dies of COVID-19, they have also and equally been killed by systemic racism as a determinant of health — a cause of death that speaks to structural problems far beyond violence.

So as health communicators, we recognize that prioritizing the threat of the pandemic over systemic threats to Black lives is a false choice. And we have a responsibility to avoid promoting this false choice in our messages. For example, when we talk about the potential of protests to spread coronavirus, we need to avoid blaming protesters for this potential harm — or implying that the risk of spreading coronavirus outweighs the disproportionate risk of disease, violence, and death Black people face every day in this country.

We also need to clearly condemn police violence and escalation at protests. And when we talk about the risk of coronavirus spreading, we should start by calling out militarized police tactics that increase that risk, like forcing protesters into crowded spaces or using tear gas.

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’ll keep doing our own research, educating ourselves, and listening to you, our readers. We’re here for comments and questions about how health communicators can better address police brutality, racism, and white supremacy in the time of COVID-19. And while we don’t expect our Black readers to take on the labor of educating us, we want to use our platform to share resources created by Black people and to amplify Black voices.

Tweet us @CommunicateHlth or email: wehearthealthliteracy@communicatehealth.com

Tweet about it: As protests against racism and police brutality fill our newsfeeds alongside #COVID19 coverage, @CommunicateHlth reflects on the interconnectedness of these #PublicHealth crises: https://bit.ly/2Xxcown

So much health communication these days is focused on a single all-important topic: COVID-19. In an emergency, run-of-the-mill health issues tend to take a backseat — and no wonder! When you’re consumed with worry about a life-threatening infectious disease, it’s hard to focus on, say, reducing your sodium intake.

But these less flashy preventive health steps are every bit as life-saving in the long run — and as the pandemic continues, health communicators need to start talking about them again. We’re still figuring out best practices, but for now, try these tips:

• Focus on immediate health benefits. Lowering long-term risk isn’t always the strongest motivator for behavior change — especially when people are faced with a short-term threat like a pandemic. Say you’re promoting physical activity. Instead of talking about how it lowers cancer risk, focus on how it can help people feel better right away. If people know that being active can quickly boost mood, ease stress, and improve sleep, they just might give it a try.
• Offer COVID-conscious adaptations. Advice to eat healthy and get active can seem insensitive or out of touch when people are locked down in small spaces, or when they’re having trouble accessing healthy foods. So offer tips that make sense for the current circumstances — like ways to get active without leaving the house or information about contact-free pickup at local food banks.
• Make (careful) connections to coronavirus. All the false “cures” for COVID-19 floating around the internet reveal a useful truth: lots of people will try anything to improve their chances of survival. And while we can’t offer a cure, we can take this unique opportunity to promote behaviors that improve the odds — like quitting smoking. The clear and present danger of coronavirus may be the motivation people need to finally make a change. So if there’s good evidence for a COVID-related health benefit, try making that connection.
• Help people prioritize preventive care. Many preventive health recommendations involve doctor visits, and people need guidance to get this care safely while social distancing. Tell people which types of preventive care, like childhood vaccines, need to happen on schedule. And urge people to talk with their doctors before postponing less urgent appointments, like annual physicals. There may be a safe way to get less urgent care on schedule, too — like shifting to telehealth visits.
• Lead with empathy and flexibility. Shame and blame are never good public health strategies, and that’s especially true in a global pandemic. First, acknowledge that even simple steps can feel really hard right now. Then encourage people to make small, manageable changes. Eat a vegetable. Go for a 5-minute walk. Get an extra half hour of sleep. Those are all wins! Help your audiences celebrate the small successes today — and build on them tomorrow.

The bottom line: Communicating about anything other than coronavirus is tough right now — but we can find ways to keep regular old preventive health behaviors in the conversation.

Tweet about it: How do you communicate about health issues not related to #COVID19 during the #coronavirus pandemic? @CommunicateHlth has #HealthLit tips: https://bit.ly/2WQHhvp #communicateCOVID

There’s a lot of coronavirus nonsense making the rounds these days. And whether it comes from a craven conspiracy theorist, an unhinged elected official, or a reputable news organization that made an honest mistake, misinformation can be dangerous.

As health communicators, we can counter coronavirus misinformation by giving our audiences the actual facts — and teaching them to tell fact from fiction for themselves. Try these strategies:

• Share trusted sources. Debunking every individual story that contains coronavirus misinformation would be a full-time job. So instead, try directing people to your go-to sources for COVID-19 info — like CDC or your local health department. Get your readers used to seeing credible sources cited — maybe the next time they go looking for info on their own, they’ll default to those sources.
• Offer tips for spotting sketchy sources. Does an article have obvious typos? Inconsistent formatting? Those are easy clues that the source might be a little off. We wish we could go further and say that if something sounds unbelievable, it’s probably fake. But, you know, you just can’t say that these days. What you can do is encourage people to use common sense, and to check other sources when a news item sounds more bonkers than usual.
• Spread the word that social media is a mixed bag, fact-wise. Social media can be a great way to spread public health messages. But people also need to know that a post from their friend’s cousin’s friend (who’s a doctor!) may not be a great news source. And that we can’t rely on social media companies to remove harmful misinformation.
• Consider skipping mythbusting. It’s tempting to call out the most absurd myths about coronavirus. (5G, anyone?) But when we repeat dangerous myths — even for the purpose of debunking them — we run the risk that our audiences will remember the myth, not the fact. This is especially true when people are quickly skimming, say, a tweet. Sometimes it’s safer to let the facts speak for themselves.
• Encourage people to get their science from scientists — not politicians. In an emergency, people naturally look to their elected leaders for guidance. But in a public health crisis, getting politicians to cede the podium to public health experts is one way to fight dangerous pseudoscience.

And finally, as you navigate this tricky health comm landscape, remember to stay empathetic. Most people who believe and share coronavirus misinformation aren’t stupid or evil — just scared, confused, and looking for answers. Judgment and condescension have never been effective ways to change people’s minds, and that’s not going to change now.

The bottom line: Help your audiences stick to trusted sources and spot coronavirus misinformation.

Tweet about it: #Coronavirus misinformation is rampant. @CommunicateHlth explains how to help your audiences avoid it: https://bit.ly/3bsgXfe #communicateCOVID

Social distancing is hard for everyone, but it can be especially tough on teens. After all, we’re asking them to stay home just when they’re craving independence and social connections. They’re worrying about how the pandemic will affect their future, missing their friends, and missing out on once-in-a-lifetime milestones like prom and graduation.

And as summer approaches and many states start to relax restrictions, we suspect it will only get harder to persuade teens to stay home. So what’s a health communicator to do? Try these tips to get through to teens:

• Feature real teen stories and voices. Remember, when you were a teen, how eagerly you rushed to comply with commands from your parents/principal/state government/local public health authority? Neither do we, dear readers! We do, however, remember putting a lot of stock in what our peers said and did. So think about including quotes, personal stories, and advice from teens in communication materials. Or try encouraging teens to spread key messages directly to their peers on social media.
• Validate what they’re going through. You know what? This pandemic totally sucks! Acknowledge that teens are dealing with real losses right now, and give them space to grieve — for “normal” life, for loved ones who are sick, for missed milestones or canceled plans. Let them know that whatever they’re feeling is okay.
• Remember that there’s no universal COVID-19 experience. For some teens, missing their social life may be the least of their worries. They may also be facing very grown-up challenges like caring for family members and working in food service or other essential jobs. So avoid reducing the teen experience to themes you’d see in a high school movie.
• Remind them that it’s normal to feel anxious or depressed. Reassure teens that anxiety, panic, and depression are normal responses to, you know, the end of the world as we knew it! Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult if they’re feeling overwhelmed, and direct them to remote options for mental health care.
• Encourage them to explore (social distancing-friendly) hobbies and passions. Doing what we love can help us manage stress. Now’s the time for teens to dive into their favorite (safe) hobbies or find a new creative outlet — like drawing, cooking, or learning yet another TikTok dance.
• Be honest when you don’t know the answer. In health communication, we’re often called to embrace uncertainty. And that’s especially important right now, as we’ll almost definitely continue to remind you. Teens, like most people, don’t love being lied to — and they may be especially sensitive to adults shielding them from the truth. Being honest about what we know and don’t know can go a long way toward winning teens’ trust.
• Empower teens to help. Teens may feel like there’s not much they can control right now. Remind them that steps like staying home can help slow the spread of the virus — and save lives. Suggest ways they can help others, like raising money for COVID-19 relief efforts or helping older neighbors get groceries.

The bottom line: When communicating with teens about coronavirus, compassion and honesty are key.

Tweet about it: Social distancing may be especially tough for teens. @CommunicateHlth has tips for talking to teens about #coronavirus: https://bit.ly/2WfthLD #communicateCOVID

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’re big fans of easy-to-understand tips for preventing the spread of COVID-19. And though health experts have been providing plenty of guidance, sometimes the advice isn’t so clear.

Case in point: “Practice good hygiene.” Sure, that’s helpful if you know exactly what experts mean by “good hygiene.” But many people don’t!

Generally speaking, good hygiene means keeping yourself and your surroundings clean. But depending on the context, that can mean anything from washing your hands to brushing your teeth every day or wearing clean clothes.

So, how can you communicate clearly about “good hygiene”? It’s simple — skip that term and get straight to the specific steps people can take to protect themselves and others. For COVID-19 prevention materials, try these tips:

• Wash your hands — a lot. Rub soap on your hands for at least 20 seconds, then rinse it off with water.
• If you don’t have soap and water, use hand sanitizer that’s at least 60 percent alcohol. Rub it on your hands until it dries.
• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue if you have one and your elbow if you don’t.
• Try not to touch your face. If you have to touch your face, wash your hands first — and again afterward.
• Keep your home clean. Focus on cleaning things you touch a lot — like doorknobs and light switches. Use soapy water, a cleaning spray, or disinfecting wipes.

Of course, something as simple as handwashing can be a challenge for people who don’t have access to basic services like running water. If this is your audience, be sure to mention any local resources that can help — like public handwashing stations or legal aid to help fight a water service shutoff. And focus on steps they can take, like staying away from other people as much as possible.

The bottom line: Instead of telling your audience to “practice good hygiene,” just give them specific steps they can take to stay healthy.

Tweet about it: Want to tell your audience how to practice “good hygiene” to help prevent the spread of #COVID19? @CommunicateHlth can help: https://bit.ly/3bT7wGC #communicateCOVID

Recently, dear readers, some of you have asked us what to call the coronavirus in health materials. Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’ve been talking about this a lot.

Let’s dive right in by tackling the low-hanging fruit:

• Skip SARS-CoV-2 (the official name of the virus itself). It’s long and technical — and people may confuse it with the 2003 SARS outbreak. So unless you’re writing for an audience of infectious disease specialists, avoid this term like… the plague.
• Ditch “novel.” Normally, we might swap “novel” for “new” in plain language materials, but “the new coronavirus” sounds a bit like a shiny new car. And at this point, COVID-19 doesn’t feel so novel anyway.
• Never use stigmatizing terms like “the Chinese virus” or “Wuhan coronavirus.” Associating the virus with particular people or places perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

Now that we’ve got those out of the way, it’s down to 2 contenders: coronavirus and COVID-19. So can we all just pick one and call it a day? It’s tricky! These terms may get thrown around interchangeably, but they mean slightly different things:

• Coronavirus is the name for a family of viruses that cause respiratory infections. These infections range from the common cold to more serious illnesses, like SARS.
• COVID-19 stands for “coronavirus disease 2019,” and it’s the official name of the disease in the current pandemic. It’s caused by a specific coronavirus (our old friend SARS-CoV-2).

That said, if you’re making general references to the pandemic, either term works:

• During the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing can help keep people safe.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing can help keep people safe.

You may even choose to use both terms in a single material. Both terms are all over the news and social media, so there’s an argument for using the terms your audiences see every day.

If you’re writing something more nuanced, you can use coronavirus to refer to the virus and COVID-19 for specific facts and figures about the disease. For example:

• Experts think this coronavirus may have started in bats.
• Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

Just make sure to explain somewhere in your material that COVID-19 is the disease caused by this specific coronavirus.

At this point, you may be thinking, “But COVID-19 has all caps and a number! That’s not good for low-literacy audiences.” Good point! Sticking with “coronavirus” for low-lit audiences is a perfectly reasonable choice.

Or you could lose the caps. “Covid-19” and “covid-19” don’t solve the problem entirely, but they can help with readability. And people pronounce the word “COVID” — not the individual letters. (We’ve been following the lead of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they both cap it.)

Still waiting for a clear answer? Well, like you, we’re learning as we go on this one! But we hope these considerations will help you pick the right terms for your audiences and materials.

The bottom line: “COVID-19” and “coronavirus” are often used interchangeably. But there are some important things to consider when you’re choosing which one to use in your health materials.

Tweet about it: Confused about whether to say #coronavirus or #COVID19 in #HealthLit materials? @CommunicateHlth discusses: https://bit.ly/2VwaV8J #communicateCOVID