As Chatelaine’s health editor, it’s my job to determine what health information you absolutely need to know about, without, in the case of dead serious topics like H1N1 and heart disease, scaring the pants off you in the process. It’s a tough balance to strike, which is why I was so pleased to read all of the great letters we received in regard to our November feature on H1N1. Here’s a line from one of my favourites:
“Presenting the facts of H1N1 in a clear, concise manner is exactly what the doctor ordered. We do not need to be in panic mode, but we can’t bury our heads in the sand and not be prepared to take care of our health.”
That last line really sums my approach to Chatelaine’s health coverage (thank you, Shayna Murray of Regina). This great column from today’s National Post touches on another challenge I face as a health editor: is it possible to bombard people with too much information, however well-intentioned?
Writer Marni Soupcoff says yes, arguing that the high amount of awareness-raising health campaigns is causing the public to tune out. Back to H1N1 again (my apologies if you’re, well, sick of this topic): a poll conducted in the early fall found that 45% of Canadians weren’t intending to get the H1N1 vaccine, in part, Soupcoff says, because we’ve stopped paying attention to Health Canada’s myriad, albeit well-meaning, warnings. Instead, it took the tragic death of a 13-year-old to drive the masses to get vaccinated.
I’d love to hear your take on this and any other matters related to Chatelaine’s health coverage. Love it? Hate it? Wish we’d do a feature on X or stop talking about Y, already? Let me know, please. To paraphrase a great Canadian icon, Everything I do (in our health section), I do it for you.
