With the rise of the Internet and social media, information can be disseminated to the public more quickly and efficiently than ever. Increased access to public health information gives individuals the potential to be far better informed than their counterparts in previous generations. What happens, though, when inaccurate information is disseminated? How might inaccurate portrayals of findings adversely affect members of the lay public?

One way to improve the accuracy of the dissemination of epidemiological information is to make sure that research studies are summarized in approachable yet objective ways. This is often done through press releases.

With these thoughts in mind:

Select an epidemiological research article from one of the previous weeks’ Learning Resources. Please note that policy, public health promotion, or opinion articles will not meet the requirements of the assignment this week.

Post a brief description of the research article that you selected.(INCLUDE ARTICLE IN DISCUSSION) Create a press release that accurately reflects the design, findings, and recommendations that can be easily disseminated to the lay public. Explain the most critical element of the study that should be communicated to the lay public. Finally, discuss how the presentation of epidemiological data to the lay public may affect social change.