African development action with informed and engaged societies

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Health Risk Communication Process Matrix

4 comments
Source
Message
(content)
Channel
(process)
Receiver
(audience)
Outcome
Eval-
uation
NIH/
NCI
Improving detection of melanoma
Audiovisuals, videotapes, pamphlets, slides
General public, health professionals, patients, clinicians
Reduced incidence rates, cost savings in surgery and hospitalisation.
Impact
NIH/
NLM
Rapid dissemin-
ation and access to vital health information
MEDLARS network
Health professionals, librarians
Praise, concern and disappointment from health care community.
None
CDC/
NCEH
Exposure to radiation doses
Printed mats., 800 #, media outreach, public mtgs.
Community around Hanford Nuclear Facility
Build community trust and support
Process, outcome
NIH/
NIEHS
Fluoride's overall risks and benefits
Professional journals, public communication
Communities, public advocacy groups
Allay public concerns, prevent cessation of fluoridation programmes
Informal
FDA
Notify and alert TMJ patients
Media outreach, press releases, journal advertise- ments, notification letters
Patients, health professionals
Patients motivated to action (I.e.: joined registry, contacted physician
Under-
way
NIH/
NIMH
Reducing risky sexual behaviours
Videotapes, skills training, private counseling
Teenage runaways
Increase in condom use,reduce high- risk behaviour patterns.
Process, impact
ATSDR
Environ-
mental education and information for health profess-
ionals
Case Studies in Environmental Medicine series
Health care professionals
Enhance communication betw. physician and patient, improve diagnostic and treatment skills.
Process
FDA
Identify and alert heart valve patients
Press releases, press confs., notification letters, journal ads.
Patients, consumers, health profs., manufacturers.
Identified and notified 16,000 of 23,000 patients
Process
NIH/
NIEHS
Chronic drug users are at risk for developing kidney disease.
Press releases, background material, news- paper articles.
Consumers, physicians, manufacturers
Create awareness about risk of analgesic use
Un-
specified
ATSDR
Explain science, build trust and credibility
Public sessions, community org.s, interpersonal contact, media outreach
Community, environmental activists, other fed. agencies
Increase public trust and support
Process
Source
'Recommendations to Improve Health Risk Communication: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Public Health Service', by Tim L. Tinker Journal of Health Communication, Vol. 1, pp. 197-217, 1996.

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

Helped me with a seminar I am giving on health risk communication and for lectures in health communication and media studies.

User Image
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

thee

User Image
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

thee

User Image
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/27/2005 - 06:36 Permalink

There is a typo in the following html of this page:

Improving detection of melanoma/font>