The Status and Scope of Health Communication

We examine the field of health communication with a multimethodological analysis, presenting a brief historical synopsis of the academic literature as well as the results of a survey administered to academicians who identified communication and health to be major fields of interest. After this descriptive backdrop of health communication, we offer a prescription for an ideal health communicator--that is, one with an interdisciplinary background--to use ethical, persuasive means to craft, deliver, and evaluate campaigns that promote good health and disease prevention; to plan, influence, and implement health policy; and to employ ethical decision making that will enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities throughout the globe.