Healthcare communications and marketing news and information

A few weeks ago I wrote a post focusing on whether scare tactics prompt people to stop smoking.  Today, I’d like to highlight a study published recently in the British Medical Journal illustrating why fact-based messages can be very effective.

I’m sure many of you have seen the ubiquitous Internet advertisements for RealAge.  This test reveals whether you are “biologically younger, older or the same as your calendar age.”  This widely successful site has generated significant media coverage and big bucks for Hearst Digital Media.  RealAge is successful because it links our perpetual quest for youth with healthy habits.

Now, a BMJ study further illustrates the power of this idea.  According to the New York Times: “If a doctor tells smokers their ‘lung age’ — the age of the average healthy nonsmoker who would match them in breathing strength — they are more likely to stop smoking.”  Based on the results of this study, researchers are calling for routine lung function tests for all smokers.

Note to health communicators: sometimes appeals to vanity can yield big benefits.