Think about the subjects of the public service advertisements (PSAs) or signs you may have seen regarding public health. What comes to mind? The issue of distracted driving has dominated in the United States. There are signs in most restaurant restrooms that encourage hand washing. In wildfire-prone areas, fire safety signs and PSAs are ubiquitous. Now consider underrecognized issues (URIs). Almost by definition, the most underrecognized public health issues are not easily identifiable through an Internet search and may be more of a challenge to find. Outside of their lack of recognition, what are the common characteristics of URIs in public health?

For this Discussion, explore underrecognized issues in public health and select one to use for this Discussion. Consider why the issue may be underrecognized and strategies you might use to raise awareness of it in the field. Note that the underrecognized public health issue that you select must be used in both Discussions this week. Be sure to select a URI that was not included in this week's Learning Resources.

With these thoughts in mind:

Description of an underrecognized issue in public health. Then explain why this issue needs recognition or increased awareness by the field of public health. Then explain your vision of future directions for community health education theory and intervention development in the field of public health. Finally, explain one strategy you might use to increase awareness/recognition of this issue in the public health field.