This article provides an overview of the ways in which mass communication has been used -- or can be used -- to promote beneficial changes in behavior among members of populations. We use an ecological perspective to examine the ways in which mass media interventions can be used to influence public behavior both directly and indirectly. Mass media interventions that seek to influence people directly -- by directly targeting the people burdened by the public health problem of concern and/or the people who influence them -- have a long basis in public health history, and recent reviews have clarified our expectations about what can be expected from such approaches. Mass media interventions that seek to influence people indirectly -- by creating beneficial changes in the places (or environments) in which people live and work -- have equal if not greater potential to promote beneficial changes in population health behaviors, but these are currently less explored options. To have the greatest possible beneficial influence on public behavior with the public health resources available, we recommend that public health program planners assess their opportunities to use media to target both people and places in a manner that complements and extends other investments being made in population health enhancement.

中文翻译：

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大众传播改变公众行为的有效性。

本文概述了大众传播已被使用或可以被用来促进人群中行为的有益变化的方式。我们使用生态学的观点来研究大众传媒干预可以用来直接或间接影响公众行为的方式。试图直接影响人们的大众媒体干预措施-通过直接针对受关注的公共卫生问题负担的人们和/或影响他们的人们-在公共卫生历史上具有悠久的历史，最近的评论明确了我们的期望关于从这种方法可以预期到的事情。试图通过在人们生活和工作的地方（或环境）创造有益的变化而间接影响人们的大众传媒干预措施，具有促进人口健康行为的有益变化的潜力，即使不是更大，但目前还较小。探索的选项。为了利用可用的公共卫生资源对公共行为产生最大可能的有益影响，我们建议公共卫生计划规划人员评估他们利用媒体来针对人群和场所的机会，以补充和扩展在人群卫生方面的其他投资增强。