Public Health Messaging – Incentives, Nudges, and More

Our May Issue "Terms of Concern" Column. Relevant everywhere, to everyone.

Sunday, May 21st, 2023

Dear Vashon Loop Readers and Substack Subscribers,

We hope you’ve found your May Issue of The Vashon Loop, at any one of your favorite island hang out spots. But, if you’re a reader from abroad, we want to make sure you see our May “Terms of Concern” piece, written by Vashon Owner and Editorial Team Member, Caitlin Rothermel.

Enjoy. Share widely! And please consider helping us pay our printing costs this Summer, with a “voluntary paying reader” contibution mailed to The Vashon Loop at PO Box 2221, Vashon WA 98070 or update your subscription to one of our paid options! Thank you.

Public Health Messaging – Incentives, Nudges, and More

by Caitlin Rothermel
Caitlin Rothermel has a master’s in public health from the University of Washington.

Because public health is an increasingly (and unexpectedly) in-your-face part of life, it’s a good idea to understand how public health “talks” to and sends messages to us. 

While I was working on my public health degree, I was never given the impression that our kind would emerge with any sort of genuine authority or visibility. Instead, we learned to conduct research. So much research. And then, once we were ready to design a program of some sort, it was time to develop and test some targeted health messaging. 

With that in mind, here is how we talk to you…