Narratives and health equity: Expanding the conversation

Do you struggle to talk about the conditions that create health without resorting to jargon?

Our work brings us to tables with a broad range of stakeholders and to conversations with people from many sectors. Despite years of experience, many of us have a hard time talking with our partners about the impact of their work on health (and vice versa).

Using a public narrative approach can help us expand conversations with our partners across sectors, to include the social and economic conditions that shape health and well-being and to suggest actions to advance health equity.

What are public narratives? All people understand and make sense of the world through images and stories. A narrative is a story that connects issues and actions to values.

Download: Public narratives: The pieces of an emerging narrative can be thought of as frames or lenses through which we view or think about complex issues:

• African-American infant mortality 
• Burdensome debt and health 
• Early childhood health 
• Healthy food access 
• Housing, home, and health 
• Incarceration inequities and health 
• Income and health 
• Mental health and well-being 
• Paid family leave and health 
• Transportation and health 

Training and tools for public narratives: MDH and the Healthy Minnesota Partnership have trained over 1,500 public health professionals and partners on how public narratives shape policy decisions. View materials and tools to help you with your public narratives work.

About this narrative work: This public narratives work is the result of collaboration between the Healthy Minnesota Partnership and MDH.

Contact us

For more information on narratives, trainings, or tools, contact:

Healthy Minnesota Partnership
651-201-3880
health.ophp@state.mn.us