Part 1 cont.

more than $1.7 billion spent on TV advertising in 2000, (a more than 100% increase since 1998) the industry's "direct to consumer" marketing strategy has been profitable. But according to Lisa Belkin, because of the potential risks inherent in the use of prescription drugs, "viewers should bring a higher level of skepticism to pharmaceutical ads. Instead, there is reason to believe they are bringing less." A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that nearly half of respondents believed that drug ads are prescreened and somehow sanctioned by the FDA (Belkin, 2001, 35). With more of the burden of choice of treatments thrown back to the consumer, media literacy approaches can help citizens participate in personal health decisions in a more informed way. Not only should emphasis be placed on the development of individuals' critical thinking about advertising, but advocacy on behalf of citizen rights in these areas is a desired community response. The continuing education of educators and health care practitioners to enable them to more productively discuss the role of advertising in relation to public health issues with patients is a desired goal, given their essential roles in advancing the health and well-being of individuals.

The Appropriate Locus of Control

Participants discussed the appropriate level at which new approaches gain the most ground. Is it better to build awareness of media literacy through a mass media visibility campaign? Or, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (1999) recommends, will parents
be most persuaded by a physician who personally discusses a child's "media history" at