INTRODUCTION:
Stigma is a significant barrier to public health action, shaping behaviour, community attitudes, and public support for policy and services. While stigma is often examined within individual health domains, less attention has been paid to whether communication patterns that reduce or reinforce stigma operate consistently across different public health issues.

METHODS:
This presentation synthesises findings from three national message research projects conducted in Australia between 2024 and 2025 by Common Cause Australia and partners. The projects focused on addiction and dependence, sexual and reproductive health, and gestational diabetes risk and weight-based stigma in pregnancy. Methods included literature and public discourse reviews, national surveys with over 3,500 participants, real-time message testing, and qualitative focus groups with more than 200 participants, including members of the public, people with lived experience, and health professionals.

RESULTS:
Across distinct health topics, consistent framing effects were identified. Messages grounded in intrinsic values such as support, autonomy, and collective responsibility were more likely to reduce stigma and increase engagement. Messages emphasising extrinsic values, including blame, compliance, or individual responsibility, were more likely to trigger judgement and disengagement. Framing stigma as a product of external factors, such as social norms or systems rather than individual failure, consistently reduced stigmatising responses. Strengths-based language and option-focused recommendations performed better than deficit-based or risk-focused messaging across all three topics.

CONCLUSIONS:
Stigma-reducing communication principles appear transferable across public health issues. These findings support the use of evidence-informed messaging approaches to reduce isolation and disengagement among people most impacted by stigma, while strengthening public trust and support for effective and equitable public health action.