Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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15
It is realised that these results give the views of
only a small section of the population of a London Borough,
and the findings make it clear that the adult respondents
who were in far greater proportion in the professional
and skilled groups, were those who were sufficiently
interested in health promotion to make comment on it.
Unfortunately the semi-skilled and unskilled, who require
health education most, took only a small part in the
enquiry, but their addiction to television is well known
and there can be little doubt that their view, had it
been given by a greater number, would be in strong support
of this medium.
Although methods of health education will always
need to conform with local characteristics and conditions,
the background propaganda is on a much wider basis, and
it would seem that since the public are responsive to
instruction by television, health magazines, and modern
commercial advertising, a great deal more use should be
made of them. To bring health education up to date will
cost a lot of money; but it will be well repaid, as those
who advertise expensively on commercial television and
elsewhere have no doubt discovered.
TABLE I Order of preference of means of health education.
FIRST | (h) | Television programmes |
SECOND | (e) | Films |
THIRD | (k) | Talks at schools |
FOURTH | (g) | Radio programmes |
FIFTH | (b) | Newspaper articles |
SIXTH | (d) | Posters |
SEVENTH | (a) | Magazines such as 'Family Doctor' |
EIGHTH | (i) | Visits to welfare centres |
NINTH | (f) | Exhibitions |
TENTH | (j) | Talks at clubs |
ELEVENTH | (c) | Pamphlets |