Trending Topics
The Compass team undertakes an intensive search to identify and make available quality resources & tools for our users each month. Users are also encouraged to participate in the process by contributing materials & ideas for future packages.
NOTE: This Trending Topic was updated in January 2020- the newest items are at the top of the list below.
This Trending Topic was originally published In April and May of 2015, just after Nepal was struck by two devastating earthquakes. Emergency workers from around the globe, including those trained in health communication, rushed to the scene to assist with disaster relief and recovery efforts.
April 25 marks World Malaria Day, a time for people around the globe to mobilize around the theme “Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria.”
Increased investment in malaria prevention and treatment has helped drop the global burden from malaria disease – contributing to a 30 percent reduction in malaria incidence and a 47 percent reduction in malaria mortality since 2000. Investment in malaria social and behavior change communication (SBCC) has also contributed to this success, as malaria SBCC activities are shown to improve the awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of its target audiences.
[UPDATED February 2016] Each year, more than a quarter million women die in pregnancy and childbirth. Of those that do not die, an unknown number suffer long-term health problems. The maternal injury with perhaps the most devastating aftermath is obstetric fistula. A fistula is a hole, or abnormal opening, in the birth canal, that results in chronic leakage of urine and/or feces.
The critical nature of health communication across the continuum of care was outlined in a recent article which noted that communication expands both knowledge of and access to quality services, and also expands the support needed to practice healthy behaviors and adhere to treatment. We know that accessing HIV treatment is only part of the HIV treatment and care continuum.
Avian Influenza (AI), also known as the bird flu, remains a serious public health threat in many parts of the world. The Influenza A virus, which is endemic in birds, appears in many forms and can cause severe illness or death in birds, other animal species and humans. In 2013, China became the first country to report human and bird cases of a newly emerged subtype of the AI virus called H7N9.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial statistics are powerful tools for SBCC researchers and program implementers. These tools are increasingly used in all areas of public health to help address both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Local organizations need resources in order to effectively implement programs that improve the lives of their beneficiaries. While some percentage of those resources may come from donors, donor funds are limited and continually shifting in response to a wide array of epidemiological, geographic, economic, and political factors.
[UPDATED AUGUST 2015] The World Health Organization has declared that the July 2014 outbreak of Ebola Virus in Africa is an extraordinary event, and experts at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted that communication is critical in stemming the outbreak. To that end, the Health COMpass provides below a list of SBCC materials that are publicly available. If you have any other materials to add to this list, please contribute them or contact us.
The community of practitioners working in HIV as well as donors look for strong evidence to support program outcomes and to guide the development of effective HIV approaches. The field of health communication also applies as much rigor as possible when evaluating interventions. While there are many innovative methods for evaluating the impact of health communication programs, there are also challenges. Choosing the most appropriate design is critical and largely depends both on the purpose of the study and the goals of the research and/or evaluation.
[UPDATED OCTOBER 2015] Chlorhexidine, a low-cost antiseptic, prevents deadly infections that enter an infant’s body through a newly cut umbilical cord. Few other interventions have as much promise to rapidly reduce newborn deaths at an affordable price—less than $1 per dose. Chlorhexidine has no toxicity risks and virtually no potential for misuse. It has a long shelf life, requires no cold chain, and is extremely easy to apply with minimal training and no equipment.
