Telenovelas An Ideal Medium for Health Messages
Washington, DC, September 4, 2003 (PAHO)—Public health experts have discovered that Latin America's popular soap operas - known as telenovelas - are an ideal vehicle for health and quality-of-life messages in the Americas and that they can often trigger significant social change.
 The latest edition of Perspectives in Health magazine, published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), features an article about telenovelas and health promotion. The report, "Love, Tears, Betrayal … and Health Messages," reveals evidence of the strong worldwide impact of telenovelas and their potential as "agents of health."
An early indication of telenovelas' enormous potential came in 1986 when a character on the Venezuelan-produced show Cristal was diagnosed with breast cancer. This led to an avalanche of women requesting medical check-ups, both in Venezuela and Spain, where the show was broadcast. In 2000, Camila, the heroine of the Brazilian telenovela Lazos de Sangre (Blood Ties) was diagnosed with leukemia. The result was an increase in registered blood and bone marrow donors. Something similar occurred during the airing of another Brazilian telenovela, El Clon (The Clone), which dealt with drug addiction. As the show was being aired, Brazil's Anti-Drug Society reported an increase in calls from 900 to 2,000 from January to May 2002.
What is the secret of the power and influence of telenovelas, with which so many television viewers identify? Many see their own lives reflected in those of their favorite soap opera stars, an identification that grows with time. These traits were noted by broadcasting pioneer Miguel Sabido, who headed the Mexican TV network Televisa in 1975. Over the next seven years, Sabido produced a series of seven telenovelas using a unique "edutainment" formula he developed. The shows raised national awareness about such issues as abandoned street children, gender equality and sexual responsibility.
In 1977, the nine-month-long telenovela Acompañame (Come With Me) highlighted the issue of family planning. As a result, Mexico's National Population Council reported that more than 2,000 women enlisted as volunteers for programs related to family planning, and the sale of contraceptives grew by 23 percent, more than triple the previous year's 7 percent. These models of pro-development telenovelas are now being copied with success in Africa and India.
Interest in telenovelas has since moved beyond the entertainment industry. PAHO's office in Suriname expressed interest in a South African soap opera called Soul City, produced as part of a major edutainment project that was highly successful. The show dealt with such issues as HIV/AIDS and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), together with the University of Southern California's Hollywood, Health and Society project, has special programs to teach script writers and producers how to deal with health issues in their productions.
According to Perspectives in Health's article, the telenovela is today recognized as an important mass communications tool. It has succeeded - without sacrificing its core ability to entertain - in helping people improve their own lives.
The full story can be read in the online edition of "Perspectives in Health".
PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of its people. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
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