ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses how digital media can be used to effectively deliver health communications in a world of changing healthcare and increased chronic disease. It provides an overview of some pressing healthcare issues in society and discusses various digital media and how they may be used to provide health information. The advertising industry has played a substantial role in creating an environment that can adversely affect health behaviors. The public health community points out the detrimental impact of food and beverage marketing to children adversely affecting food knowledge, dietary intake, consumption behaviors, and health, including obesity. The social-ecological model for health promotion is based on the understanding that behavior change is a function not only of educational activities, but also advocacy, organizational change, policy development, economic support, environmental change, and multi-method strategies. Specifically, individuals interact within multiple levels of influence; they exist within social networks, which in turn exist within surrounding environments.