Health communication: theoretical and practical aspects

Nowadays chronic non-infectious diseases are spreading rapidly and health risk factors related to people's behavior are becoming more and more significant. Efficient communication between medical personnel and their patients is one of the basic ways to stimulate self-preserving behavior. The paper dwells on health communication phenomenon and basic theoretical approaches which allow to get an insight into the essence of the process. Communication is studied at interpersonal, group, organization, and mass levels. As information technologies now play a significant role in the life of any society, the author considers certain possibilities of their application in public health care, for example, in such spheres as electronic and mobile health care, or telemedicine, and also analyzes experience accumulated in application of communication programs both in the RF and abroad. Special attention is paid to analyzing how efficient communication programs are, and how they can possibly influence population knowledge, attitudes, and behavior as regards their health. Behavior changing models give theoretical grounds for changes in people's behavior; such models are "a model of belief in health" (I. Rosenstock, D. Becker), "theory of planned behavior" (I. Ajzen), theory of stage changes on behavior (G. Prochask). The paper also contains analysis of possibilities to conduct sociological research when working out, implementing, and assessing communication programs aimed at formation of health-preserving behavior. To efficiently implement communication programs, it is necessary to combine efforts by medical experts and experts in social and humanitarian sciences. The paper can be of interest to a wide range of readers, especially to those who specialize in prevention medicine and sociology of health.