Arclet: Innovating health communications to impact public health

Background:

Public health communication that is engaging, evidence-based, culturally competent, and delivered by trusted local messengers is critical for improving the health of our nation. Barriers for health communicators (i.e., professionals at public health agencies, hospitals, community-based organizations, universities, and federal agencies responsible for communicating health information to the public) include their ability to reach their target audience where they receive information, an overwhelming information landscape, and lack of funds, staff, and time. In a recent survey conducted with state and local public health communicators the most frequently given solution to the challenges they face sharing health information is “resources” (41%), such as “a platform to access public health messaging that we could localize so [we] aren't having to recreate the wheel across the state.”

Program background:

Arclet - a health communicators platform allows health communicators to easily locate, localize, test, share, and measure engaging, evidence-based, and culturally competent health information in their communities. Core components of the platform include: 1) a database of health campaigns from credible sources; 2) design customization so that communicators can tailor and localize information so it is clearly coming from a trusted local messenger; 3) message testing to ensure that it will have the intended impact with the target audience; 4) support for strategic & targeted online dissemination to reach intended audiences where they are already receiving information; and 5) data analysis and sharing to provide information on what works, what doesn’t work, and what would work to do better.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

Many core concepts of Arclet have been tested through the work of a regional health communicators collaborative, formed in March 2019. This collective impact network, including local public health agencies, community health workers, hospitals, universities, and others, focuses on developing effective public health communications across 18 counties. Concepts tested included local tailoring of existing health materials, use of templates, support for digital ad placement and message testing, and shared performance measures. Outcomes of a collaborative regional COVID-19 communications campaign revealed that their COVID-19 social media campaign had a sustained 48% engagement rate (compared to a 1-3% industry standard) over almost two years. The impact of Arclet is measured through user growth, retention, and engagement. Effectiveness will also be measured through the campaigns themselves - the quality of materials, audience engagements and actions, and shifts in attitudes and behaviors.

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the value of high quality health communications, and how critical the need is for innovation in public health communications. Health communicators deserve to have the tools and resources they need to support & measure their important work.

Implications for research and/or practice:

The ultimate vision of a national health communicators platform is to provide a sustainable, evidence-based practice for health communicators to locate, tailor, test, disseminate, and measure accurate and culturally relevant health communications that can meet individuals’ health needs and information-seeking behaviors. Arclet will build an evidence-base for the impact of hyperlocal communications, which will increase investment in health communications, workforce, and research opportunities.