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Health Communication: An International Perspective in the Digital Space

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African Media Space and Globalization

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Abstract

This chapter discusses health communication in the digital space from an international communication perspective. Health problems transcend national boundaries in a time of rapid travel, migration, and new technology development. In public health crises such as Ebola, SARS, H1N1 virus, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation, health disparities, and technological inequality are often unnoticed or purposely ignored and have led to civil unrest worldwide. This chapter will discuss how digital platforms are used as trusted sources for health information; health beliefs, health behaviors, and health knowledge; online health information seeking and barriers; major channels of digital health communication sources in the US, especially among Africans; and, during recent public health crises, how digital spaces were used.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

    Jamal Uddin

  2. Howard University, Washington, DC, USA

    Wei Sun

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  1. Jamal Uddin
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  2. Wei Sun
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Correspondence to Jamal Uddin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

    Unwana Samuel Akpan

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Uddin, J., Sun, W. (2023). Health Communication: An International Perspective in the Digital Space. In: Akpan, U.S. (eds) African Media Space and Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35060-3_14

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