Fear Is Effective In Realizing The Community To Live Healthy?

JAKARTA - In the midst of the fast flow of information and lifestyle, making people aware to care about health is not an easy matter.

Facts show, healthy living campaigns often lose fame compared to the viral culinary trend or other trending things. So, how to effectively encourage awareness of healthy living in the wider community?

Dr. dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowi, a specialist in mental health as well as author of the book Sehat Half Hati, explained that building a healthy awareness cannot always be done with an educational approach.

Instead, he assessed that through various researches he had initiated, the majority of people were effective in changing the awareness of healthy living when they were haunted by fear.

"Changing behavior by creating fear is effective, although it is not recommended ethically," he said.

For real examples, Dr. Ray mentioned the success of the COVID-19 vaccination program in the pandemic era. The spike in deaths at that time to the fast and massive spread of the COVID-19 virus created mass fear and that was precisely the main trigger for changes in people's behavior to comply with vaccinations.

"When people see death as high, fear becomes a strong stimulus. But this approach cannot be used as the main strategy because it relies on crisis, not awareness," he explained at the launch of the Healthy book Half Hatidi Jakarta, recently.

Based on one example, a more sustainable approach can be constructed from a combination of fear-based messaging with a community approach. For example, at the district or city level, a community-based educational microcluster is formed.

In fact, not only among the community, but also the focus can be transferred to policy makers in the district or even the province.

"Sometimes what needs to be scared is not only the people, but also the policymakers. If there is no immediate effect on them, the road program is on the spot," said Dr. Ray.

Furthermore, in a small scope, social pressure and direct role models from local figures can create a stimulus for more natural behavior changes. He also emphasized the importance of utilizing the figure of a populous media or a popular figure who can be a role model.

"In certain conditions and populations, the majority of the people are now more happy to see the success of others. If they idolize living a healthy life, they tend to join," he added.

This condition can certainly be unfortunate considering how important awareness will be to maintain health starting or being built on gratitude or yourself as an individual.

Although fear has proven to be able to drive changes in healthy lifestyles in the community, Dr. Ray emphasized that health awareness will be much stronger, sustainable, and ethical if built from within the community itself.

This is because maintaining health is not a matter of avoiding disease, but about respecting the body, loving life, and understanding the importance of maintaining health as part of everyday life.

"If we only move for fear, we have temporary awareness. But if we are driven by understanding and a sense of responsibility for ourselves and those around us, it will last a lifetime," he said.

Even in the book Sehat Half Hati, he invites readers to love the body again with a complete awareness not only to avoid disease, but because they respect life.