Health Education by Virtue of its Mission is Centered around Mass Media and Communication: Implications for Professional Preparation

Abstract

The impact of mass media on our daily lives cannot be overstated. We are influenced by what we read, hear, and view in mass media. Often media set the political and social agenda. Television, radio, and newspapers alert, educate, and constantly update the public in matters of health and health risks. The effect of mass media on individual and public health is a major interest area in health education. Media have been playing a significant role throughout the world in disease prevention and environmental movements. Words, acronyms, and phrases, such as dioxin, AIDS/HIV, PCBs, and the greenhouse effect, which once meant nothing to most people, are now household words. In view of media's powerful role as an institution, this study makes observations on the news selection process, notes inadequate professional preparation among the professionals in both health and media, and addresses how essential it is for health educators and mass media professionals to build partnerships and work together. Establishment of a national body to facilitate intensive training for both professions perhaps would improve the situation.