December 18, 2013

Celebrities and health: good, bad, and ugly – in the BMJ

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Angelina Jolie, BMJ, celebrities, Christina Applegate, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Belluz, Katie Couric, Kylie Minogue, Michael J. Fox, Steven J. Hoffman, Suzanne Somers

Katie Couric, Kylie Minogue, Michael J. Fox, Christina Applegate, Suzanne Somers, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow.

Just a few of the celebrities who have publicly taken advocacy stances on behalf of certain health care ideas.

“Following celebrities’ medical advice: meta-narrative analysis,” is a paper in the BMJ. It concludes:

“The influence of celebrity status is a deeply rooted process that can be harnessed for good or abused for harm. A better understanding of celebrity can empower health professionals to take this phenomenon seriously and use patient encounters to educate the public about sources of health information and their trustworthiness. Public health authorities can use these insights to implement regulations and restrictions on celebrity endorsements and design counter marketing initiatives—perhaps even partnering with celebrities—to discredit bogus medical advice while promoting evidence based practices.”

The BMJ posted the following 12-minute video about this topic and this research.

In parallel, an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, “Katie Couric and the celebrity medicine syndrome,” is authored by one of the researchers, Steven J. Hoffman, and by science journalist Julia Belluz. Excerpt:

“Celebrities have crept into our medicine cabinets and kitchens, influencing what pills we pop, tests we order and foods we fear. More often than not, their advice and products are dubious.”

The following are things we’ve written about celebrities and health issues in the past:

Celebrities and robots and prostates

Doctor-author asks why Suzanne Somers continues to be given a media platform

Why elevate Adele’s surgeon to “miracle” status?

Cautions about celebrity health advice

Rocker Gregg Allman “works with” Merck on hepatitis C pitch

Celebrity shoulder surgery “LIVE” on CNN

Stars on pharma’s payroll

Paper doesn’t disclose who’s paying Flying Nun to fly

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