Politics, Propaganda, and Public Health

Laura Crosswell is assistant professor of health communication at the University of Nevada, Reno. Lance Porter is the F. Walter Lockett Distinguished Professor of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University.

This book will challenge the approach and deepen the understanding of health communication under the holistic model where politics, propaganda, and public health are connected. The chapters provide an in-depth analysis of the complexities that exist in commercial enterprise and the balance between products, profits, politics, and social benefits. The book represents an enormous step forward in commercializing social awareness and social marketing fully into the field of health communication implementation. Its insights into practice of social cognition theory in Merck's campaign are invaluable for any serious reader of behavioral economics in this contemporary society. The centrality of addressing the public trust and influence of corporate interests in campaign messages makes this publication an essential contribution to the capacity building of public health and health communication as well.

• Acknowledgements PrefaceCHAPTER ONE: The Doctor, the Baker, and the Medicine MakerCHAPTER TWO: An American System of Pharmaceutical InfluenceCHAPTER THREE: Deconstructing Merck’s Awareness Campaign CHAPTER FOUR: Social Trust and Public HealthCHAPTER FIVE: Consumer PerspectivesCHAPTER SIX: Pharmaceutical Conglomerates and American Politics CHAPTER SEVEN: Global Implications of American Medicalization CHAPTER EIGHT: The Genderization of a Vaccination Conclusion ReferencesAppendix A: Commercial Transcripts for Pre-FDA Messages Appendix B: Moderator Guide for U.S. Focus Groups Appendix C: Additional Material/Questions for International Focus Groups Appendix D: Moderator Guide Foe Co-Ed Marketing Focus Groups Appendix E Demographic Survey for All Focus Groups Appendix F: Eye Tracking Materials IndexAbout the Authors