Audiences, Reaching

Reaching different audiences is one of the primary goals constituting the field of health communication. Scholars such as E. W. Maibach, R. Schiavo, and R. N. Rimal affirm that health communication is a multipronged approach to reach different audiences in order to inform, influence, and motivate about different health issues so that people can live healthier. In today's racially and culturally diverse society, marked by severe resource gaps, reaching different audiences assumes paramount importance because of the impact of such differences on positive behavior change and the ultimate goal of healthy behavior. Further, as a part of the communicative process, each audience plays multiple roles, including as a receiver of messages, initiator of feedback, and a part of a larger social structure in which their ...