Translating the Public Health Action Plan
Into Action

Guidance for Task Groups
Task 1: Effective Communication

Effective Communication

Action: Establish a media task force.

Task: Develop a long-term information strategy.

Outcome, April 2005: Presentation of a comprehensive communications plan.

Rationale

To implement the Action Plan by addressing communications approaches that will provide information and education to the public, health professionals, and policy makers about heart disease and stroke. Such improvements are needed to address heart disease and stroke prevention—its urgency, its promise, and the cost of failing to take needed action now.

What Success Will Look Like

A communication proposal will include a review of the major current communication strategies at the national level for preventing heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, and hypertension, including risk factor prevention, detection and control; preliminary identification of the principal messages needed (e.g., those emphasizing investment in prevention, desired action at personal, health professional, and policy levels, etc.); and a recommended long–term information strategy for creating and disseminating these and subsequently developed messages. This proposal should anticipate, but is not yet expected to address, the other priority action steps in effective communications: creating a social marketing strategy, gaining consensus on key messages across state and national levels, and sharing information about effective materials and campaigns. Finally, strategies for implementing and estimating resource requirements (e.g., budget, personnel, and training) should be addressed.

This Task in the Larger Picture

This specific task in the broader context of effective communication is shown in the attached summary. The many potential links of this task with the other themes of the Action Plan are illustrated by the following:

• Strategic leadership, partnerships, and organization: Improved communication strategies can make leadership more compelling, partnerships more concretely focused on marketing strategies, and organizations more accountable for effective target audience messages.
   
• Taking action: Policies and program priorities can be defined better when effective marketing strategies target policy makers. Effective communications can set objectives for Healthy People 2020 by putting heart disease and stroke in the forefront as a priority.
   
• Strengthening capacity: A more effective communication strategy will support public health agencies and their partners in building public health infrastructure and help them develop and maintain strong communications.
   
• Evaluating impact: Using age–specific incidence and quality of life data for each major stratum of the population can aid greatly in communicating the importance, urgency, and potential measurable impact of heart disease and stroke prevention.
   
• Advancing knowledge: As program evaluation and policy development is implemented, its results can be translated into public information and policy more quickly with effective communication strategies.
   
• Engaging in regional and global partnerships: Sharing effective communication strategies to regional and global partners will support efforts in heart disease and stroke prevention everywhere. Common communications systems will facilitate collaboration and communication among regional or global partners.

Approach to the Task

While the approach to be taken should be determined by the leaders and members of the task group, the following suggested 10–step list may be helpful:

1. Define the scope of activity to be pursued through April 2005, within the overall statement of the task, above.
2. Prepare a preliminary outline of the anticipated report.
3. Identify the main source materials that will support the group's work.
4. Take account of related work by others, whether completed or in progress.
5. Consider whether expertise or consultation beyond the task group will be needed, whether within the National Forum or beyond, and arrange to obtain the needed input.
6. Divide responsibilities for work components among all members of the group.
7. Use CDC support staff to assist in logistics and communications.
8. Maintain frequent contact with the group and monitor progress, including a cumulative record of meetings and accomplishments.
9. Draft the task group report.
10. Present the report to the 3rd National Forum, April 2005.

CDC Support Staff Contact Information

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K-47
Atlanta, GA 30341
Tele: 770–488–5504
Fax: 770–488–8151
Email: ccdinfo@cdc.gov
Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/hdsp/

The Context of the Concrete Tasks
Task 1: Effective Communication

Action: Establish a media task force.

Task: Develop a long–term information strategy.

Expected Outcome: A comprehensive communication plan.

The above task is 1 of 8 concrete tasks for the National Forum to implement during the current year. This task emerged from 1 of 4 priority action steps in effective communication designated by Working Group 4 in January 2004. These 4 action steps are to

• Establish a media task force to assess requirements and set the agenda for a long–term national strategy conveying the urgency and feasibility of CVH prevention by reaching the public, health professionals, policy makers, and other key stakeholders.
   
• Create a social marketing strategy to identify audiences, craft clear and compelling messages, and determine the most effective media channels.
   
• Gain consensus across state and national levels on consistent media messages that will create public demand for heart–healthy options.
   
• Share information, research, and experience about effective educational materials and campaigns.

Task 1 and its related priority action steps were developed from the following recommendation in the full Action Plan:

"The urgency and promise of preventing heart disease and stroke and their precursors (i.e., atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and their risk factors and determinants) must be communicated effectively by the public health community through a new long–term strategy of public information and education. This new strategy must engage national, state, and local policy makers and other stakeholders."

The background of this task can be found in A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke in Section 3. Recommendations, and Section 4. Implementation: Mobilizing for Action.

|Go to Task 2

Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion