Published online November 1, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 5 November 2007, pp. 1219-1220 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2007-2502)

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Unconventional Solution: A Marketing Approach to Solving Health Literacy Disparities: In Reply

Lee M. Sanders, MD, MPH
James D. Wilkinson, MD, PhD
Valerie Thompson, MD
Department of Pediatrics
Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami
Miami, FL 33136

We agree with the thoughtful comments from Leiner and Handal regarding the role of marketing science as a "missing link" in addressing literacy-related disparities in health outcomes. Indeed, the Institute of Medicine's 2004 report on health literacy called for greater attention to the impact of both commercial and social marketing on health behaviors,¹ and recent studies have noted the significant role that advertisers play in shaping the health behaviors of very young children.² In fact, social learning theory suggests that marketing strategies are often most successful when they pay less attention to consumer understanding and more attention to consumer motivation, self-efficacy, and behavior.³ This may help explain why, in our study of an underserved population, parent health literacy (a proxy for understanding health information) did not correlate strongly with child health care utilization (one type of health behavior).

Nonetheless, fully informed participation in health decisions remains a central tenet of the US health care system. Many aspects of routine pediatric care (including newborn screening, medication administration, and vaccination) require that children and their family members have a full understanding of risks, benefits, and options.

Attending to the health literacy needs of the population requires an interdisciplinary approach that includes cognitive psychology, anthropology, sociology, and marketing. Health literacy researchers interested in health behavior change and a more accessible health care system should actively engage our colleagues from across the campus, including the business school. Written medication instructions, disease management plans, and informed-consent documents could all benefit from a redesign at the hands of the same marketing scientists who set in motion the logos, tag lines, and jingles that drive our purchasing behaviors.

REFERENCES

1. Institute of Medicine. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2004:119 –126
2. Robinson TN, Borzekowski DLG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of fast food branding on young children's taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161 :792 –797[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Bandura A. Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1986

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PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2007 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sanders, L. M. Articles by Thompson, V. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Sanders, L. M. Articles by Thompson, V. Related Collections Office Practice Social Bookmarking                         What's this?