By Russell DeVita The entertainment industry is giving the public an increasing amount of “spinach” in their popcorn, and both sides are benefiting. That sentiment was just a little taste of a panel discussion called “Content Integration & Social Change: Sparking Action Through Programming, Advertising & Popular Culture,” comprising health and entertainment leaders that included Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington (pictured). It was presented at the 139th Annual American Public Health Association Meeting and Exposition held Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C. Health topics have long provided writers with great storylines — even Shakespeare in his plays touched on immunization, nutrition, psychology and how disease spreads. And when that kind of information (the spinach) and compelling entertainment (the popcorn) come together, viewers get a lesson on how to change life habits or society for the better—whether the medium is TV, movies or the stage. Panel participants talked about the latest trends and best practices in integrating health issues into TV shows, movies, ads and even sports events, took a look behind the scenes at how writers and producers work, and discussed the best ways to measure success. Shows such as ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy" and MTV’s "16 and Pregnant," and the recent film "Contagion" all were cited as examples of popular entertainment carrying important health content. Buffington’s part of the session, titled “Incorporating Critical Health Messages Through Entertainment Channels,” provided an overview of the mission of HH&S, which is a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center that serves as a bridge between the entertainment industry and health experts, who work closely with writers and producers in providing accurate and timely health messages. “When it’s done right, we can improve the health and well-being of the audience,” Buffington said. Also featured in the panel discussion were Jason Rzepka, vice president of public affairs at MTV Networks; Tina Hoff, senior vice president and director, Health Communication & Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation; and Liana Schwarz, senior vice president, social action at Participant Media. It was moderated by Peggy Conlon, president of the Ad Council. Earlier at the APHA expo, Buffington presented an informal and interactive talk at the CDC Exhibit Theatre titled "Stories that Change Lives: Working with Hollywood's Scriptwriters to Increase the Accuracy of TV Health Storylines," about how HH&S works with TV writers to improve public health awareness in national audiences.