The Failure of H1N1 Communications

This entry within the "In Case of Emergency" blog takes a critical look at H1N1 communications within the United States (US). Blogger Jimmy Jazz examines the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s ongoing public information campaign, especially their work in social media. His launching point is a post on another blog, called "Walking the Path: Smashing Silos and Encouraging Collaboration in Health Marketing Communications". The author of that blog post had argued that the CDC was doing "a good job" in educating people about H1N1 by utilising social media, but that the organisation has not yet found an effective way to spur people to action - that is, to actually get the H1N1 vaccine.

Jazz wonders: "Is it possible that H1N1 public information campaigns are more than just education campaigns? Is there a second component to H1N1 communications, one of convincing people to act?"

In reflecting on these questions, he cites blogger Ike Pigott (who writes "Occam's RazR"), who has made the point that people are more willing to act when something is relevant to them. This, Jazz suggests, might be why CDC's efforts - which are geared toward an entire nation - to motivate people to get the vaccine are, to date, not working. Jazz would urge the CDC, that is, to "Move away from bullhorn risk communications. Begin engaging with your community." This would mean using social media tools - at the local level.

Specifically, Jazz suggests that CDC "localise" its communications in ways such as these: The CDC should offer webinars to local health departments (LHDs) demonstrating how to set up Twitter accounts and record YouTube videos. Those in charge of the CDC's Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication Course (CERC) should develop curricula to teach public information officers (PIOs) how to write using a social media voice. Health commissioners should schedule live chatroom "office hours" to allow people to ask them to address specific vaccine-related worries from the public.

Jazz concludes that "pandemic influenza is, and has always been, a local emergency that just happens to occur everywhere. The response, by definition, should be locally coordinated." This, then, is his recommendation for the "next phase" of H1N1 communication: using social media in very "local" ways so that behaviour change, and not just information dissemination, can be accomplished.