Infographics and Health Communication: Considerations for Health Literacy Interventions

Background: The use of images to communicate evolved from prehistoric cave paintings to pictographic writing and then to early cartography. Early cartography was one the first examples of infographics in action. Infographics make complex information and ideas easy to interpret. Essentially, infographics tell stories with data. This study examines visual aids that were used in several training sessions during a pilot study of the Early Childhood Health Outreach (ECHO) program in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with Community Health Aides (CHAs) who had a maximum schooling of approximately 10 – 14 years.

Program background: ECHO is a community based service that was undertaken by the Caribbean Child Support Initiative (CCSI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Environment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF). One of the main objectives of the program is to promote and support parental/caregiver involvement in the assessment of and intervention in early childhood development for children birth to 3, who may be at risk and without access to other early childhood development services. This program was piloted from 2010 to 2012 and then institutionalized by the country’s health ministry.

Evaluation Methods and Results: A set of pictures were taken either while the workers posed or during their field activities. These pictures were later used as accompanying images for statistical data or program messages. Group discussions were held with the 20 CHAs who were trained in the first phase of the pilot. From the discussions, it was apparent that facial expressions, gestures and posture in the images aided in defining the context of each poster that was designed. The presentation will demonstrate the importance of visual aids in disseminating complex information to individuals at different levels on the literacy scale. The paper reiterates the need for cultural sensitivity; clarity and familiar content to make information more comprehensible.

Conclusions:

Infographics can be utilized by health communication practitioners to simplify complex data. It might be used to translate key data and create awareness in a very short time.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Using visual displays such as charts and familiar images enhance and enrich communication. It is also beneficial in bridging disparities in health literacy. Infographics have helped to modify the face of data visualization, doctor – patient communication, CHAs and community members' relationships and overall data presentation in health.

Keywords: Infographics, health communication, data visualization