Public health is often a thankless and invisible profession. When we hear the word “health,” we tend to think of health care: a doctor, dentist, nurse or health aide, the people who care for and work every day to keep individuals healthy. Public health also works to keep people healthy, but focuses on everyone. Public health uses data to understand what’s making people sick, get injured or die; encourages people to make healthy choices; works to change policies, from employee wellness programs to smokefree indoor air laws; supports pro-health infrastructure, like sidewalks and clean water systems; and recommends actions we can take now to prevent future harms, even years before it may happen.
Prevention is a tough job, especially when it means telling people what they should do, that they may not want to. Despite all the data, research and best intentions, public health often boils down to the fact that we should do a thing, but for one reason or another, we don’t want to do that thing. Maybe it’s inconvenient. Maybe it’s changing a habit of many years. Maybe we know we should do it, but deep down we’re not really ready.
One classic example is tobacco use. A 2016 study found almost 90% of Alaskans know smoking is bad for you, and even most current smokers want to quit (68%, 2015 study). And who among us doesn’t indulge in comfort foods, lament that we should eat better, and repeat?
The real long-term work of public health is social norm changes that make us all healthier. Laws and policies are written rules; social norms are the unwritten rules we all carry around with us, and are reinforced or changed a little every day. Norms are the things we do to fit in, to belong as part of the group, what’s normal or desirable behavior.
Policy can change norms, like how we used to accept smoking on airplanes, but now it’s not allowed and we don’t. Popular culture and marketing can also change norms, like the steady growth of no-sugar, low-calorie drink products. But when it comes to the things that people don’t want to do, norms take a lot of time to change. When public health says “you should,” many people say “I should, but I won’t.”
So, what else can we do?
Social norm change happens with thousands of small choices we make every day. We can all help create a COVID-safe community! Wear a mask in public. Talk about choices you’ve made to be safe, like getting vaccinated and avoiding crowded spaces. Talk about why you make these choices. Encourage friends to do it, too. When “everyone’s doing it,” norms shift. We can all choose to protect our community.
— Anna Brawley
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.