TIRANA, Albania — A friend of mine, a prestigious physician who works the longest hours of anybody I know, makes only one exception from her demanding schedule in New York. Once a week, she returns home early to watch a new episode of her favorite television drama. I cannot think of a more unlikely fan. It goes to show that dramas appeal across a broad spectrum, from the most intellectually sophisticated to people with little or no formal education.

Increasingly, television dramas are being used throughout the world to disseminate messages about health issues such as the need for contraception, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, how to achieve peace between countries in conflict and how to elevate the status of women in developing countries. By identifying themselves with the protagonists' dreams and problems the viewer establishes an immediate connection with them.

In Colorado, state officials have developed a drama called "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing," specifically aimed at conveying health messages to the population. One of the producers' aims was to increase the number of health-insured kids in the state, since almost half of the 150,000 uninsured children were eligible either for Medicaid or the Child Health Plan Plus program. Following airing of the TV dramas, there was a substantial increase in the number of children applying for insurance.