The Haunting of Scare Tactics

A recently released study details the health status of hundreds of so-called “crack babies” from the late 80s/early 90s. For those old enough to remember, “crack babies” were a major topic of health discussion during those years. Not only that, but they were also used as a tool of propaganda in the War on Drugs. Common were prophecies of an entire generation of children with severe mental impairment and lingering health issues. This was an accepted, terrifying “truth” with a strong undertone of morality.

Article: http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/crack-had-little-long-term.html

Fast-forward 20 years to check in on these now-grown-up children. As it turns out, their health problems have been relatively minimal, at least much less than the original scare tactic had implied. The biggest factor in the health of these children appears related to the overall socioeconomic status of their mothers and the mothers’ ability to take care of themselves through proper nutrition, hydration and exercise. Certainly, crack and cocaine have wreaked havoc on many, many lives, and in this case, parenting ability has suffered. But the lingering images we had, and the assumptions that were made (thankfully) have not materialized.

There is a lesson here about credibility, scare tactics and fear in general. Hopefully we have learned to avoid trumpeting a health epidemic for which we have little concrete evidence. The public takes note of exaggerations and fears that do not come to pass. As with any brand (and, yes, “public health” is a brand), credibility is paramount. People want to know that you/we will deliver on our promises and that we will be honest with them. Creating anxiety in hopes that it will motivate people to change or abstain from a behavior is simply a poor way to promote health.

-posted by Tad Spencer