Fall 2007 Week 1

Day 1 of Health Communications at SDSU was unlike many first days of classes; for example, we actually met for the entire class time (2 hours and 40 minutes), and we barely even went over the syllabus! Instead, we jumped right in and started learning the course material without hesitation. The short video we watched about the past 50 years of health was both entertaining and enlightening - not to mention a little sad since we are still dealing with many of the same health issues/concerns that we faced 50 years ago. In fact, some of them have even gotten worse (e.g., the unhealthy eating that has led us to become such an overweight/obese nation). On the other hand, we have nearly eradicated some of the problems, particularly the infectious diseases for which we have vaccinations and treatments - at least in developed nations. Anyway, I think this video should air regularly on tv and YouTube and other websites where people would be likely to watch it. Not that I think it's going to change the world or anything, but it certainly might open people's eyes and make them start to think about some health issues that they would otherwise ignore. And since repetition makes things sink in over time, if it aired enough, it would be like commercials that impact people's decisions like which items to purchase, etc. Maybe it would stir-up some conversations around the water cooler about health topics that otherwise would remain un-addressed. As we discussed in class, media is the most powerful tool of communication in the modern world...