Part 1 - UNDERSTANDING THEORETICAL, HISTORICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXTS

The first set of questions and issues identified were the broadest and most diverse, framing issues of media and health promotion/prevention within an historical, political and socio-cultural context. Participants explored the contexts in which media and health education occur, and identified the multidisciplinary research frameworks that were most relevant to understanding the role of macro-level influences on programs designed to affect parents, teachers, children and youth.

Citizenship and Public Health

Participants acknowledged the relationship between media literacy, health education, and citizenship, recognizing the essential conclusion that media literacy serves the public interest. Critical thinking and analysis of information and issues are at the heart of a representative democracy. Put another way, critical thinking and analysis of the media promote civic health as well as public health. Media literacy is therefore both a civics issue as well as a public health issue. One participant reasoned that, if certain populations are vulnerable to manipulation, to messages emphasizing negative health practices, to media that perpetuate violence and other social abuses, then gaining greater control over one's interpretations via critical thinking is a valuable citizenship skill.

Since the deregulation of the pharmaceutical industry, the tremendous rise in medical advertising has changed communication patterns between physician and patient. With