Informing people about CVD
As I discussed in my last post, low health literacy is linked to a higher risk of contracting a cardiovascular condition. The question that arises from this conclusion is of course: what can we, as a society, do about this?
Policy solutions
Surely, there are policy changes that can help solve the problem, right? Well yes, there are some things that can be done by government. Introducing national programs that teach school-going people of all ages about cardiovascular health is one step. Lower educational achievement has been found to be linked to increased likelihood of CVD, so it is essential to not leave out the people that do not stay in school very long. This means just including it in education is not enough. The actual highest risk groups are those that do not receive much education (comparatively).
What else, then?
The researchers in this specific field are generally in agreement that the most impact is made by improving the way doctors communicate with their patients. It has been found that doctors can significantly help their patients retain and understand information by showing pictures to go with their explanation: think informative graphs, or visual representations of cardiovascular conditions. Other suggested changes are more use of ‘normal’ language instead of medical jargon, as well as generally taking a slower approach to informing their patient. One option that I think is worth discussing on its own, is going beyond paper and words to inform patients.
Using new platforms
Social media and the internet generally provide the easiest access to information we have ever had in history. It would be a shame not to use this to help inform people about their health, right? Blogs like these, raising awareness, are a part of that. But let’s be honest, it isn’t going to reach everyone. For better reach, we need platforms like YouTube, that are insanely popular.
There, doctors can be more relatable and more like the rest of us, because they are not actively treating a patient. Because this makes what they have to say more accessible, it can reach many people who would not have found this information on their own. I think a great example of this is the YouTube channel Medlife Crisis, run by a doctor specialising in cardiovascular health. And even though people who are not very engaged in media are left behind here, I believe that many many people can be reached this way
To sum all of this up, while policy can help, doctors have the most potential to help people improve their health literacy. By helping them more, and by reaching out to them in new ways.
This concludes my blog. If you have any questions, do ask them below!
Hi Jasper, I really enjoyed reading your post, a very interesting and important topic! I was wondering, did you find any evidence that showed the effectiveness of the use of new platforms? And linked with that; are internet platforms as accessible for people with low literate skills?
Hi Anne, thank you! This is mostly an own opinion, based on research i have read. There isn’t much material on this exact issue, but as per one of the studies i linked to, it has been proven that visual materials help. since many people are on platforms like youtube, it has great reach. now, indeed, many low literate people might not be on there, but in this case we are trying to reach people with low health literacy, and those two groups do not have to overlap perfectly. But it is true that for low literate patients in general a the ‘normal’ way of contacting a doctor works best.
I really liked your post Jasper! I also think overall awareness of important medical issues, whether by doctors or not, increased in the last years on platforms like YouTube already, but I think it reaches mostly a younger demographic. What do you think could be done for older generations ? Do you think raising awareness through billboards and panels on public spaces in the style of pictures on cigarette packs (perhaps not that extreme) could be an effective solution ?
Thank you Dario. YouTube definitely does reach a predominantly young audience. For those of older generations, I believe that the place to make the most difference is, again, in the treatment that physicians give. Also because at more advanced age, people will already be more likely dealing with cardiovascular issues, and thus be in contac with a doctor. that being said, I do think public advertisement canhave some effect, but unlike smoking for example, where the advice is simply “don’t smoke” the advice for avoiding CVD is much more nuanced and complicated. so yes, it could work, but a billboard ad just cannot properly raise awareness in my opinion. Do let me know if you think otherwise, and thank you for your question!
It is definitely important to start raising awareness on this matter. Are there any governments in Europe or non profit organizations that are focusing on this issue?