2024-04-23 10:20:12
According to data from the Federation of Editors’ Guilds (FGEE)From January 2023 to April 2024, 3,320 popular books have been published in Spain on topics that cover different areas related to health.
They are prepared by specialists, professionals and disseminators with scientific knowledge in the subjects, up to influencers and other public figures who wish to tell their experiences.
On the occasion of Day of the bookprofessionals from Psychology, nutrition and the publishing world tell us about popular books that bring scientific knowledge to the ground through understandable language.
On Book Day we talk about popular health books. EFE/ JM Garcia
A growing trend
Antonio María Ávila, executive director of the Federation of Editors’ Guilds (FGEE)in an interview with EFEsalud, tells us about the health dissemination titles that are published each year.
According to the union professional based on the figures of DILVEwhich is the distributor of information on Spanish books for sale and an online platform for the management and distribution of bibliographic and commercial information on books, each year approximately 72,000 titles in Spain of all categories.
Of that total, from January 2023 to this month of April 2024, there have been published 3.320 health outreach books.
It is worth highlighting the ranking made by the portal all your books, in which there is a list of the 100 best-selling titles this year in Spain in independent bookstores. In fourth place is Recover your mind, recapture your life by the psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé, an example of a popular science book carried out by a medical professional.
Interest in health dissemination
Although the publication trend of popular health books is ascendingthe executive director of the FGEE explains that, in general, these books have been published for years, even if to a lesser extent.
“This type of book has always been successful, but now there are more people who read it and many more publishers of this type of book,” he says.
In addition, he emphasizes that currently we find publishers that are dedicated to publishing exclusive health dissemination content, since they have a large market in Spain, Latin America and the United States.
What do psychologists think?
Vicente Prieto, psychologist and member of the Official College of Psychology of Madrid (COP), reminds us of the importance of learning to recognize when a health promotion book can benefit us and when it can negatively affect us.
“There are undoubtedly books that can negatively affect the reader. If it has been prepared by a psychology professional, it can help in some specific cases,” she says.
The psychologist warns that a clear distinction must be made. On the one hand, there are popular health books written by psychology professionals that can help the reader.
On the other hand, there are others, those signed by people who are not experts in the matter and who narrate a personal experience. The latter can be helpful as long as they are used as a tool and are considered to tell a particular situation.
Visitors at the booths at the Madrid Book Fair in 2022. EFE/Javier López
The success of self-help books
According to DILVE figures, the publishing of popular health books continues to increase, both in publishing houses and in self-publishing. In fact, in 2022, 335 titles were published by self-publishers alone.
Within scientific dissemination, we find the so-called “self-help books”. This specific theme increased its sales by 47% between 2022 and 2023.
Prieto affirms that there are social situations that generate problems in the population, such as the recent covid pandemic. Faced with these confusing and complicated circumstances, a need to know is generated. Books are presented as a possible solution for many people who want to inform themselves and find a guide on their path.
”There is currently a post-pandemic circumstance in which labor, social issues and insecurity worldwide affect us as a society. This generates an emotional impact on many people. We can consume this type of bibliography, but it must be made very clear that a book does not change your life in such a way that the problems are resolved,” she explains.
On the other hand, the professional indicates that there are many complicated moments throughout life: the loss of a family member, work problems, frustrated relationships… that can lead us to look for the answer in this type of self-help titles and behaviors.
Be careful with “do-goodism”!
The psychologist Vicente Prieto warns against the “do-goodism” that is sometimes present in popular health books, specifically those that deal with psychological topics, such as self-help books.
”When there are books that are not prepared by professionals, many times positive messages are issued that give us the feeling that what is happening to us we can solve on our own. We have a problem there,” he says.
Warning that we must be careful and avoid these types of magical formulas of “goodism”, since they do not alleviate the suffering that a person may have and can even make them believe that it is not necessary to ask for help.
Nutrition and diet books, another classic
Another of the most frequent topics among popular science titles is nutrition and dietetics.
Alma Palau, president of the General Council of Official Colleges of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Spainemphasizes the importance of looking for reliable sources when learning about food.
”The more professionally trained the person writing the book is, the better. But it is not a job intrusion for a person who is not a nutritionist to write a nutrition book. However, then we see that the books that are more rigorous, those that give more appropriate advice and with more up-to-date topics, are those written by nutrition professionals,” he indicates.
Popular books on nutrition must be based on scientific evidence. EFE/Kai Försterling
Search for scientific evidence
The expert indicates that where there is the most variety is in general food books. In specialized topics, such as those that talk about nutrition in people with pathologies or special conditions, there are usually an abundance of manuals and titles prepared by nutrition and dietetics professionals.
Dr. Palau concludes by indicating that, on these topics that directly affect our health, the ideal thing is to look for books supported by scientific evidence.
“Although a book based on a personal experience does not have to be negative, it is true that the perspective of one’s own experience does not have the rigor that those written by health professionals and doctors do have,” he concludes.
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