Creating Simple Communication About Groundwater and Health Is Not Simple To Do. Why It Is Worth It.

Most people will say having clean, running water is important to their health; yet, they do not have the time or energy to figure out the details of water quality. The average person will not wade through dense technical reports or sift through complicated data, no matter how concerned they are. Consumers have conveyed they want the information packaged in a memorable fashion and in a format conducive to quick reading. Health promotion professionals know it is ideal to begin health communication campaigns with a simple, memorable message to initially influence a health behavior. Here is the challenge: creating a simple message for a general audience is not easy to do. Groundwater is complex. Geology, especially in New Mexico, is complex. Health promotion is complex. The process of crafting concise yet accurate, useful, and memorable groundwater health messages for a general audience is a delicate and lengthy process. This presentation examines (1) the steps the New Mexico Environmental Public Health Tracking program has taken, working with the New Mexico Private Well Program, to create messages about complicated water quality topics, well testing, and health protection; and (2) lessons learned about the message development process.