Maldivians are the healthiest in Asia because of their trust in the mass media, according to researchers from Chuo University in Japan.
A report published this month revealed high levels of trust in the media facilitated the success of mass media health campaigns, which in turn had a positive influence on health.
One of the researchers, Yasuharu Tokuda told NewsLite: “This study is the first to analyse this relationship. Our findings suggest that mass media programmes can contribute towards better health, especially among those people who have trust in the mass media.
The media needs to recognise the important of their social role in terms of public health.”
The benefit, said Tokuda, is the “increased acceptance of health-related messages” and its corollary, good health.
After the Maldives, Bruneians and Phillipinos reported the highest level of trust. Those who trusted the press more also tended to be married, have a higher income and better friendships. People living in Hong Kong reported the lowest level of trust in the mass media.
In addition to trust in the mass media, the survey looked at trust in the healthcare system.
Bruneian’s reported the highest level of trust followed by Maldivians and Malaysians. Tajiks reported the lowest level of trust in their healthcare system.
Data was collected from a survey conducted from 2003 to 2006, which involved 39,082 participants from 29 Asian countries. 821 Maldivians had participated in the survey.
The countries included were: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Maldivians Are Healthiest in Asia - Research
