Health Communication

TheoryChris McFarland

H-571

National Cancer Institute (p.29-33) Communication Theory Media Effects Agenda Setting New Communication Technologies

Health Behavior Theory for Public Health

(p.188-193) Intro to Communication Theory The Reception-Yielding Model

Overview

To answer the question:“How do the processes of communication

encourage or discourage, behavior change?” (NCI, 2005)

Why Communication Theory?

Ecological perspective should be represented.

Multilevel strategies should be fostered.

Public Health Communications:

P PS S

SE

P

Eval

Behavior

SNBSelfEfficacy

Att Att

Intentions

Will + Skill ExpMc NB

KnowValueSocialBonds

RoleModels

Self-Control

Com-petence

SNB

ValuesEnvironment

KnowledgeEnvironment

ENVIRONMENTSituationPerson

E E

Affective/Control Substream

s

Cog

nitiv

e/C

ompe

tenc

e S

ubst

ream

s

Public health communication messages should be:

Tailored Messages at

Individual Level

Targeted Messages at Group Level

Social Marketing at Community

Level

Media Advocacy at Policy

Level

Mass Media Campaigns

at Population Level

Two big questions???

1. What are the factors that affect the possibility that a person will be exposed to a given message?

2. How do media effects vary according to the amount of exposure to that message?

Media Effects

Media Effects

Funding!!

Repeated Exposure?

?Planners Think About How We Learn:

Immediate Learning

Delayed Learning

Generalized Learning

Social Diffusion

Institutional Diffusion

Who's funding?

Agenda setting involves setting:

Agenda Setting

Media Agenda(what is covered)

Public Agenda(what people think about)

Policy Agenda(regulatory/legislative)

New Communication Technologies

E-health is at the cross-roads of medical

informatics, public health, and business.

Brings together clinical and non-clinical

sectorsHealth-oriented tools for both

individual/population

Online health informationOnline support groupsOnline collaborative

communitiesEducational games

Patient-provider e-mail contact

HINTS program helps: Survey researchers Program planners Social scientistsBetter understand how different

communication channels are being utilized by adults 18 and older.

Health Information National Trends Survey(HINTS)

Tailored print communication Telephone delivered intervention Interactive games

All of these have been found to be effective tools in disseminating health information to a general or targeted audience.

Not all is perfect though…

Non-Web-based E-health Interventions

Unequal access to the internet. Literacy issues.

How to help with this? Involve community members in planning e-

health interventions. Offer ongoing training and support for using

new communication tools.

Not All is Fair in the Internet World

Program Effect + Dissemination = Net Effect

Size Does Matter

Program B

Program A

Health-professional-patient relations. Individuals’ adherence to clinical

recommendations and regimens. The education of consumers on how to

navigate the health care system. The construction of public health messages

and campaigns.

Health communication is more than just mass media though…

Attributes of Effective Health Communication

Accuracy

Availability

Balance

Consistency

Evidence Based

Cultural Competence

Reach

Reliability

Repetition

TimelinessUnderstandability

Simplified two-step model based off of MaGuire’s (1968) model.

People pass through a series of cognitions when thinking about an issue called information processing.

Presentation, attention, comprehension, yielding, retention, behavior.

Individuals pass through these to be effectively persuaded.

The Reception-Yielding Model

Variables related to intended population may affect model.

Reception-Yielding

Attention

Comprehension

Reception Yielding

One such variable may be fear. Fear may diminish reception, but elevate

likelihood of yielding. PSA based on fear Without a viable solution, fear may be

counterproductive.

Fear

High intelligence favors reception, but may work against yielding.

Low intelligence favors yielding, but works against reception.

What does this mean? A solid foundation of the target population

is a must in message development.

Intelligence

To answer the question: how can the health communication message best establish that yielding translates into a long lasting, and notable attitude that can prompt lasting adoption of health-protective behaviors.

Thank you

Final Goal

National Cancer Institute, (2005). Theory at a Glance: A Guide For Health Promotion Practice. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health

McGuire, W. (1968). Personality and attitude change: An information-processing model. Psychological foundations of attitudes. (pp.171-196). New York, NY: Academic Press

Works Cited