Health communication in the Caribbean
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s.d., 1989
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Item Communicating health in the Caribbean : a manual for action(1999)[Preface]. Health communicators and decision-makers in the English-speaking Caribbean have come to recognise the relationship between health behaviours, for example, balanced eating, physical activity, mild consumption of (or abstinence from) alcohol, access to clean air and the prevention and control of various disorders. Health communication is integral to the prevention and control of the priority health issues facing Caribbean countries, including issues as diverse as noncommunicable diseases, substance abuse, vector control and HIV/AIDS. The growing recognition by health personnel of the role of communication interventions in targeting relevant behaviours is a welcome development. Health communication is defined as the crafting and delivery of messages and strategies based on target audience research to promote the health of individuals and communities. Methods draw on marketing and communication techniques used so successfully in commercial advertising of products, many of which are harmful to health, borrowing from these methods in an attempt to alter popular consumption patterns and promote healthy alternatives. The terms social marketing and social communication are labels for this process. Traditionally, Caribbean health planners and decision-makers based their communication strategies on the dissemination of health messages mainly through mass media channels to heterogeneous audiences. The underlying assumption was that because our messages were inherently good, those whom we wished to target would be willing recipients once we succeeded in reaching them. Mass media channels were often the preferred routes of dissemination. For many years health communicators assessed the success of such strategies by the extent of their information coverage, or numbers of people reached, and the quality of the design of messages. The cuter and glitzier communicators perceived designs to be, the more favourably assessed were the strategies. However, despite the design of several creative health communication initiatives for behaviour change in the Caribbean, the results are not impressive. Breastfeeding rates in most countries have not improved, the prevalence of smoking and other lifestyle-related chronic disease risk factors such as obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and sedentary habits have not, in general, decreased, and women have failed to utilise Pap smears, iron supplementation tablets, and other health centre resources as they should. Health communicators began to re-assess their strategies...Item School Health Promotion in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Regional Assessment(PAHO, 2022)This report presents the results of a regional assessment of the status of school health and the health-promoting schools (HPS) approach conducted jointly by PAHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank during 2018–2019. The objectives of the assessment were to: 1) assess the context and broader policy environment of school health in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, including legislative frameworks; 2) identify the scope and form of school health programs and services available in the region, as well as opportunities for improvement, and 3) enable countries to share with each other their best practices and the lessons learned in developing and implementing school health policies, programs, and services. The assessment results also serve as a regional baseline for the initiative, launched in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNESCO, to make every school a health-promoting school. The results of this assessment are expected to contribute to strengthening the HPS approach in the LAC region on subnational, national, and regional levels, and to help accelerate progress toward achieving the SDGs for all children and adolescents in the region. This assessment was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact has underlined the prominent role and multiple benefits of schools as an environment for equitable protection and promotion of the health and well-being of children and adolescents during the pandemic and in the recovery phase.Item Masculinities and Men’s Health in the Caribbean(PAHO, 2023)This document presents an analysis of masculinities and men’s health in the Caribbean, based on literature review, analysis of epidemiological data, and stakeholder interviews. The literature review elaborates on historical and sociological developments in the Caribbean, including slavery, colonialism, and multicultural population dynamics, which influenced the shaping of Caribbean masculinities. The data analysis highlights the excess mortality and morbidity of Caribbean males across the life course in comparison with their female counterparts, in particular due to external causes such as violence and injuries and other preventable causes such as cancers and noncommunicable diseases. The limited engagement of males with health promotion and care, and the lack of holistic men’s health approaches and programs contributes to the burden of male mortality, morbidity and risk factors. The analysis presented in this report underlines the need for increased investment in effective approaches to foster positive masculinities and address the health needs of males of all ages in the Caribbean.