Advertising and health education |
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| Authors: | M L López González A Cueto Espinar F Martínez Cuervo M L Redondo Cornejo J R Suárez González L Secall Mellén |
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| Institution: | Area de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo. |
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| Abstract: | Health education and advertising have a common aim: to modify human behaviour. Health education tries to induce healthy behaviours. In some occasions Publicity proposes risky behaviours. Ads appearing during a two-month period in magazines of the largest circulation in Spain are analyzed here. A total of 1,726 ads which could have a negative influence on health either because of the product or service offered or for the use of health as a persuasive argument in their text, are considered. The magazines Hola and Lecturas had the highest ratio ads/magazine. Spirits, food and drugs were the most frequently advertised products. And more than 50% of the ads used health and welfare as argument for better selling. Health educators should know and teach the critical analysis of publicity, and use advertisements as a teaching tool to enable people to see through misleading advertising. |
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