1a Conferenza Europea Salute e Benessere dei Giovani - Roma 16-18 giugno 2010
communication
When talking of health and wellbeing, especially related to the younger generation, is crucial first tackling the negative effects of misleading social models, by promoting within listings, attractive to young people, effective education, information and communication programs. To make all these activities successful is equally important to ensure: an accurate and conscious planning; the ethical aspect by guaranteeing the independence and credibility of sources of information; clarity and reliability of the messages; validity of the instruments of communication; coverage of chosen objectives and broad participation of population groups involved.
As regards communication, it is more than ever necessary to exchange good practices even for adopting communication models which share scientific evidence and establish the messages to be provided to the public, health professionals, policy-makers and other interested parties.
Given the extent of the strategic goals related to health promotion, it is easy to understand how their success depends on different collaborations, expertise and areas for actions. A real involvement of citizens, community, and the population at large must be based on inputs that, starting from Public Health, promote integration between people, groups, institutions and organizations in order to achieve the health objective and the proper consensus to establish an effective communication involving politicians, public administrators and mass-media.
On the other hand, health is also information: an accurate information can allow citizens to better manage their health and to secure a more rational use and access to services and care.
In this context, the role of the media is crucial since in addition to exercise an influence on the use of health services, may also represent an important tool for promoting citizen participation in the process of setting priorities and organizing health services.
When examining the relationship between media and health promotion, the World Health Organization emphasizes that through the information spread during programs based on, for example, interviews, news, advertising, entertainment, the individuals receive, mediate, understand and most likely, adopt messages about health; the information released by health authorities, on the contrary, play a minor role on the spread of news about health. Before considering possible strategies to use media for health promotion, it is important to review the nature of the messages to be transmitted. It is necessary to give due weight to both the intermediary role of mass-media and the market research to better understand which are the most favourable conditions for health improving.
Finally, it would be useful that public health professionals, the relevant institutions, the third sector and media professionals collaborate in order to review and re-examine the basic principles needed for health promotion.
As regards communication, it is more than ever necessary to exchange good practices even for adopting communication models which share scientific evidence and establish the messages to be provided to the public, health professionals, policy-makers and other interested parties.
Given the extent of the strategic goals related to health promotion, it is easy to understand how their success depends on different collaborations, expertise and areas for actions. A real involvement of citizens, community, and the population at large must be based on inputs that, starting from Public Health, promote integration between people, groups, institutions and organizations in order to achieve the health objective and the proper consensus to establish an effective communication involving politicians, public administrators and mass-media.
On the other hand, health is also information: an accurate information can allow citizens to better manage their health and to secure a more rational use and access to services and care.
In this context, the role of the media is crucial since in addition to exercise an influence on the use of health services, may also represent an important tool for promoting citizen participation in the process of setting priorities and organizing health services.
When examining the relationship between media and health promotion, the World Health Organization emphasizes that through the information spread during programs based on, for example, interviews, news, advertising, entertainment, the individuals receive, mediate, understand and most likely, adopt messages about health; the information released by health authorities, on the contrary, play a minor role on the spread of news about health. Before considering possible strategies to use media for health promotion, it is important to review the nature of the messages to be transmitted. It is necessary to give due weight to both the intermediary role of mass-media and the market research to better understand which are the most favourable conditions for health improving.
Finally, it would be useful that public health professionals, the relevant institutions, the third sector and media professionals collaborate in order to review and re-examine the basic principles needed for health promotion.
