Introduction
The media as tool of communication has become one of the most important source of information in the world today. For this reason, it ability to improve people’s health is evident around the globe. Even though some people are still skeptic of the use of media as a primary source of health information, no one can deny the positive results that have been achieved in health campaigns through the media. Therefore, media is a good tool to help improving or to inform people about their health.
Types of media used in passing health information
There are different types of media including the print media, television, movies, games, radio, cell phones and the internet. The different types of media encompass the content and the gadget used to relay information. Whichever the media used, the bottom line is its ability to convey a message to the intended recipients. Due to the current technological advancement, the world has experienced a significant shift in communication. This shift has greatly influenced the flow of information including medical health information.
Mobile phones
Today, the use of mobile phones has increased and almost half of the worlds population own or has access to a mobile phone. On the other hand, medical services providers have taken advantage of this development to use the platform in health education. Most of the big health organizations such the world health organization have put up a messaging system that allows them to send text messages to random people. Such messages may contain details and advertisements of a certain campaigns especially malaria.
Televisions
Television is the most common form of media and it also has recorded significant success in the fight against certain pandemics. Through certain TV programs, people are able to learn different effects and implication of certain habits. For instance, some originations that campaign for healthy standards of living have taken the responsibility of putting up adverts on this platform (Sun & Lu, 2014). This is done in a bid to sensitize the masses about a particular health issue. The most significant and conspicuous health issues that receive significant attention include malaria, HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Tuberculosis, and most recently the Ebola outbreak.
In addition, there are various channels that are pure dedicated to giving such information. Health channels are many depending on one’s locality. These are channels that run purely to inform the audience about the health practices, health living and effects of different habits. Such programs have greatly help many individual to change their unhealthy habits and to adopt better living standards. Televisions have also been used widely to offer counseling sessions. Individuals with chronic ailment such as cancer can readily find very helpful information on televisions from different programs that offer such information.
Lastly, the players in the health industry have also been creating advertisements that are played on televisions that are very informative. Some adverts emphasis the need for physical activities among the elderly or the different age groups. Televisions have been used over the ears to encourage different lifestyles that promote healthy living standards. The effectiveness of televisions is mainly due to its accessibility. Most households all over the world can afford a television or own one. Therefore, by running and advert on TV one is sure that the message will reach very many people.
Print media
Print media is also a very effective tool of passing medical information. In fact, just like with televisions the print media has some magazines that are dedicated to health issues. These include medical journals and periodicals that are written by health practitioners. The growing level of literacy around the globe has made this form of media a viable tool of passing medical information (Martin, Hartman, Whittle & Catlin, 2014).
Today, any information that an individual requires can be easily accessed from written materials. In cities and major towns, there are many billboards set up in strategic places that display medical information in a concise but comprehendible manner.
When there is a serious campaign against a certain lifestyle for instance smoking, pamphlets and flier may be used to pass the message to individuals (Martin et al., 2014). Print media has even gone further to utilize the current artistic demand on graffiti as well as on clothing. Walking through the city one can never miss a t-shirt with some health message like “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Such writings are very significant because they attract people’s attention and they are very easy to understand. As long as the message is out there, there will be a needy person to read it and get help. In this respect, it is obvious that the print media is good tool for informing people about their health as well as warning them against bad health habits.
The internet
The internet is the world’s biggest source of information. Unlike many other forms of media, the internet can be used or accessed from different gadgets. For instance, it can be accessed through the use of a personal computer, a laptop, a smart phone, an ipad, and many other electronic gadgets. Due to the numerous platforms through which the internet can be accessed, it has become the easiest way of relaying medical information (Kvedar, Coye & Everett, 2014).
The success of the internet platform as a good media tool for medical information has been influenced by the numerous social networks. Most of the health organizations have set up accounts in the various social networks. Here, the public engage the organization by asking questions and finding out things to do with health information.
Apart from giving the public access to information through the social networks platform, most of the health organizations have set up websites where people can log in and find out more about a particular health issue (Grajales, Sheps, Ho, Novak-Lauscher, & Eysenbach, 2014). In such website one can find very useful information that can help to improve his or her health in a very significant manner. The Center for Disease Control website is one of the best known websites where individuals can access very useful information on different types of health practices (Grajales et al., 2014). There are other different types of website are dedicated to offering different kinds of therapies, rehabilitative information and other medical guidelines.
Conclusion
Medical information is very important in human existence and the ability to access it cannot be overemphasized. As discussed in this essay, the several available forms of media have been very instrumental in passing crucial medical information that has helped people to understand their health needs. According to this paper, the media has played a major role in informing the public about their health. Considering the argument outlaid in this essay, it is prudent to say that the media is a good and perfect tool for passing health information to the public.
References
Grajales III, F. J., Sheps, S., Ho, K., Novak-Lauscher, H., & Eysenbach, G. (2014). Social media: a review and tutorial of applications in medicine and health care. Journal of medical Internet research, 16(2), e13.
Kvedar, J., Coye, M. J., & Everett, W. (2014). Connected health: a review of technologies and strategies to improve patient care with telemedicine and telehealth. Health Affairs, 33(2), 194-199.
Martin, A. B., Hartman, M., Whittle, L., & Catlin, A. (2014). National health spending in 2012: rate of health spending growth remained low for the fourth consecutive year. Health Affairs, 33(1), 67-77.
Sun, Y., & Lu, H. (2014). Suggestions to the media to help us cope with the A/H7N9 crisis in China. Drug discoveries & therapeutics, 8(2), 100-101.