spend Finish Aloysius signed a very interesting article by John J. Igartua, Faculty of Social Sciences University Salamanca, on the call narrative persuasion. It was published in very recent Communication and Health Magazine, and tries to explain the value they have certain techniques of education and entertainment in health communication.
But what use is this type of communication? Defining the entity by its objectives, we are talking about changing behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and social norms in order to increase the quality of life of people and improve public health in general, always within the limits of accurate cultural.
In this regard, education strategies - entertainment are a promising innovation. We would move in a borderland between health sciences and the media in the first case, optimizing everything we know about behavioral changes, and the second, taking advantage of the uses and effects of the powerful media communication.
Would the use of fictional narratives, induce changes in people's attitudes? Consider the usefulness of narrative persuasion and how it differs from mere information campaign.
First, persuasion narrative refers to specific events, not blase with comprehensive information. Secondly, based on characters, not dry or provides information to states warnings. Besides entertaining and fun, resulting in both an educational effect. Finally, it has a narrative structure completely defined, with a beginning, middle and end. To give some examples, these activities have proven to be useful in preventing the spread of HIV infection - AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, as an aid in patients treated for breast cancer or to fight incidence of obesity and hypertension among adolescents.
All this theory has returned to my memory the Proxecto Titania, the A history of Roi and Gotin, a series of animated shorts made by ourensanos and intended to promote blood donation among schoolchildren. The drawings are by Jorge E. Vault, on the soundtrack took Fernando F. Peaks and Cristina Asenjo, direction was given by Antonio Carcedo and the relentless engine of the project was Javier González Lamelas. I am very proud of this work, which had a humble participation. I was never in favor of the letter is accompanied by blood, and I endorse this laudable attempt to better convince entertaining.