Question

Describe an example from the research literature of an effective health communication program using mass media. What were the key outcomes of this program? What factors and features made it successful?

Answer 1

INTRODUCTION  

Health education is an interdisciplinary social science that draws from many disciplines i.e. Medical sciences, psychology, education, environment, biology, and other disciplines, with an objective of providing information and instructing individuals, groups, and communities to achieve & maintain Better health.  

HEALTH

According to World Health Organization    health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Health is not just the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition of health speaks about the absence of disease or infirmity. While health is not just the absence of illness or infirmity.

In fact, defining health isn’t an easy task. Health is a combination of many facets of one’s personality. Health is much more than the biomedical health. Heath includes physical health, mental health, spiritual health, family health, social health & well-being etc. Health is a multidimensional concept; Health is not just physical state of health as it includes mental, physical, social, psychological, and economic health etc. Health includes wellbeing also.

HEALTH EDUATION

World Health Organization (1986)    health promotion Glossary defines Health education    as consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some form of communication techniques designed to improve health literacy, that    includes improving knowledge, and developing life skills, which are conducive to individual and community health.

HEALTH EDUCATION & MASS MEDIA

WHO health promotion glossary explains Health education as the combinations of learning experiences which are designed to help individuals and communities have improve control over their health. This improvement in control is done by increasing their knowledge about the surrounding or influencing their attitudes towards health.

This health promotion glossary further explains health education is not limited to the dissemination of health-related information but also inspiring and motivating the populace, to take necessary action to improve health,

WHO’s health promotion glossary also emphasizes on the communication of information concerning the underlying social, economic and environmental conditions impacting on health, as well as individual risk factors and risk behaviors, and use of the health care system.

Health promotion glossary further explains that main objective of health education is not only to increase knowledge about personal health behavior but also to develop skills demonstrating the political feasibility and organizational possibilities of various forms of action to address social, economic and environmental determinants of health.

Going forward by the WHO definition of health education we find that WHO definition emphasizes on the

1. Dissemination of health related information

2. Inspiring and motivating the population for

3. Taking necessary action (behavior change)

4. Improve health

5. Maintain healthy behavior / lifestyle

Motivating a large number of people simultaneously is a herculean task. That is done at several levels. Health education aims to empower individuals, groups, organizations, and communities, by imparting health information and addressing health issues with a view to positively influence their health behavior. The mass media impart necessary health information in our daily life enabling common people to take appropriate decision about their different aspects of their lives especially about health.

Evidences suggest that mass Media play a central role in informing & education people about important events / changes happening around the world. Especially because media connect the audience to the world beyond their immediate reach. In other words, media bring the world closer to the audience and increase their reach and access. Mass media is one such institution which has the ability and potential to influence every an individual’s life in a big way. We see that media has ability to influence, our behavior, our culture and even it can affect our thinking and attitudes towards different issues in our daily life.

MEDIA ARE INTEGRAL PART OF OUR DAILY LIFE  

In today’s technology driven world we are surrounded by technology, and use different technological gadgets in our day-to-day life. When we wake up in the morning, many people like to get latest news so they switch on to the TV or radio while sipping the morning tea/coffee. Even in washroom while performing the call of nature or taking bath, many of us like to use mobile / tablet to get connected with friends/ relatives / business clients around the world. Besides, during commuting to office we use mobile / other gadgets to reply to messages to our SNW connections / emails. After reaching office / business we use different gadgets e.g. desktop/laptop/ other instruments to perform our daily work. In evening when we reach back home we use TV / Radio for entertainment or other purposes many of them, which can be achieved through a constructive use of entertainment / information / advertising.

Media play a great role as political and social force and they the power to influence different aspects of our life in a big way. Health is one aspect among them. By informing the important things about the health related issues, media help bringing the behavioral changes among the people. These changes may be related to change in the previous unhealthy habits, or wrong beliefs, or may be related to preoccupied attitudes or aimed at reinforcing the existing beliefs of habits

Media have wide reach and access to influence millions of audiences, geographically scattered over thousands of kilometer in different territories, across the geopolitical boundaries. With these qualities

media are intensively employed in health education programmes.   Research studies conducted world over have suggested that media, through right mix of messages, have the potential to produce behavior change among the target populace.

Media play the role of change agent for positively influencing the health behavior of people. In fact media can act an instrument for reinforcing the existing health belief and   behavior. In short we can say that media is instrumental in bringing behavioural change about knowledge, and attitudes about health and healthy behaviors.   Collins et al. (2003) suggest that media plays the role of change agent.

It can influence the behavior of people for the sake of better health by adapting to preventive measure which stops the spread of disease i.e. use of condom to stop HIV/ AIDS. By informing & educating about different health issues, media help promote healthy lifestyle and positive behavior changes among the common public.

Mass media is instrumental in affecting knowledge and attitudes of people for adopting / maintaining healthy lifestyle. It is a well-known fact that Media influences our behavior toward health belief by informing and educating people. Mass media interventions have great impact on common people’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior towards health and healthy lifestyle.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Individual’s health is influenced by many factors. These factors include the environment they live in, the family-they are part of, the community they belong to. Actually, Socio-economic circumstances of an individual play more important role on a person’shealth than his/her own health maintenance behavior. Mass media is one such institution which has the ability and potential to influence every an individual’s life in a big way. We see that media has ability to influence, our behaviour, our culture and even it can affect our thinking and attitudes towards different issues in our daily life

Health education relates to those activities informing individuals about the cause and nature of health /sickness and the individual’s vulnerability attached with their lifestyle and behavior. Whitehead further explains that the main objective of health education is to motivate individuals, groups, and communities to adapt to a process of behavioral change by influencing their value system, attitude and beliefs.

Today’s technology driven world, an individual who uses these gadgets spends more time with these gadgets than the time he spends in sleeping or for his work or business.          

Health education involve those activities which aim to increase an individual’s awareness by providing him / her necessary health knowledge level to enable him/her to take decision on their health issues.

Health promotion aims at providing people with healthier and easier choices. The main aim of health promotion is to inform people about what choices are available to them within the given framework. It also informs them what is healthier for them and what is unhealthier.

Key Outcomes

An analysis of the national media scene reveals that it is possible to reach approximately 65% of the audience by at least one of the mass media channels ie either through Television, Cable, Newspapers, Radio, Magazines, Cinema or the fledgling internet. Overall, Television is currently the medium with the highest reach (56%) in the country. A majority of the respondents (64%) said they prefer print and electronic media, About Thirty percent of the respondents prefer new media, 22% were prefer Social Media, 14% prefer traditional media and only 12% of respondents are preferring outdoor media for information, education and entertainment. Majority of the respondents (92%) are aware of public service advertisements. Majority of the respondents (86%) of respondents are aware of pulse polio advertisement. Fifty two percent of the respondents are aware of HIV advertisement on television. Majority of the respondents (65%) said that public service advertisements of health care have impact in some extent. About 28 percent of respondents said these health advertisements have impact in great extent. Respondents of (82%) are opinioned that the above health advertisements which are broadcasting on television have influence on public.

Sucess of Mass Media Communication in Health Care

The mass media helps health communicators to expand their audience reach, which is crucial considering the fact that face-to-face channels of communication often require too many human resources and reach only a small number of people in large, underserved rural areas. The mass media provides an important link between the rural residents and vital national information. The mass media, in the form of the radio and television, are an effective way to persuade target audiences to adopt new behaviors, or to remind them of critical information. Besides informing the public about new diseases and where to seek help, they can also keep the public updated. Television as an effective audio-visual medium it reaches large number of population. And it is an essential communication force to convey the messages of health care services through advertisements and other health programs. Public service advertising is potentially powerful tool in the effort to address many health services and other social challenges