Developmental Health

The emergence and trajectory of the field of health communication are intrinsically tied to the roots of the field of development communication. Development communication refers to the functional use of communication for the purpose of achieving development. Essential to the understanding of development is the conceptualization of a linear pathway of progression from being undeveloped to becoming developed. Development communication emerged in the post–World War II environment, when the United States formulated and strategically allocated resources to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a public relations tool to spread pro-U.S. values globally, to generate conditions supportive of U.S. geo-security, and to create international opportunities for trade for U.S. businesses.