JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Accessible and engaging health education is a cornerstone of health behavior change. Especially in low- and middle-income countries, increasing access to effective health education can contribute to improved health outcomes. Prior research has identified several characteristics of effective health education interventions. These include the integration of pictures, narratives and entertainment-education, in which the health messages that make up the education content are embedded. However, the effectiveness and long-term impact of health messages ultimately depends on how well end-users can identify with the content that is presented. This identification, in turn, is a function of how well the messages correspond to user needs and wants and how this correspondence is communicated through the design characteristics of the health education intervention. Drawing on 5 years of experience designing, producing and disseminating video health education programs globally, we outline the process of creating accessible, engaging and relevant video health education content using a community-based, human-centered design approach. We show that this approach can yield a “new generation” of interventions that are better aligned with the needs and contexts of target communities. The participation of target communities and local stakeholders in the content production and design processes fosters ownership of the content and increases the likelihood that the resulting intervention will resonate within its intended primary audience and be disseminated broadly. Ease of future adaptation for additional global audiences and modification of the content for multiple dissemination pathways are important early considerations to ensure scalability and long-term impact of an intervention. Recent advances in mobile technology can facilitate the dissemination of accessible, engaging health education at scale, thereby enhancing the potential impact of video-based educational tools.