Health education and marketing processes: 2 related methods for achieving health behavior change
Michael Stellefson1, James M Eddy
1Office of Health Informatics, Division of Health Education, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. mstell@hlkn.tamu.edu
Objective:
To make salient the striking similarities between the program planning processes used in both health education and contemporary marketing.
Method:
Through a discussion of the analogous nature of both processes and a review of the literature, the authors (1) illustrate why marketing principles should be embraced and (2) suggest how marketing strategies can be integrated into health education needs assessments.
Results:
Core health-marketing concepts are proposed along with 4 recommendations for future marketing activities in health education.
Conclusion:
To facilitate an advance in health education process and practice, scholars and practitioners should adopt a more consumer-centered, marketing mind-set.
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