OVERVIEW

Health Communication in the Age of Misinformation: Getting from Online Influence to Offline Success - a Case Study on Community Water Fluoridation is organized by Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS).

Activity Term:
Original Release Date: December 2, 2021
Termination Date: December 2, 2024

Description:
In this session, learn how the Internet and social networks are changing, and decentralizing, the ways information and misinformation spread, shaping public perspectives of important public health interventions. Through a successful case study of community water fluoridation, participants will discover how evidence from the fields of computer science and business marketing apply to public health communication and effective message delivery. Practical tools, techniques and strategies will be shared to guide participants on how they can adapt and adopt new approaches to enhance health communication success and achieve community trust in evidence-based public health measures.

Course Objectives:

Discuss the role that online social networks play in the dissemination of information (and misinformation).
Utilize a step-by-step approach for addressing local and specific community and patient concerns arising from online misinformation.
Implement new strategies for making patient and community interactions more personal to shape health dialogues in productive ways.
Advocate for community water fluoridation with patients and the public using facts, science, and personalized persuasive conversations.