----- Original Message ----- From: "Nancy Muturi" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Cc: "Charles Okigbo" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 2:56 PM Subject: [IAMCR] Call for Papers -- Strategic Health Communication in UrbanContexts This call for papers is sent on behalf of Prof. Charles Okigbo, Policy Engagement and Communication, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, KENYA. Please help distribute it widely. All questions should be directed to him at [log in to unmask] Thanks! Strategic Health Communication in Urban Contexts (Call for abstracts of chapters in a book titled Strategic Health Communication in Urban Contexts, as part of the 2009 International Conference on Urban Health, Nairobi, Kenya, October 19 to 23). As part of the activities of the 2009 International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH), which will be hosted by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the Government of the Republic of Kenya, in partnership with the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), we hereby invite you to submit abstracts of chapters for a book titled Strategic Health Communication in Urban Contexts. Contributions can be based on research, theory, practice or experience. Send a 500-word abstract with your short biosketch to Professor Charles Okigbo, Head, Policy Engagement and Communication, APHRC, PO Box 10787, 00100, Nairobi, KENYA. [log in to unmask] Fax: 254-20-2720-380. The deadline for all abstracts is July 1. Notifications of acceptance will be announced on July 15. Complete chapters of about 5,000 words, excluding references and tables, will be expected no later than October 1, 2009. Submission format: Follow the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. The Age of Urbanization: This is the age of urbanization worldwide, and the 21st century is the century of the city because now more than at any other time in human history, we have about half the world’s population living in urban areas. Although all regions of the world are affected, the rate of change is higher in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. During the next four decades, the total urban population of the developing world will increase by more than 100%, that is, from 2.3 billion in 2005 to 5.3 billion in 2050. Altogether, cities in the developing world will absorb 95% of the world’s urban population growth in the next 40 years (UN-Habitat, 2008). This continuing development has serious implications for public health. In some developing countries, for example, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among urban dwellers is twice the rate in the rural areas. Additionally, the growth of urban populations in developing countries will be associated with growth in slums, with their collateral health problems. Strategic Health Communication: The situation calls for strategic planning and interventions by various sectors at key levels of health and communication services delivery systems. It is for this reason that UN-Habitat (2008) calls for targeted and consistent investments in communication infrastructure which is necessary to achieve balanced urban and regional development. New developments in society demand new multifaceted approaches to health communication, with the aim of strategically influencing people’s knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes in favor of healthy behaviors (Schiavo 2007). The forthcoming book is designed to address issues of urbanization, local, national, regional, and global health, and strategic uses of communication in local urban contexts. Our focus is on the triangular interplay among the three components of health, behavior, and strategic communication in urban contexts. Possible areas of interest include the following: 1.. The challenges of urbanization and health 2.. The new health communication 3.. Strategic communication in general 4.. Urban health communication strategies 5.. Urban communication and behavioral change 6.. Health communication theories (in urban contexts) 7.. Health communication campaigns in urban environments 8.. The (new) media in urban health communication 9.. Globalization and urban health communication 10.. Training in urban health communication 11.. Policy engagement and evidence research 12.. The future landscape of urban health and communication 13.. An annotated bibliography on urban health communication Send all inquiries to: Charles Okigbo, Policy Engagement and Communication, APHRC, PO Box 10787, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, KENYA. [log in to unmask] Fax: 254-20-2720-380. Deadline for all abstracts: July 1, 2009. Deadline for complete papers: October 1, 2009. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > International Association for Media and Communication Research > Announcements mailing list > > http://www.iamcr.org > > Follow IAMCR's updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/IAMCRtweets