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Impact of Health Education
The health educator has many opposing forces with
which to contend one of these is commercial advertising
with its skills and vast resources. Young men and women
are the chief objectives, and the television screen
giving the advertising agent great scope for his arresting
and seductive presentations, which are enhanced by
repetition.
We know far too little about the impact on the public
of the various health educational techniques employed;
this is not so in commerce, where the advertiser takes
good care to discover the effects of his sales promotion.
In order to try to find out something about these
matters, a preliminary survey was undertaken in Camberwell
with a questionnaire to a random sample of adults
and children. The results leave no doubt as to the
tremendous influence of television advertising on children
and adults alike. The number of children unable to
recall advertisements for cigarettes was negligible; most
could repeat the slogans and describe the scenes. Many
asked why the public health department was unable to
compete with expert commercial selling devices in its
health promotion projects. The great majority wanted
more programmes on health, including those dealing with
lung cancer. As a health educational medium, television
was voted first in all but the older age groups, schoolchildren
gave films second place. Posters and exhibitions
were much lower in the lists. The importance of
example was highlighted by the many comments on the
frequency with which well-known people, at interviews or
in plays, smoked cigarettes before the television
cameras.
A school anti-smoking society
When, in October, 1962, an anti-smoking unit visited
a comprehensive school in Camberwell (a school which has
had a close link with the public health department for
a long time) the pupils were invited to suggest ways in
which they might help. An anti-smoking society was
suggested at once and a boy volunteered to become the
organizer. Prizes were offered for the best designs for
a badge and the art room became the scene of great
activity. A mixed committee of six came into being,
which soon developed into an enthusiastic group, encouraged
to conduct its affairs with a minimum of interference
from the staff and doctors. Talks and group