ABSTRACT
Health information is central to health promotion and can be found everywhere, on television and radio, in shops, in newspapers and on high street billboards. Much of what we consume, wash with, wear or drive has a health or lifestyle message attached to it. The Internet has also made health information available to all, health professionals and the public alike, and has led to debates about the quality of health information available and how individuals and population groups have access to it (Eysenbach et al. 2004). As the Department of Health (DoH 2012, 4) says ‘Information can bring enormous benefits. It is the lifeblood of good health and well-being, and is pivotal to good quality care. It allows us to understand how to improve our own and our family’s health, to know what our care and treatment choices are and to assess for ourselves the quality of services and support available’. The aim of this chapter is to explore the different formats used to provide information in health promotion and how the quality of information given or received can be assessed.
