Communicating data effectively: making statistics stylish
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School of Public Health, University of Nevada, United States
Publication date: 2023-04-27
Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A1648
ABSTRACT
The Larson Institute for Health Impact and Equity within the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada Reno utilizes a wide variety of communication practices to support audiences being able to access, understand, and use data related to public health matters. Public health data is too often collected, analyzed, and put into extensive final reports that have limited impact. This session will present new ways to display data that support understanding and utilization. Using case study examples from Nevada’s Public Health Workforce Development Surveys, session will highlight the impact data design can have when communicating. Examples will showcase how presenting data in new formats supported a better understanding across workforce tiers and was used to guide organizational training development plans throughout the state of Nevada. Attendees will be involved in pinpointing key questions that establish what communication tools should be used for distinctive audiences. In addition, attendees will learn communication tips to create useable reports for multiple levels of the public health workforce as well as the general public. Session will highlight simple data visualization techniques that can be made to help readers interpret what matters most and alter the readers experience, including how to share key findings using color, modern graphs, images, or special effects. Recognizing the importance of inclusivity and following the American Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, session will review common practices that are harmful to reader interpretability and provide alternative solutions. Attendees will gain knowledge of ways to use common programs, including excel and PowerPoint, to create reports that will do more than sit on a shelf.