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Mass media interventions: effects on health services utilisation.
R Grilli1, C Ramsay, S Minozzi
1Agenzia Sanitaria Regionale, viale Aldo Moro, 38, Bologna, Italy, 40127. rgrilli@asr.regione.emilia-romagna.it
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|March 1, 2002
Summary
Mass media significantly influences health service utilization, impacting both professionals and the public. Despite variable study quality, evidence suggests media campaigns effectively promote evidence-based health practices.
Area of Science:
- Health Communication
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Mass media is a primary source of health information.
- Media messages influence health professionals and patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of mass media on health service utilization.
Main Methods:
- Searched multiple databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) and hand-searched journals.
- Included randomized trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series analyses.
- Data extracted and quality assessed by two independent reviewers.
Main Results:
- Twenty interrupted time series studies were included.
- Fifteen focused on mass media campaigns, five on media coverage of health issues.
- Most studies, confirmed by re-analysis, indicated mass media effectiveness in promoting expected health behavior changes.
Conclusions:
- Mass media channels play a crucial role in influencing health care intervention uptake.
- Consider mass media as a tool to promote effective services and discourage unproven ones.
- Improvement in primary research quality is needed to fully understand intervention aspects.