The ways that we communicate can have an enormous effect on our health, and likewise, our health influences the ways that we communicate. The academic field of health communication has developed rapidly over the last few decades. Researchers have studied both mass communication and interpersonal communication, developing a wealth of information that shows exactly how communicative skills and health relate to one another and how we can find ways to improve both. These articles explore how advertising, interpersonal skill development and other forms of communication can affect physical health. We will look at how policy and research can promote better public health, how mass media shapes our opinions of what is healthy, and how diet and medication can affect individual health. We also look at the latest scientific studies that give some insight to the field of health communication.
Interactive media improved patients’ understanding of cancer surgery by more than a third
Patients facing planned surgery answered 36 per cent more questions about the procedure correctly if they watched an interactive multimedia presentation (IMP) rather than just talking to medical staff, according to research in the October issue of the urology journal BJUI.