title: Health education and marketing processes: 2 related methods for achieving health behavior change.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To make salient the striking similarities between the program planning processes used in both health education and contemporary marketing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through a discussion of the analogous nature of both processes and a review of the literature, the authors (1) illustrate why marketing principles should be embraced and (2) suggest how marketing strategies can be integrated into health education needs assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Core health-marketing concepts are proposed along with 4 recommendations for future marketing activities in health education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To facilitate an advance in health education process and practice, scholars and practitioners should adopt a more consumer-centered, marketing mind-set.
authors.affiliation: Office of Health Informatics, Division of Health Education, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. mstell@hlkn.tamu.edu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stellefson
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eddy
mesh_terms: D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D020380:Needs Assessment; D040241:Social Marketing