Monday 30 April 2007

Valuing health

I recently went into the West End for some new clothes and apart from the crowds (I am from Cornwall) I loved the big stores. I started thinking about advertising and what attracts us to buy things or catches our attention. Young people, like adults, are bombarded with sophisticated advertising, and when they go shopping, it is a real experience. Stores are exciting, slick and cool and researchers have spent thousands and thousands working out what will appeal to their audience. I was left wondering how do adolescent health services fare in comparison and if they don’t fare well what message does that give to our young people – that their health is not as valuable as fashion or music? And if that is the case, what do we have to do better to make health an important asset for young people that they value and ‘invest’ in?

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