making data talk

MAKING DATA TALK: COMMUNICATING PUBLIC HEALTH

DATA TO THE PUBLIC, POLICY MAKERS, AND THE PRESS

Bradford W. Hesse, PhDNational Cancer Institute

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Information Environment


Everything causes?

Can prevent?

Know how?

Confusion

+7.7%

Confusion is increasing


Everything causes?

Can prevent?

Know how?

Confusion

+7.7%

-1%



Everything causes?

Can prevent?

Know how?

Confusion

+7.7%

-1%

+3.7%



2003


*8,571 must die from smoking to warrant news story*7,500 must die due to obesity to warrant news story

**


Actual Mortality from Risk FactorCopy Devoted to Risk Factor

Frost K, Frank E, Maibach E. Relative risk in the news media: a quantification of misrepresentation. Am J Public Health 1997;87(5):842-5.


Inform Support Decisions

Educate Persuade

“Making Data Talk”Adapting to a World of Ubiquitous Data Systems


Organize• What is the evidentiary story?• What functions will data serve?

Plan• Audiences, messages, channels? • Timeline?

Test• User-centered design• Translational research

INtegrate• Connect service w/ partners• Connect the dots for users

OPT IN




Inform Educate PersuadeSupport Decisions

Settled Science

UnsettledScience

Function

Science

Tobacco & Cancer

Example



Inform Educate PersuadeSupport Decisions

Settled Science

UnsettledScience

Function

Science

Environmental ExposureExample


HINTS Isopleth “Weather” Map

State-base Cancer Mortality (lung)

InformOrganize• What is the evidentiary story?• What functions will data serve? For Example



Plan• Audiences, messages, channels?• Timeline?


INtegrate• Within the bigger picture• In a practical way for users

OPT IN



Understand audience’s use / misuse of data


Educate




Exceptional Case

Fallacy of small numbers;Tversky & Kahneman, 1971

Educate




Lives Saved from Seatbelt Use

Use Data to Correct Misperceptions

For Example



SOURCE: http://alleydog.com/topics/sensation_and_perception.php

Perceptual Basics


http://alleydog.com/topics/sensation_and_perception.php

http://alleydog.com/topics/sensation_and_perception.php

Cognitive / Perceptual Research

source: Carpenter PA, Shah P. A model of the perceptual and conceptual processes in graph comprehension. J Educ Psychol. 1999, 91(4): 690-702.

• Constructive process

• Gaze goes to center for pattern

• Contiguous labels for meaning

• Left to right tendency in western culture

• Perceptual rules guide meaning


Cognitive / Perceptual Research







Visualizing Long Term Change













Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four


Visualizing Long Term Change











Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four



Frame

Social progress

Economic development/competitiveness

Morality/ethics

Scientific/technical uncertainty

Pandora ’ s box/Frankenstein’ s monster/runaway science

Public accountability/governance

Middle way/alternative path

Conflict/strategy



Frame

Social progress


Morality/ethics





Conflict/strategy

“Selling Scientific Doubt”



Frame

Social progress


Morality/ethics





Conflict/strategy

The “Truth” Campaign: American Legacy Foundation

“1200 People”

Persuade


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Doctor Family orFriends

Radio Internet Television

2002-2003 2005 2008

Public’s Trust in Health Information Channels


http://hints.cancer.gov/


http://hints.cancer.gov




0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Non-HispanicWhite

Hispanic Black /African

American

Other

Online Support Bloggers Social Networking


25%

45%http://hints.cancer.gov/

30%

45%

Use highest among non-white

Use of Social Media (2008)





Press Release

Media Outreach

UpdatedWeb

Presence

PersonalMedia

Media Outreach

Go to where the people are

Physician Outreach



•Usability testing

•Focus groups

• Informal feedback

•Formative evaluation

•RCT’s


INtegrate• Within the bigger picture• In a practical way for users• Within the bigger picture• In a practical way for users


Inform Support Decisions

Educate Persuade



The Case of NOAA



The Case of NOAA


Hesse, B. W. Overview to the Concept of Cyberinfrastructure for Health. First NIH-NSF sponsored seminar, La Jolla, CA, March 2008.

Government ensures data quality, provenance

Meteorologists innovate on communication to public


The Participative WebHesse BW, Hansen D, Finholt T, Munson S, Kellogg W, Thomas JC. Social Participation in Health 2.0. IEEE Computer. 2010;43(11):45-52.

Participative media allows for community activation

The Case of NOAA



Mobile Access: Always on, always proximal

The Case of NOAA



Can we make data work to improve clinical practice?


ClearPractice, Inc.

Can we make data work to improve clinical practice?

ClearPractice, Inc.

Shared Decision Making

Mobile Access to Data


Can we make data work to improve community health?

The Health Data Initiative Forum, June 9, 2011


BLS USDA CDCUSDAUSDA CDCCDC

Can we make data work to improve community health?


Rates normalized on age per 100,000 male residents (gapminder.org)

Deaths from lung cancer: Men

Can we make data work to improve world health?



Thomas Friedman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May 16, 2005



Thomas Friedman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May 16, 2005

Thank you!


making data talk

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evidentiary story

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