Beyond Getting the Message Across
This is a toolkit for developing health information leaflets and posters. It embeds health literacy and social marketing principles in the process of developing health information publications and provides examples where new media may be more effective at reaching the intended audience. Includes guidance on using photographs and images (non clinical) and photo consent forms.
The toolkit takes you through several steps and includes links to local and national documents that will guide you. The Department of Health has developed a draft information accreditation scheme standard for producers of health and social care information. Subject to ministerial approval this will be launched in 2008. This toolkit can help the PCTs to meet the standards and processes required for accreditation and will be updated to meet the standards of the accreditation scheme when the final version is published.
Making the big shift
As public health information producers we need to begin making the shift from simply asking "Did they get the message?" to "What do we want people to do with the message?"
In this section
Health Literacy
In the context of producing leaflets and posters we are mainly concerned with individuals being able to understand the information - about one in five adults in England have difficulties with basic literacy and numeracy.
Social Marketing
Health-related social marketing is defined as: "The systematic application of marketing concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioural goals to improve health and reduce inequalities" (French, Blair-Stevens 2006)
Toolkit checklist
Using the toolkit checklist will ensure that your publication or media project has taken into account health literacy, social marketing, and other criteria such as copyright.