Lights, camera, education: Using public television for health promotion

Television and video education have demonstrated impacts on viewer knowledge and behavior. Public, education, and government (PEG) television stations are an underutilized resource for low-cost health promotion. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department produces monthly health education television programs in English and Spanish, entitled, Healthy for Life and Una Vida Saludable. The 28-minute shows target two distinct audiences, monolingual Spanish speakers and the English-speaking adult population of Santa Barbara County. The shows are tailored to the target audiences, and provide health information, health resources, and modeling of health behaviors, including healthy cooking and physical activity demonstrations. To date, 38 shows (19 English and 19 Spanish) addressing a variety of health issues, (e.g., cancer prevention, prenatal care, Alzheimer's, diabetes) have been produced and broadcast. Each show airs 10-20 times/month, is seen by 30-40,000 people, and costs about $1,500 to produce. The shows are also made available through the department website, with 300 viewings in 2011. Over 200 phone calls from viewers complimenting the shows and requesting additional information indicate that the programs are well-liked and valuable to community members. Over 150 free cookbooks offered on the shows have been disseminated. Some local health professionals are using DVDs of the shows with their client populations. The program was selected as a Model Practice by NACCHO in 2011. Public television is an effective tool for providing tailored health education, resource information, and modeling of health behaviors to large numbers of people at relatively low cost.