April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: A Narrative Review of the Role of Communication in Health Disparities
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), “Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities” (paras. 5-7). The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled the longstanding health disparities experienced by people of color and immigrants (Gollust et al., 2022; Refki et al., 2021). Minority and vulnerable groups have inequitable access to health information that impacts other related outcome variables among these populations (Kelley et al., 2015). Indeed, scholars have highlighted the critical role of communication in health outcomes and processes and how communication can both contribute to and lessen the health disparities in the society (Freimuth & Quinn, 2004; Vishwanathan, 2006, 2021) Yet there is a dearth of research on the role of mass mediated and interpersonal communication in health disparities (Neiderdeppe et al., 2013; Rimal et al., 2013). To answer the call of previous researchers, this narrative review provides an overview of health disparities in the U.S. In addition, the review synthesizes existing literature on the role of patient provider and mediated communication in health disparities, and critically examines theoretical perspectives proposed to understand health disparities.
The methodology included performing a thorough literature search, followed by the initial in-depth review of articles published in English on health disparities and communication in peer reviewed journals in Communication and Mass Media Complete and Google Scholar. After performing initial assessment of the articles for eligibility, we read and analyzed each article for inclusion in the current review.
The critical examination of the articles indicates that health disparities due to differences in race and ethnicity exists for majority of issues and contexts ranging from access, to receiving preventative and mental health care, to maternal and infant health, to overall life expectancy (Hill et al., 2023). While inequities in communication can contribute to health disparities at multiple levels (Vishwanath et al., 2021) communication can also positively influence health disparities via mass and new media, along with interpersonal communication and may have an influence on long-term policy decisions (Lee et al., 2022). Goulbourne and Yanovitzky (2021) argue that an individual’s overall communication sources, such as interpersonal and mediated, should be considered as one of the social determinants of health that can have an influence on information acquisition, processing, and related behavioral outcomes.
Although many different approaches are employed to understand how communication can influence health disparities, intersectionality theory, and weathering hypothesis, while not originating in communication discipline, inherently stress the implicit and important role communication plays in influencing and contributing to health disparities. In so doing, this narrative review brings together research on the topic of health disparities from diverse contexts and analyzes the findings through a unique theoretical perspective inherently rooted in understanding marginalized experiences.
The methodology included performing a thorough literature search, followed by the initial in-depth review of articles published in English on health disparities and communication in peer reviewed journals in Communication and Mass Media Complete and Google Scholar. After performing initial assessment of the articles for eligibility, we read and analyzed each article for inclusion in the current review.
The critical examination of the articles indicates that health disparities due to differences in race and ethnicity exists for majority of issues and contexts ranging from access, to receiving preventative and mental health care, to maternal and infant health, to overall life expectancy (Hill et al., 2023). While inequities in communication can contribute to health disparities at multiple levels (Vishwanath et al., 2021) communication can also positively influence health disparities via mass and new media, along with interpersonal communication and may have an influence on long-term policy decisions (Lee et al., 2022). Goulbourne and Yanovitzky (2021) argue that an individual’s overall communication sources, such as interpersonal and mediated, should be considered as one of the social determinants of health that can have an influence on information acquisition, processing, and related behavioral outcomes.
Although many different approaches are employed to understand how communication can influence health disparities, intersectionality theory, and weathering hypothesis, while not originating in communication discipline, inherently stress the implicit and important role communication plays in influencing and contributing to health disparities. In so doing, this narrative review brings together research on the topic of health disparities from diverse contexts and analyzes the findings through a unique theoretical perspective inherently rooted in understanding marginalized experiences.