Overview

Health Communication: Principles, Perspectives, and Possibilities offers a comprehensive introduction to the field of health communication that both students and instructors will enjoy. Each chapter seamlessly blends theoretical foundations of the field with current and emerging research findings, as well as diverse real-world examples of health communication in action. The book includes chapters on topics not often found in introductory textbooks for this course such as embodiment, wicked problems, and socially engaged communication. It also contains full chapters on timely issues like social media and misinformation. It weaves together social scientific, critical, interpretive, and rhetorical approaches to health communication scholarship with a sustained focus on amplifying the work of emerging scholars and those from traditionally marginalized groups. The textbook provides the broadest possible understanding of the dynamic field of health communication without losing focus on the fundamental theoretical frameworks that position communication as crucial to our health experiences and outcomes. Each chapter follows a consistent pedagogical structure: Focus (three main ideas of the chapter), Check In (comprehension questions), Branch Out (applied learning activity), and Dig Deep (in-depth discussion or essay questions), so that readers can easily orient themselves to the content and learning process. Readers can also connect with the content through textboxes that prompt reflection (What Do You Think? boxes) or deeper understanding of a specific topic or study (A Closer Look boxes).

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Table of Contents

Reviews

""This comprehensive health communication textbook offers an important update to existing healthcare curricula - specifically in that it is responsive to changes that happened during the pandemic (with the inclusion of health mis/disinformation). Additionally, it offers an intersectional approach both in terms of thinking about how we know what we know in Health Comm, and in terms of the examples it provides for class discussions. [...] This will be really valuable for helping students think about communicating with empathy and considering the role differences play in how communication is received."" Anne Kerber, Minnesota State University, Mankato ""The inclusion of varying communication traditions (interpretive, post-positive, critical, and rhetorical) is important. The effort to not only include work conducted by people who belong to marginalized groups, but to make this work more visible (images) is commendable and exciting. [...] The text overall represents the current state of the health comm field. It provides a modern take on a field that has grown exponentially in the past 10-20 years. Other texts seem stuck in the original state of the field and have not addressed how it has transformed."" Sydney O'Shay, Utah State University ""The text speaks health communication clearly to the reader through current issues and applications while also credibly outlining the major theories and tools of the field. Instructors will appreciate the inclusion of rhetorical, social scientific, interpretive, and critical perspectives and the robust set of teaching resources to enhance their course. [...] I think the inclusion of topics such as mis/disinformation, advocacy and allyship, narrative, and health disparities would be timely and impactful. [...] The focus on underrepresented populations and misinformation/disinformation will be especially well-received. [...] I am excited about a fresh approach to this content and to rethinking these traditional categories that we have been using for so long. It is conversational and broadly inclusive, with some good examples and ways to relate the concepts to everyday life. [...] I think the author includes good examples of theory and research. [...] The representation of methodologies was really refreshing and I learned new things, myself."" Nichole Egbert, Kent State University ""I think my students would really appreciate this text. [...] This text is very up to date and easy to read. Reading through the chapters, I could see my students really understanding the material and being able to apply it. [...] [Chapter 8, Embodied Health Communication] was one of my favorite chapters. I have never seen anything like this in a textbook and love that this textbook could promote so many positive and needed conversations in class."" Margaret Bennett-Brown, Texas Tech University ""I like the strong emphasis on what readers of the book can do to address the health communication issues that are raised in the volume. [...} The emphasis on diversity in Dr. Anderson's book is, I think, of value. [...] The opening chapter is indeed engaging and foundational. It does a nice job of covering the process of communication in a way that is necessary for non-communication students. [...] I liked the unusual nature of the material covered in [Chapter 8, ""Embodied Health Communication]. Few books present such content. [...] Most instructors and readers will, I think, find this of great value."" Teri Thompson, University of Dayton (Emeritus) and University of Kansas-Edwards ""I love that [Chapter 8, Embodied Health Communication] really captures the complexity of diversity when it comes to physical health and all the components a communicator would need to be thinking about when talking with or design

Author Information

Jenn Anderson (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an award-winning scholar and teacher. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and received more than $600,000 in grant funding. She also founded and developed the curriculum for the health communication minor at her institution and holds multiple teaching certifications, including those for online learning and universal design.

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