Consumer Health - A science concerned with helping you select
health products and services wisely
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1. Saves you money, time, and increases your satisfaction Ex.
Do you buy Orange Juice by the gallon, or do you buy individual
boxes.
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2. Protects your health! Wise consumers avoid buying faulty
products, or products that could be harmful to their health.
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1. The right to safety. Consumers are protected from dangerous
products. 2. The right to be informed. Consumers are protected from
misleading advertising. 3. The right to choose. Consumers have the
right to make their own choices. 4. The right to be heard.
Consumers can speak out when they are not satisfied.
2a. Convenience If you were buying a 2 liter of soda. At which
store would it cost more?
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2a. Convenience If you were buying a box of Frosted Flakes
cereal. At which store would it cost more? Cost: $5.69 Cost
$3.79
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3. Family and Friends These people influence the decisions you
make about products.
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What are some decisions you have made as a consumer that may
have been influenced by a friend or family member?
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4. Quality Obviously, you want to have the best quality Better
quality may be more expensive Ipod car adapter example
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5. Advertising The way in which manufacturers gain your
attention can persuade you to buy a product BE CAREFUL!!!
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Life's Good Snap, Crackle, Pop Nothing Runs Like A Deere The
ultimate driving machine I'm loving it!
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How can advertising affect a consumers decision to purchase a
product? What types of advertisements are out there? Are there any
products you have purchased mainly because of the way it has been
advertised?
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Consumer Education Unit price : The "Unit Price" (or "unit
cost") tells you the cost per liter, per kilogram, per pound, etc,
of what you want to buy If something is sold in number of items
(for example "10 pencils") then the same method can be used:
Example: What is best 10 pencils for $4.00, or 6 pencils for $2.70
? Here is the Unit Cost: $4.00 / 10 = $0.40 per pencil $2.70 / 6 =
$0.45 per pencil So the lowest Unit Price (and the best bargain) is
10 pencils for $4.00
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Consumer Education Product labels: gives important information
about what a product contains Comparison shopping: judging the
benefits of different products by comparing several factors (ex.
Quality, features, cost) Cost & Quality: generic Vs. brand name
products. Features: What features are important to you?
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Consumer Education Warranty: A written agreement to
repair/replace a product or refund your money if the product doesnt
function properly. Safety: Underwriters laboratories (electrical
appliances) ANSI (helmets and protective gear) Recommendations:
Take advice from those who you trust. Consumer reports.?
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Consumer Education Consumer advocates: people or groups whose
sole purpose is to take on consumer issues, Better Business Bureau:
Provides general information on products and services. Reliability
reports, background information, complaints againstetc. They will
also attempt to settle consumer complaints against local business
firms
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Consumer Education Government agencies: Food and Drug
Administration: Ensures all food & food additives are safe
(other than meat & poultry) Ensures cosmetics are safe Ensures
medicines are safe and properly labeled Regulates advertising of
prescription medicines.
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Government agencies: Federal Trade Commission: Prevents unfair,
false, or deceptive advertising of products and services. Regulates
advertising of OTC medicines. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
Protects consumers against the manufacture and sale of hazardous
products and also to order a recall if necessary. Requires
child-resistant containers for oral prescription medicines and
aspirin like products.
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Government agencies:. The National Health Information Center
(NHIC) is a health information referral service. NHIC puts health
professionals and consumers who have health questions in touch with
those organizations that are best able to provide answers. NHIC was
established in 1979National Health Information Center The United
States Department of Agriculture : responsible for developing and
executing policy on farming, agriculture, and food. Works to assure
food safety, and protect natural resourcesfarmingagriculture
foodfood safetynatural resources
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Government agencies: The National Council Against Health Fraud
is a nonprofit, tax-exempt voluntary health agency focused upon
health fraud, misinformation, and quackery as public health
problems. This site, archives many NCAHF documents that can help
people evaluate health claims.
http://www.ncahf.org/about/mission.html
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH7_VAMMuog
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Fraud/Quackery The FDA defines health fraud as "the promotion,
for profit, of a medical remedy known to be false or unproven."
Quackery: Deliberate misrepresentation of the ability of a
substance or device for the prevention or treatment of disease
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Why Quacks are successful Desperation/Hope Many people faced
with a serious health problem that doctors cannot solve become
desperate enough to try almost anything that arouses hope. Many
victims of cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS are
vulnerable in this way. Some squander their life's savings
searching for a "cure. Belief in magic Some people are easily taken
in by the promise of an easy solution to their problem. Those who
buy one fad diet book after another fall into this category. Lack
of suspicion Many people believe that if something is printed or
broadcast, it must be true or somehow its publication would not be
allowed Distrust of the medical profession Fear
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Ways to Spot Quacks They Claim That Most Americans Are Poorly
Nourished They Say That Most Diseases Are Due to Faulty Diet and
Can Be Treated with "Nutritional" Methods. They Recommend
"Supplements" and "Health Foods" for Everyone. They Say It Is Easy
to Lose Weight. They Promise Quick, Dramatic, Miraculous Results.
They Use Anecdotes and Testimonials to Support Their Claims. They
Claim They Are Being Persecuted by Orthodox Medicine and That Their
Work Is Being Suppressed Because It's Controversial. It supposedly
can cure just about anything. Panacea
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Is there a promise of a cure for a condition, which currently
has no cure Quick/Painless Results Does it claim to work by some
secret formula Sold by telephone, door to door, mail order Promoted
by little-known person or group Serviced through infomercials
TESTIMONIALS
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Beauty Aids Play on peoples fear of getting old, fat, and
promise youth, beauty and sex appeal forever Wrinkles, Baldness,
Weight Loss
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Appeals to our need to feel trim and energetic
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Represents the most lucrative areas of quackery. Waste of money
and unhealthy
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Devices that are promoted to cure ailments
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Ways to Spot an Internet Bandit Hidden name or address. Don't
conduct business with users unless they reveal their name, address,
and phone number Un-checkable references. "The subject of hundreds
of newspaper articles!" These credentials sound impressive, but
notice that you aren't given enough information (dates, newspaper
names) to look them up. This is not a scam." Scammers say this all
the time. They might even cite specific laws that "prove" their
legality. Don't fall for this trick. A legitimate business doesn't
spend time "convincing" you of its honesty.
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Ways to Spot an Internet Bandit "Secret" method available "only
to a limited number of people." A typical scam ad reaches thousands
or millions of users. That's a strange way to reveal a secret!
Scammers accept a "limited number" of responses so they can close
their business quickly and run away with people's money. Requests
for your password. Never reveal your password to anybody. Your
system administrator never needs to ask you for it. If somebody
asks you to change your password to a known word for "system
testing," be immediately suspicious. Unsolicited email. If you get
email from a stranger out of the blue, offering to give or sell you
something, treat it with suspicion
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Ways to Spot an Internet Bandit Requests for your credit card
number. Don't send your credit card number to anybody by email. If
your mail software supports encryption, this can help protect the
number, but it may not be foolproof. Some encryption techniques are
better than others. LOTS OF CAPITAL LETTERS and punctuation!!! Be
skeptical of ads that shout at you, like "MIRACLE CURE!!!" or
"Learn how to make BIG $$$$$ MONEY in NO TIME AT ALL!!!!! Hidden
costs. Watch out for ads that shout "it won't cost you a penny to
get started" and then quietly charge you an "entrance fee."
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Quackery Project 20 pts. Create a product using Play-Doh that
would be considered quackery. Make a radio advertisement for your
product. In your radio announcement, you should clearly identify 2
RED FLAG statements. Your product should be related to one of the
commonly targeted areas of medical frauds (ex. Arthritis, Cancer,
HIV/AIDS)