Previously, I’ve shared that I’m a student at Boston University’s School of Public Health. Much of the 
inspiration for my blog posts come from my courses, and this week is no exception. In one of my classes, Professor Mike Siegel of Boston University’s School of Public Health, offered a wonderful analogy to describe public health communications: Capture the Flag.
If you’re one of the few people (at least in the U.S.) who aren’t aware of what this game is all about, here’s a refresher. The basic premise is that each team guards a flag. You must somehow protect your flag while attempting to capture the opposing team’s flag.
Dr Siegel used this game to describe the anti-tobacco movement. The tobacco industry marketed tobacco to youth as a rebellious activity – Big Tobacco had the rebellion flag. The anti-tobacco industry talked about tobacco as an unhealthy product – anti-smoking advocates had the health flag. The tobacco industry didn’twant the health flag since focusing on wellness doesn’t motivate people to smoke. In contrast, the anti-tobacco forces (represented by public health communicators), wanted the tobacco industry’s rebellion flag because doing so seems to motivate people to action.
The Truth campaign captured the tobacco industry’s flag by using rebellion against them. The campaign labeled public health as the Truth and tobacco executives as liars. Because some teenagers want to rebel against authority, framing Big Tobacco as the authority figure rather than parents or public health advocates motivated teens to act by quitting smoking.
How Does This Apply to Public Health Communications?
In many public health initiatives, we do a good job of capturing the flag. We don’t always excel at keeping it.
Take the H1N1 flu virus and HIV/AIDS. We did a great job of leveragingthe public’s panic about both diseases for the greater good. However, we’ve lost the flag. Today, the incidence of HIV/AIDS remains high in certain populations — especially African American women. As for H1N1 we either don’t a good enough job convincing people to take the vaccine or do not communicate clearly about how it will be distributed.
How can we keep the flag? How can we avoid falling into the thematic health frames I discussed previously? How can we capture the urgency associated with a new or existing disease or condition to keep prevention top-of-mind?
There are no easy answers to these questions, but perhaps together we can meet the challenge.
Image Source: Saint Louis University
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