With chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease on the rise, it’s crucial that people learn more about it and do more to be proactive and stay healthy.
For years, the healthcare industry has been trying to promote health and wellness. Recent technological advancements, such as smartphones and social media, have become an integrated part of our daily lives, offering another highly effective option to aid in promoting health and wellness.
Today, the healthcare industry has been taking advantage of mass media to encourage healthy behavior across the world. Here, mass communications professional Julian Narchet shares his insight on how mass media is being utilized in health to promote health and wellness.
Television
Many television shows are geared towards health and channels have teamed up with healthcare providers to promote awareness and healthy habits.
Shows like “The Doctors,” “The Biggest Loser,” and “Dr. Oz” are all well-known examples of health-related shows. They use their platform to bring awareness to certain issues, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The shows that focus on doctors also educate their audiences on new and emerging illnesses, and trends, such as the flu, and how to protect oneself from developing them. Many shows also focus on mental health, which is a rising concern in today’s world and has brought about an extremely positive response.
Some regular shows, such as “Today,” will also have segments that bring doctors on to explain these health issues, even though they do not focus primarily on health. Additionally, some channels, like NBC, have started programs like “The More You Know” that hopes to encourage healthy habits through short commercials featuring celebrities that bring awareness to physical and mental health issues.
Social Media
In addition to television, many healthcare providers are utilizing social media. The average person spends more than an hour online, which gives plenty of opportunities for them to see promoted material.
Healthcare providers have partnered with what’s known as “influencers” (public figures that promote certain lifestyles online; this became popular through platforms like YouTube and Instagram) and other popular pages and celebrities to bring awareness to mental and physical health. Often times they will sponsor these pages to make a short video, mention it on their page, or bring it up in some other way since so many people view their content.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube also offer the ability to promote material. In a sense, its paid advertisements. This material then appears in a person’s newsfeed in a seemingly natural way, just like any other post, or is played before, during, or after a video.
Some influencers and celebrities choose to bring awareness on their own, without a paid sponsorship, simply because they want to, which also encourages health and wellness.
Because so many people use social media, it has become an excellent platform to bring awareness, as people are more likely to see it.
Radio and Film
Lastly, though these two are not as popular anymore, many healthcare providers still run radio advertisements, and some will help fund and promote documentaries and films aimed at raising awareness for mental and physical health issues. While they may not be as popular anymore, older generations are more likely to see/hear it through these mediums.
About Julian Narchet:
Julian Narchet is a marketing and mass communications professional, and Research Assistant at the University of Miami. He has extensive experience in customer service, market research, academic research, social media, public relations, and event management. He is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others through cooperation with non-profits and healthcare organizations.