Perspectives of U.S. harm reduction advocates on persuasive message strategies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The messages used to communicate about harm reduction are critical in garnering public support for adoption of harm reduction interventions. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of harm reduction interventions at reducing overdose deaths and disease transmission, the USA has been slow to adopt harm reduction to scale. Implementation of evidence-based interventions has been hindered by a historical framing of drug use as a moral failure and related stigmatizing attitudes among the public toward people who use drugs. Understanding how professional harm reduction advocates communicate to audiences about the benefits of harm reduction is a critical step to designing persuasive messaging strategies.

Methods

We conducted qualitative interviews with a purposively recru

SUBMITTER: White SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10436451 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature