The Role of Entertainment Education in Health Literacy and Implications for the Future

Author

Christina Vu Pham, University of the PacificFollow

Date of Award

4-1-2020

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Department

Physician Assistant Education

First Advisor

Mark Christiansen

Abstract

Entertainment television remains a source upon which Americans have increasingly relied. Entertainment-education (EE) is a growingly popular strategy that incorporates educational messages into media sources to positively influence awareness and knowledge and subsequent attitude and behavior.6 Although EE is not limited to entertainment television, familiar examples include: the use of emergency contraception in the prime-time drama ER, the demonstration of condom efficacy in the sitcom Friends, and a storyline involving HIV in the daytime drama The Bold & The Beautiful.6 Though it remains a promising health communication strategy, not enough information is known regarding audience involvement with EE messages.

This review examines whether EE can be successfully applied as a tool to improve patient health literacy and health behavior, its limitations, future implications and importance for the role of a health care provider.

Recommended Citation

Pham, Christina Vu, "The Role of Entertainment Education in Health Literacy and Implications for the Future" (2020). Physician Assistant Capstones. 72.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pa-capstones/72