375: PH Communications Poll, Cultivating Gen Z Advocates

ROBERT JOHNSON:

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, March 13th, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ALEC TYSON:

Now one thing we found is the issue of communication seems to be a big one for the public, that half of Americans don't think public health officials have done a very good job communicating guidance.

JOHNSON:

Alec Tyson with the Pew Research Center, explaining results of a recent poll that confirmed the challenges public health agencies had communicating pandemic decisions.

TYSON:

60% of Americans say they felt confused at one point or another, based on public health guidance about how to respond to the outbreak. And unlike some attitudes, which are very partisan where Republicans and Democrats express opposing views, the system having felt confused, is really widely shared across a broad subset of Americans. 

JOHNSON:

Tyson says nearly nine out of ten people surveyed blame misinformation or disinformation for a lot of the problems.

TYSON:

Now the rub for officials at all levels, whether public health officials or government officials, there's likely some disagreement about what people have in mind when they think about misinformation and disinformation. What I mean by that is, folks who might lean or identify with Democratic party might view what qualifies as disinformation differently than folks who identify as the Republican Party or lean that direction. 

JOHNSON:

Tyson points out the data illustrates the complex nature of the communications dilemma facing public health.

TYSON:

On the one hand, we have a shared sense as a society that hey, this is a problem and we need to address it, it's hampering some of our efforts. On the other hand, it's pretty complicated because who defines or says what is or isn't, right?

JOHNSON:

You can read Tyson's report using the link in the show notes.

Members of the Gen Z audience could help public health agencies address some of their communications concerns.  Emily Dore is with Klick Health. She says it's critical that public health messaging resonate with this group of young social media users.

EMILY DORE:

It can be the difference between a generation focus on healthy behaviors such as nutrition or mindfulness, or reduction of risk taking behaviors to a generation where they're taking behavior such as vaping, or having a society struggling with mental health as we are currently seeing.

JOHNSON:

The array is part of an ASTHO her webinar planned for this afternoon at 1pm Eastern time. Her hope is attendees will leave the meeting with ideas to help them better reach Gen Z audiences.

DORE:

So, whether it be an attendee jumps on Canva to design their next Instagram post or begins social listening and one of our favorite Gen Z Facebook groups, I want our attendees to discover a new way of doing things that enhances their current practices and gets that Gen Z audience to take action. 

JOHNSON:

You can sign up for today's Gen Z webinar using the link in the show notes.

Also, today, it's hearing season on Capitol Hill. And as promised, the House is moving ahead with its plans to understand how the federal government and the states have managed their COVID-19 money. This has ASTHO's Devon Page.

DEVON PAGE:

I think from conversations with staffers as well. They're interested in generally being prepared for the next pandemic and what we can do to improve on some of the missteps possibly of the past few years. Additionally, they're interested in substance use disorder and mental health, particularly the youth aspect of mental health and fentanyl.

JOHNSON:

Regarding the hearings held to date, page notes, they've exceeded expectations.

PAGE:

I think going into this legislative session, we're all concerned about perhaps deep partisan divides and animosity coming up in hearings and through our advocacy more generally. But we're all a little bit shocked in the beginning there. They started out cordial that we're looking for bipartisan opportunities in the health space.

JOHNSON:

You can read more using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, ASTHO experts have several articles published in the March issue of Health Affairs. All of them examined some aspect of the COVID-19 response. You can find ASTHO's news release and links to the articles in the show notes.

That'll do it for today's newscast. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.