ABSTRACT
The founding of the field of Health Communication can be traced to two events in the 1970s: the launching of the first collaborative effort joining medical and communication researchers (the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program) and the establishment of the International Communication Association’s Division of Health Communication in 1975 (Ratzan, Payne, & Bishop, 1996; Rogers, 1996). Many Communication researchers gravitated to this “applied” area, bringing with them theoretical approaches and validated methodologies. Some interpersonal researchers examined individual relationships between and among health providers (e.g., doctors, nurses, aides) and their patients (and family members). Media campaigners focused on persuasion strategies used or useful in increasing healthful living practices (e.g., smoking cessation, driving sober, not taking drugs, safe sex). In the past 30 years, Health Communication has become an important area of study, accumulating a substantial body of research and becoming one of the most promising areas for Communication researchers to secure funding for their projects.
