Lessons From IHA’s Health Literacy Conference 2025:

Advice for Navigating Politicized Topics

IHA’s Health Literacy Conference 2025 included a town hall session called “WhatsNext for Health Literacy?” The May 12, 2025, session featured a presentation by Katy Evans, PhD, senior director of the FrameWorks Institute’s Health Justice Program, which offered real-world advice for navigating politicized topics.

Respond Effectively to Deceptive Discourse

In these politicized times, said Katy, it’s important for healthcare organizations to respond effectively to deceptive discourse. She shared this advice for crafting a productive response:

• Explain what is true. Give people a way to understand how the issue works in reality. Gaining a deep understanding of people’s mindsets can help you find better counter-messages.

• Warn against the fallacy. Characterize the unsound ideas as false and harmful.

• Unmask disinformation tactics. Name the misleading moves and worry aloud about their effects.

• Express care and concern. Talk about why this matters to you. Use a measured tone.
  
  

Katy also discussed how not to respond to deceptive discourse:

• Don’t use partisan cues (e.g., “Make America healthy again”). Be sure your tone, vocabulary, and examples signal that this is a message for everyone.

• Don’t restate the misinformation. If you must restate it, do so after you’ve built an accurate mental picture of the truth.

• Don’t engage in blame, shame, or derision. Position yourself as a reasonable, trustworthy voice in an important, inclusive conversation.

Address Controversial Terms

Some terms (such as “health equity”) have become controversial, said Katy. In those cases, it’s wise to strategize with your allies. Ask yourselves: Is the idea the term represents helpful and productive?

If the idea is helpful and productive, keep using the term, or choose a close synonym. Explain what the term or its synonym means in plain, nonpartisan language.

If the idea is harmful or unproductive, don’t use the term. And describe the intent and/or impact of the harmful idea.

Talk Effectively About Health Equity

It can be challenging to talk about the concept of health equity, Katy noted. She shared this advice for discussing it effectively:

• Instead of leading with challenges, lead with the idea of dignity. For instance, instead of focusing on inequitable access to healthcare, focus on the human right to healthcare.

• Use past-present-future stories to motivate action to change uneven, unfair situations. This helps replace a sense of fatalism with a sense of efficacy.

• Talk about systemic racism as an example of how the system is rigged. This helps move people from thinking about individual racism to thinking about systemic racism.

• Instead of just asserting inequities, explain them. Clearly lay out the sequence of cause and effect. In addition, use a tight logical flow and causal transition words.

Communicate Clearly

To make your information accessible, said Katy, it’s critical to communicate clearly. She offered these tips for clear communication:

• Use short, everyday words.

• Break up long sentences.

• Show connection, care, and concern.

• Orient your audience by providing background.

• Avoid using terms of art.