Implementing Theory-Based Communication Campaigns

Theory-based communication campaigns have been used in the field of public health for quite some time, as they have been proven to be an effective and successful tool to reach a targeted audience. In order for a behavior to change, researchers must first identify why people behave the way they do. This is why it is so important for these types of campaigns to be based on theory. This helps with the development and evaluation of each campaign in question. There are several steps involved when implementing these types of communication campaigns. The first step is to identify your target audience, then you must identify the channels in which to reach this targeted audience, you must then identify the message you intend to relay, and incorporate the sequence of …show more content…
It also believes that motivation is needed in order to change the behavior. A good example for a communication campaign using this theory would be a campaign against the use of drugs. This campaign can incorporate stories of past drug users, as well as incorporate the harmful effects that drugs have on individuals. They can also demonstrate how these effects are not only harmful to the individual but how they affect families and friends as well, in order to prevent individuals from using drugs in the future.
Health Belief Model
It is believed that in this theory, the behavior that is being performed is contributed to two major factors, (1) a feeling of being personally threatened by a disease, and/or (2) a belief that adopting a particular protective health behavior outweighs the costs of changing the behavior. A great example for a communication campaign under this model would be the fight against AIDS. The campaign can offer free HIV/AIDS screenings, and educational programs to inform the community of this disease, as well as prevention programs to eliminate the increase of this disease in the