Video Storytelling: a Way to Better Health
When it comes to their health, nearly 90 percent of Americans lack the literacy skills to understand basic medical information and instruction, according to BeSmartBeWell.com.
It says low literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of hospitalization and less frequent use of preventive services.
A few quick minutes with a physician is not sufficient for most of us to understand a complex or chronic medical condition and how we can manage it.
But new research indicates that video storytelling can be an effective way to educate people about health conditions – and watching others share their health stories can empower people to take control of their own health.
BeSmartBeWell.com, a consumer health website produced by the leading customer-owned health insurer, is providing health-information through video storytelling.
[ Also Read: Study Reveals Reasons for Fake Medicines ]The aim is to help people manage childhood obesity, drug safety, mental health, childhood asthma and more with videos that feature health experts and people living with these conditions.
“When we developed our personal stories, we could imagine that the viewers would see these stories and go ’Gosh, they’re just like us. Look at them going to the grocery store and picking out healthy food. Look at them reading labels,” explains Stephanie Vomvouras, M.D., medical director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and BeSmartBeWell.com medical advisor.
Produced in collaboration with medical experts and national health organizations, BeSmartBeWell.com is stated to be a non-commercial informational resource available to the public.
