TY - JOUR T1 - The art of drawing numbers and stories in the air: epidemiology, information, emotion and action JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health JO - J Epidemiol Community Health SP - 1109 LP - 1111 DO - 10.1136/jech-2014-203883 VL - 68 IS - 12 AU - Rafael Cofiño AU - Miguel Prieto AU - Oscar Suárez AU - Kristen Malecki Y1 - 2014/12/01 UR - http://jech.bmj.com/content/68/12/1109.abstract N2 - The impulse to paint comes neither from observation nor from the soul (which is probably blind) but from an encounter: the encounter between painter and model: even if the model is a mountain or a shelf of empty medicine bottles John Berger, The Shape of a PocketHow do we transmit epidemiological information? How do we transmit the information to guide public health and community health? Do we have stories to be told? How do we tell the stories about health and disease situation in our population? Do we know how to tell stories about ‘numbers’? Are we using the same graphic designs as those used 30 years ago? Do we consider presentation of the data as important as collecting the information and analysing it? Is that collected information useful to improve the health of our population? Epidemiological information has the power to be transformative and promote action that is both effective and efficient, but these actions are not possible without forging bridges between disciplines and thoughtful collaborations including researchers, practitioners, people and communities. Translating epidemiological findings into meaningful results and action is a challenge because of the miscommunication and lack of a common language between those who are generating the data and those who need this data and information to make decisions. We propose that this translation of epidemiological findings, particularly in a community setting, could benefit from the art of storytelling and the contribution of new data visualisation approaches. In 2009, the United Nations launched a series of guides called ‘Making Data Meaningful’.1 The first one emphasises the importance of the statistical story: “First and foremost, you need a story to tell. You should think in terms of issues or themes, rather than a description of data. Specifically, you need to find meaning in the statistics. A technical … ER -