Local Health Communication

Abstract

The Research and Development Project on Local Health Communication relates to lifestyle and has special characteristics when it is considered with regard to location. The objectives of this project were to identify and study persons interested in becoming Healthcare Communicators (HCCs) in order to enhance working efficiency in health communication, as well as to study the operational guidelines on local health communication under the principle of Participatory Action Research. The research was undertaken in Phrae and Kanchanaburi provinces. 

The HCCs studied (54 from Phrae and 46 from Kanchanaburi) were from the mass media, health agencies, educational institutions, and the health community.  As part of the process of cooperation for the HCCs, activities were created to enhance potentiality (five activities for each province). The most popular activities were aimed at enhancing speaking through sound media training and public speaking. This research shows that the guidelines for operation in local health communication fall into the two categories of HCCs and support mechanisms. HCCs should play a cooperative role by encouraging, watching, preventing and solving the health problems of people in local areas. Moreover, they should be a center for health information, which is accessible to local people as well supporting the government sector. HCCs should be public-minded, friendly, self confident, smart and creative. They should be able to organize their thoughts, have good communication skills, and develop themselves at all times. In addition they should work on a consistent basis with determination and integrity.  They should also serve as health role-models. As for support mechanisms, agency and related personnel from health agencies, mass media, local administration organizations, educational institutions, shops, individuals and centrally funded sources should provide serious and continued support for HCCs in developing knowledge in both communication and health. They should also offer health data and local health wisdom, which are reliable and current.