[Advertising and health education]

Gac Sanit. 1990 Nov-Dec;4(21):233-8. doi: 10.1016/s0213-9111(90)71039-4.
[Article in Spanish]

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.

MeSH terms

  • Advertising* / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Education* / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Periodicals as Topic / statistics & numerical data
  • Spain