Abstract
In the United States, advertisements consist of a few seconds to several minutes of content about a specific topic that are used to inform the public regarding an issue or to promote the sale of products, goods, or services. These advertisements are generally considered commercial advertisements. In addition, political advertisements are used to promote political campaigns. Today, health-related advertisements are used to promote a specific pharmaceutical product with a health-related message associated with the pharmaceutical product. I am proposing that we extend beyond the current utilization of pharmaceutical advertisements to increase the advertisement of health-related information that promotes the adoption of positive healthy behaviors, via bill boards, public service announcements, television and radio commercials, podcasts, and tagged to email and use of social networks.
Given today’s technologically advanced and connected society, we are almost always connected to some type of communication source. This provides health care providers with endless opportunities to saturate the American public with health messages via multiple modalities. For example, health care professionals could provide daily health alerts or “news push outs” about the latest health care discoveries via the public’s electronic devices. Individuals connected through social networks would be encouraged to distribute the alert or message to their social network of family and friends. This could provide rapid penetration of health-related messages into the general public.
Building on various types of media with consideration of the public’s diverse level of health literacy, health care professionals could explore the best modality and methods to promote health education and behavioral changes using advanced technology and existing socially connected networks. The area of health advertisements provides an excellent avenue to educate the public regarding healthy lifestyle choices. However, the implementation of these health advertisements requires the exploration of the best methods to educate via these strategies to ensure the implementation of evidence-based advertisements. It cannot be assumed that all individuals within the American public would benefit from the same message delivered in the same manner. What is being proposed is similar to existing health infomercials; however, this proposal would require that the advertiser meet specific evidence-based standards to ensure that the message is appropriate to the target audience, the health-related claim is evidence based, and the message is purely advertising the healthy lifestyle behavior but not linked to or directly dependent on some product, good, or service that is being marketed. This area of health education infomercials would require the development of guidelines and standards for these advertisements. At a minimum, the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in advertising (Authority: 38 Stat. 717, as amended; 15 U.S.C 41-58) should be followed.