Health Campaigns: Policy Impact

Abstract Publicly funded health campaigns are frequently used as policy instruments to alert, educate, and influence large groups of audiences on ways to avoid health risks and/or adopt healthier behavior and lifestyles. Largely overlooked in the health communication literature is the possibility that health campaigns themselves can be an instrument for influencing and shaping public health policy. Our focus here is on outlining and classifying the multiple pathways through which health campaigns potentially influence health policymaking and providing an illustrative example of each. We conclude with a caution about the potential unintended effects of using health campaigns as an instrument for influencing policy and reflect on promising venues and future directions for expanding this line of research.