ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) announced today that it has adopted a resolution to support Combating Mis- and Dis-information in Public Health Education.
The resolution, which was passed by the SOPHE Board of Trustees, is a “Call for more education, programming, and advocacy to decrease mis- and dis-information in the public health and health education fields.”
“Health mis- and dis-information can negatively affect people’s lives by shaping the decisions they make for themselves, their families, and their communities.” SOPHE President Dr. Michelle S. Williams said. “SOPHE is committed to ensuring that accurate, evidence-based, and trustworthy public health information is shared widely. As a professional organization for health education and promotion, we want to be at the forefront of efforts to reduce the spread and impact of mis- and dis-information.”
Because exposure to mis- and dis-information has the potential to widen health disparities in vulnerable communities, the resolution stresses the importance of involving communities in information dissemination, building trust with affected populations, and using social media to help effectively intervene to halt or counter the spread of mis- and dis-information, while addressing the ethical principles of privacy, free speech, fairness, trust, and others.
“This resolution directly supports our mission of advancing health education and promotion capacity to build healthy and thriving communities,” SOPHE CEO Maricela Arias-Cantu said. “It is our responsibility to support not only the profession, but the broader public health community as well.”
SOPHE remains dedicated to promoting and advancing the expertise and impact of health education. As a membership organization, SOPHE works with its members and partners to impact health through the skills and capacities of health education and health promotion.
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About SOPHE
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association that supports leaders in public health, health education and promotion to advance healthy and equitable communities across the globe. SOPHE members work in health care settings, communities, organizations, schools, universities, worksites, and in local, state and federal government agencies. For more information visit www.sophe.org.
