Should junk food ads be banned?

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a preview of a soon-to-be-published study on childhood obesity. Commenting on the article, the authors and the Academy are advocating a ban on junk food advertising in programming aimed at children.

There is a lot of evidence linking the time children spend watching television and obesity. But less is known about the effects of advertising on children. What do you think? Should junk food ads aimed at children be banned? Would banning the ads do any good?

New graphic warrnings on cigarette packages

This week the Food and Drug Administration released new graphic warning labels to be displayed on cigarette packages in an effort to discourage smokers from lighting up. The new labels, the first major redesign of cigarette packaging in 25 years, were made possible by a 2009 law which gave the government and the FDA authority to regulate tobacco. Other nations have used even more grisly images than the new FDA labels for years, and their impact on smoking rates in those nations has been somewhat difficult to assess. It will be interesting to see the impact of these labels on smoking rates in this country in 2012, when the labels will be required, and beyond.

Communicating about vaccines

Last week, The Wall Street Journal Health blog published an article about two papers published recently which explored acceptance of vaccines. Acceptance of vaccines is not just a matter of science, but a complex problem of culture, an increased number of vaccines required, and lack of familiarity with the diseases the vaccines are intended to prevent. Physicians should not just dismiss parent concerns about vaccines, but listen to the concerns and engage in communication with the parent about the particular concerns. Physicians and public health officials should also be aware of emerging rumors and concerns about vaccinations.

Vaccines are most effective on a population level, but assuring the population is vaccinated or not is a matter of tailoring communication about vaccines to each parent and child.

Learning patient language

The Journal of Medical Internet Research published a fascinating article on using data mining software to analyze patient and consumer health vocabulary. The resulting data can be used to create consumer health education materials. It's a great example of using technology to improve health communication, by creating materials customized to and readable by the intended patients.

High-tech and low-tech communication strategies

The Wall Street Journal had an article today highlighting both high-tech and low-tech strategies for reducing hospital readmission rates. Many hospital readmissions can be traced to poor communication when a patient is discharged from the hospital. Patients who do not know what they need to do after they leave the hospital to continue to get better are at a higher risk of returning to the hospital. Facilitating better communication about discharge instructions and creating opportunities for patients to ask questions before they leave, may facilitate better health outcomes for patients.