Communication and Health: Media, Marketing and Risk

“This book arrives at the exact right moment. The essays, authored by leading communication scholars, confront important and timely issues at the intersections of communication and health, from mobile apps and datafication of health, to the impact of social media influencers on food choice, marketing of vitamins to children, and the threats posed by misinformation to public health. As a collection, the book does a wonderful job giving a sense of the breadth and range of scholarly activity in communication and health. Highly recommended for scholars in communication studies, health studies and health communication!”
—Timothy Caulfield, Professor of Health Law and Science Policy, University of Alberta

This book explores the unique contribution that critical communication studies can bring to our understanding of health. It covers several broad themes: representing and mediating health; marketing and promoting health, co-producing health; and managing health crises and risks. Chapters speak to moral and social regulation through health communication, technologies of health, healthism and governmentality. They engage with historical and contemporary issues, offering readers theoretically grounded perspectives. At base, the book explores what a critical communication approach to health might look like, revealing in important—and sometimes surprising—ways how communication sits at the centre of understanding how health is constructed, contested, and made meaningful.