{"title":"Health Communication at a Crossroads as the <i>Journal of Health Communication</i> Begins Its 4<sup>th</sup> Decade of Publication.","authors":"Rebecca Katherine Ivic, Scott C Ratzan","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2629287","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As the Journal of Health Communication enters its fourth decade in 2026, the field confronts a period of profound transformation. AI, platform-mediated communication, and the fragmenting of information environments reshape health communication and information amid persistent global inequities and declining governing confidence. This editorial reflects on the Journal's legacy while articulating a vision that centers the quality, governance, and social responsibilities of the discipline. We argue for a shift beyond individual-level models toward greater attention to institutional accountability, health literacy as a systemic model, and the communicative consequences of digital and AI-driven systems. Reaffirming a commitment to methodological rigor and global perspectives, we invite scholarship that advances theory and practice in response to the evolving conditions that now define health communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"101-103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Health Communication","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2629287","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/2/12 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
As the Journal of Health Communication enters its fourth decade in 2026, the field confronts a period of profound transformation. AI, platform-mediated communication, and the fragmenting of information environments reshape health communication and information amid persistent global inequities and declining governing confidence. This editorial reflects on the Journal's legacy while articulating a vision that centers the quality, governance, and social responsibilities of the discipline. We argue for a shift beyond individual-level models toward greater attention to institutional accountability, health literacy as a systemic model, and the communicative consequences of digital and AI-driven systems. Reaffirming a commitment to methodological rigor and global perspectives, we invite scholarship that advances theory and practice in response to the evolving conditions that now define health communication.
期刊介绍：
Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives is the leading journal covering the full breadth of a field that focuses on the communication of health information globally. Articles feature research on: • Developments in the field of health communication; • New media, m-health and interactive health communication; • Health Literacy; • Social marketing; • Global Health; • Shared decision making and ethics; • Interpersonal and mass media communication; • Advances in health diplomacy, psychology, government, policy and education; • Government, civil society and multi-stakeholder initiatives; • Public Private partnerships and • Public Health campaigns. Global in scope, the journal seeks to advance a synergistic relationship between research and practical information. With a focus on promoting the health literacy of the individual, caregiver, provider, community, and those in the health policy, the journal presents research, progress in areas of technology and public health, ethics, politics and policy, and the application of health communication principles. The journal is selective with the highest quality social scientific research including qualitative and quantitative studies.
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