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'Peppa Pig' may skew children's view of health care
Although the children’s television show “Peppa Pig” may promote healthy eating, regular exercise and road safety, the characterization of the show’s general practitioner may produce unrealistic expectations of health care in young children, according to an observation published in the Christmas issue of The British Medical Journal.
The cartoon, which follows the life of a young female pig named Peppa, is currently broadcast in more than 180 countries, potentially creating high exposure to this television show and the portrayal of the health care system through their general practitioner, Dr. Brown Bear.
“I think that the health care myth most relevant to my article is that you need to contact your doctor immediately at the first sign of illness,” Catherine Bell, GP, from Moss Valley Medical Practice, The Valleys Medical Partnership, Eckington, Sheffield, UK, told Infectious Diseases in Children. “There is a wealth of self-care information available that can be accessed online by parents to help them decide whether they are able to safely manage their child’s symptoms at home or whether they need access to medical attention.”
To contemplate the affect that Dr. Brown Bear’s approach to health care may have on pediatric patients, Bell examined three cases in which the doctor was used in the cartoon.
The first case involved a 3-year-old piglet presenting with an erythematous maculopapular facial rash. The parents call the doctor directly, and he makes an urgent home visit. Instead of encouraging self-management using appropriate safety netting, the doctor diagnoses it as ‘nothing serious’ and provides medicine at the child’s request. Bell labeled this event as a clinically inappropriate home visit, and the dosing of a medicine — presumably antibiotics or paracetamol — as irresponsible and “a potential drain on the [United Kingdom’s National Health System].”
In a second episode, Dr. Brown Bear takes a call on a Saturday regarding an 18-month-old piglet with a 2-minute history of coryzal symptoms after playing in the rain. After a telephone call, he conducts a home visit where he examines the throat and diagnoses an upper respiratory infection. Bell points out the call taken was outside of office hours and another inappropriate home visit was conducted, despite that the piglet’s father had a firm understanding of diagnosis and the illness’ ability to resolve on its own.
The final case assessed by Bell began when a 3-year-old pony coughed three times in a playgroup. The doctor was immediately called, and made a visit to the group. A history was collected regarding the pony’s cough. He does not state a diagnosis, and tells others that the cough could be contagious. Medicine is administered, but other children in the playgroup and their parents quickly become ill. A pink medicine is administered to all before Dr. Brown Bear becomes ill. The patients administer medicine to him. Bell claims that this case demonstrates physician burnout, including a lack of confidentiality, parental consent, record keeping and self-prescribing.
“I think it would be a positive thing if children’s shows tried to portray a factually correct view of health care where possible, as for many families, this may be their only source of information as to how the health system works,” Bell said. “Perhaps having a medical advisor would be helpful to promote an accurate portrayal and positive health messages within children’s shows.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosures: Bell reports no relevant financial disclosures.
