Communicating about health : current issues and perspectives / Athena du Pré, (University of West Florida), Barbara Cook Overton, (Louisiana State University)

Revised edition of: Communicating about health / Athena du Pré with Barbara Cook Overton. Sixth edition. [2021].

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

"As the sixth edition of Communicating About Health went to press in 2020, we were in the midst of simultaneous global health crises--the COVID-19 pandemic and an epidemic of health misinformation. While we wondered if the world's response to these crises would be considered successful or not, one thing was clear: Communication would shape how people experienced them both. Health communication--as a discipline and an everyday occurrence--was front and center. In this edition, we reflect on the lessons learned from those experiences and on other aspects of health communication. For better or worse, the world's response to COVID-19 has underscored that the fundamentals of health communication are as (or more) important than ever. Communication skills remain crucial for sharing information, offering comfort, and negotiating health options. The world population is increasingly diverse, opening people's eyes to new ideas about health and healing. Lingering social inequities mean that a person's health can still largely be predicted by their race and socioeconomic status. Information, access to care, and health literacy remain challenges, especially in the context of complicated health care systems and a mind-boggling amount of health information available online"-- Provided by publisher.