What Does "SPAM" Stand For? I have a bone to pick with Reuters Health. Reuters is the news service that distributed an article I told you about in the e-Alert "Doctored Up" (7/12/05). The article described a study in which researchers sent health information to subjects who participated in the study. When Reuters did its report, the e-mails were described as "SPAM." SPAM? C'mon, guys - get it right. SPAM is unsolicited e-mail that's sometimes abrasive, often obscene, and almost always unwanted. In the published study, the researchers never use the word "SPAM." They describe the e-mails sent to study subjects as "e-mail intervention" containing tips on nutrition and exercise. That's a far cry from the hundreds of pieces of SPAM so many of us see in our inboxes offering larger "you-know-what's" and smaller butts. But this got me thinking: What does "SPAM" stand for? A quick Google search turned up more than I'd bargained for: I quickly found several guesses about the meaning behind the acronym: - Sales Promotional/Advertising Mail
- Sending and Posting Advertising in Mass
- Self-Propelled Advertising Material
- Special Processed Annoying Mail
- Spiced Ham
That last one, of course, refers to the original Spam product: Lunch meat in a can, first produced by George Hormel in 1936. And exactly where that might figure in with nutritional tips received by e-mail…I'll let you be the judge. Sources:
"Efficacy of an E-mail Intervention for the Promotion of Physical Activity and Nutrition Behavior in the Workplace Context" The American Journal of Health Promotion, July/August 2005, healthpromotionjournal.com
"Spam Can Help Prod People to Better Health - Study" Reuters Health, 6/30/05, reutershealth.com | 
