Media power—for good and for ill

Abstract

Two papers published in the past 2 weeks offer contrasting evidence on how the mass media can influence health. According to a Review published online in The Lancet on Oct 7, and in this week's issue of the journal, mass media campaigns can change health behaviour for the better and should be incorporated into government policies. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement online in Pediatrics calling for paediatricians to encourage parents to avoid exposing their children to films, television, or music videos that show cigarette smoking, drinking, or other drug misuse. Highlighting the power of the media to positively portray smoking by glamorous actresses or drinking by the use of humour, the Academy recommends a total ban on tobacco advertising in all media, and limitations on alcohol advertising.There is considerable evidence that exposure to smoking in films and television is a major contributor to smoking initiation in young people. Teenagers' alcohol consumption, too, is related to depiction of drinking in the media. How good, though, is the evidence that media campaigns can help people to stop smoking or drinking, or to adopt healthier behaviours? Robust, in some cases, argue Melanie Wakefield and colleagues in their Review, particularly when it comes to smoking cessation or road safety. Getting people to exercise more, eat healthily, or vaccinate their children have also been aided by media campaigns. But there is little evidence that such campaigns help to reduce alcohol consumption or encourage breastfeeding, perhaps because of pervasive marketing of alcohol or formula milks.The messages for governments are clear. Prevent or restrict young people's exposure to unhealthy behaviours in the media, and use those same channels to promote healthy behaviours. Health promotion is undermined while television screens, music videos, or outdoor advertising sites continue to expose young people to images that encourage unhealthy lifestyles. Mass media campaigns to change behaviour can improve health, but often need sustained funding to do so, and are more likely to be effective if complementary policy or legal frameworks are in place. Two papers published in the past 2 weeks offer contrasting evidence on how the mass media can influence health. According to a Review published online in The Lancet on Oct 7, and in this week's issue of the journal, mass media campaigns can change health behaviour for the better and should be incorporated into government policies. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement online in Pediatrics calling for paediatricians to encourage parents to avoid exposing their children to films, television, or music videos that show cigarette smoking, drinking, or other drug misuse. Highlighting the power of the media to positively portray smoking by glamorous actresses or drinking by the use of humour, the Academy recommends a total ban on tobacco advertising in all media, and limitations on alcohol advertising. There is considerable evidence that exposure to smoking in films and television is a major contributor to smoking initiation in young people. Teenagers' alcohol consumption, too, is related to depiction of drinking in the media. How good, though, is the evidence that media campaigns can help people to stop smoking or drinking, or to adopt healthier behaviours? Robust, in some cases, argue Melanie Wakefield and colleagues in their Review, particularly when it comes to smoking cessation or road safety. Getting people to exercise more, eat healthily, or vaccinate their children have also been aided by media campaigns. But there is little evidence that such campaigns help to reduce alcohol consumption or encourage breastfeeding, perhaps because of pervasive marketing of alcohol or formula milks. The messages for governments are clear. Prevent or restrict young people's exposure to unhealthy behaviours in the media, and use those same channels to promote healthy behaviours. Health promotion is undermined while television screens, music videos, or outdoor advertising sites continue to expose young people to images that encourage unhealthy lifestyles. Mass media campaigns to change behaviour can improve health, but often need sustained funding to do so, and are more likely to be effective if complementary policy or legal frameworks are in place. Use of mass media campaigns to change health behaviourMass media campaigns are widely used to expose high proportions of large populations to messages through routine uses of existing media, such as television, radio, and newspapers. Exposure to such messages is, therefore, generally passive. Such campaigns are frequently competing with factors, such as pervasive product marketing, powerful social norms, and behaviours driven by addiction or habit. In this Review we discuss the outcomes of mass media campaigns in the context of various health-risk behaviours (eg, use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, heart disease risk factors, sex-related behaviours, road safety, cancer screening and prevention, child survival, and organ or blood donation). Full-Text PDF