This time, I'd like to talk about the effectiveness of mass media in spreading health information.
In the past, I have written several articles in this blog about how to use mass media to spread health information.In order to write those articles, the reviews that I used as references were conspicuous for their contents, such as "useful depending on how you use it" and "negative information is easily spread".There have been TV dramas where the number of suicides increased if they were used incorrectly, so it must be difficult to use the media properly.At present, there are only programs that seem to be structured in pursuit of ratings and profits, and health information is being disseminated with little evidence.There is a difficulty in pursuing evidence for everything, but if there is a lack of evidence, there should be an appropriate way to express it.There are many things I would like to say, but the review I am going to introduce is an examination of the use of mass media to spread health information. This is a study that examines the use of mass media to spread health information.
The studies
Six studies were included, all from the United States.
Four of the studies were conducted on African-Americans and two on Latino or Chinese immigrants.Four of the studies will be experimental (1,693 volunteers) and two will be reporting the results of large-scale targeted campaigns that were run in communities and across cities.The conclusions of the studies in this review will be available until August 2016.They are insufficient to conclude whether mass media interventions targeting ethnic minority groups are more or less effective in changing health behaviors than general mass media interventions.One study compared the smoking habits and smoking cessation behaviors of participants after receiving either a booklet with general advice on quitting smoking or a booklet with content tailored to the culture of the target population.The study found little or no difference in smoking behavior between the groups.When compared to no mass media intervention, a targeted mass media intervention may increase the number of calls inquiring about smoking cessation behavior, but the impact on subsequent smoking cessation behavior is unknown.This conclusion is based on what we have learned from three studies.In one study, participants were allowed to watch a series of 12 live programs on cable television, which provided information on how to maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
Compared to women who did not watch the programs, participants reported a slight increase in exercise habits and a positive change in behavior toward improved eating habits.However, the weight of the participants did not change.In two separate studies, smokers were given advice on how to quit smoking through a large campaign that advertised a telephone to support their quitting efforts.During the campaign, the number of calls from the targeted population increased significantly.
This review also compared a targeted mass media intervention with an additional mass media intervention with personal interaction.These findings, based on three studies, were not conclusive.None of the studies reported whether the intervention behaviors may have had negative effects, such as the likelihood of honor existing or increased resistance to the message.
Reviewer's conclusions
The available evidence is insufficient to understand whether mass media interventions targeting ethnic minority populations are more effective in changing health behaviors than mass media interventions targeting the general population. When compared to no intervention, targeted mass media interventions may increase the number of calls to quitlines, but the impact on health behavior is unknown. These studies failed to distinguish between the effects of different factors. For example, the impact of hearing messages about behavior change, cultural adaptation to ethnic minority groups, and greater reach to target groups through more appropriate mass media channels. New research needs to consider targeted interventions for ethnic minorities who use a first language other than the primary language of their country of residence.
Mosdøl A, Lidal IB, Straumann GH, Vist GE. Targeted mass media interventions promoting healthy behaviours to reduce risk of Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD011683. DOI: 10.1002/14651858. CD011683.pub2.
Conclusion
Interventions using mass media have shown results that encourage people to take action, but it is not clear whether the action is expected to contribute to health.The results reminded me of the diet-related products that are sold on mail-order programs, and people buy them but don't use them.For a company, this may be fine in terms of publicity and sales, but is it really the intention of the information provider?As a provider, it would be fine to use the media well according to the purpose, but I wonder what the media side is looking at and how they are measuring the effectiveness.As a result of using the media, you may be able to encourage action, but it may not lead to results afterwards. I think it is important to keep this in mind.
