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Cheryl Pegus. MD. MPH
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Cheryl Pegus. MD. MPH Former Chief Medical Officer, Walgreen Co.
TRANSCRIPT:
There are two things about information that I feel almost maybe too strongly about. One is that information has to be validated. If you cannot get information from a valid source, in some way we should be accrediting, putting a stamp of certification. There needs to be an independent body that's doing that. I'm not sure who's going to develop that, but that is a necessity for information.
The second thing about information is that it has to be health-literate. So, in America, the average reading and understanding is fifth to sixth grade. We put a ton of information out there -- and by the way, this is an IOM report. We have lots of people, even college graduates, who cannot follow that information.
There should be some type of certification that says, 1.) It's scientifically accurate, and 2.) It's health literate, so that people can actually utilize it. Information that meets that criteria and discusses wellness is how it will happen, but it will be in bite sizes. So if I wake up today and I am part of a community that says, "You are interested in really looking great this summer," here are the push messages that come to you. Not, like, four pages to read, but since you love to eat at Dunkin Donuts, by the way, here are the things that you should do today if you're going to stop there. Here's what you should have.
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