Media Channels in Health Promotion

The reading this week entitled Health Advertising: Prevention for Profit was good for framing the topic of using advertising and public relations to further health promotion efforts. Nowadays it seems commonplace for food companies to advertise their foods in terms of nutritional benefits. However, the article gave a historical context for the emergence of this concept through the example of the partnership between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Kellogg Company to simultaneously disseminate the message about the health benefits of fiber while promoting Kellogg's All-Bran cereal. In the early 1980s when this type of partnership first took place, a whole can of worms was opened about the costs and benefits of public-commerical partnerships. While some were concerned about opening the door to increasing health claims for commercial products, others were impressed by the the ability of such a partnership and campaign to spread a health message (e.g. the relationship between diet and some cancers) to a large population and result in changing behaviors (e.g. increased sales of not only All-Bran, but all fiber-rich cereals). I certainly think that this can be a slippery slope from creating awareness of important health issues to disseminating bogus health claims; however, I think that in much the same way commercial marketing comes down to consumer behavior (whether or not the consumer purchased the cereal), social marketing boils down to health behavior (whether or not individuals increase fiber intake). So, in a sense, this type of partnership is a win-win situation.

In swiftly changing technological times, the different modes of communication are constantly evolving. In the age of consumerism, it seems to make sense for non-profit organizations such as the NCI to partner with a large commercial organization such as Kelloggs. And besides, given the very limited budgets of public health and other non-profit organizations, such partnerships may be the most cost-effective way to disseminate an important health message that would otherwise have very little funding. Rob, our speaker for today from the American Cancer Society, also pointed out the gradual phasing out of print materials such as newspapers and once persuasive message channels such as letters to the Editor. As these traditional modes of communication begin to wane, we have to find out the ways that the modern-day person is getting his or her information.

Finally, to be quite honest, I would like to make an insightful comment about the presentations for today, especially those related to the topic of media channels, but I really can't remember them. There were so many presentations today that they have all just morphed together in my mind, and none really sticks out to me. All I can say is that I appreciated Feoin's (sorry for spelling) more interactive and informative presentation, using a handout to illustrate her points. I found myself jotting down points and taking notes that I thought would be helpful to me in the future. Also, I thought Lynn did a really great job giving an upbeat and interesting presentation, using great visuals and examples and speaking in a loud (yet not too loud) and clear voice. Good job!