Using a community model in media-based health promotion interventions

Over the past few years, a number of media-based health promotion interventions have been broadcast in the Chicago area. The interventions focused on helping viewers stop smoking, better deal with stress, and improve nutrition and weight management. For each of these interventions, from 50,000 to 175,000 self-help manuals were distributed. These large-scale media interventions were made possible by the collaboration of university researchers, a variety of community agencies, and several television stations. The process by which this unique series of interventions was developed is described and the implications of mounting such large-scale health promotion programs are presented.