Chris McFarland
H-571
National Cancer Institute (p.29-33)
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Communication Theory
Media Effects
Agenda Setting
New Communication Technologies
Health Behavior Theory for Public
Health
(p.188-193)
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Intro to Communication Theory
The Reception-Yielding Model
To answer the question:
“How do the processes of communication
encourage or discourage, behavior change?”
(NCI, 2005)
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Ecological perspective should be represented.
Multilevel strategies should be fostered.
E
S
Values
Environment
ENVIRONMENT
Situation
E
P Person
S P
P
S
E
ValueSocialSelf- Com-
Role Know
BondsControl
petence Models
EvalMc
Will + SkillNB
Att SNB Self
Exp
SNB Att
Efficacy
Intentions
Behavior
Knowledge
Environment
Tailored
Messages at
Individual
Level
Targeted
Messages at
Group Level
Media
Advocacy at
Policy Level
Social
Marketing at
Community
Level
Mass Media
Campaigns at
Population
Level
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1.
2.
Two big questions???
What are the factors that affect the possibility that
a person will be exposed to a given message?
How do media effects vary according to the
amount of exposure to that message?
Funding!!
Repeated
Exposure??
Planners Think About How We Learn:
Immediate Learning
Delayed Learning
Social Diffusion
Institutional Diffusion
Generalized Learning
Who's funding?
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Agenda setting involves setting:
Media Agenda
(what is covered)
Policy Agenda
(regulatory/legislative)
Public Agenda
(what people think about)
E-health is at the crossroads of medical
informatics, public health,
and business.
Brings together
clinical and
non-clinical
sectors
Health-oriented
tools for both
Online health information
individual/populati
Online support groups
on
Online collaborative communities
Educational games
Patient-provider e-mail contact
HINTS program helps:
 Survey researchers
 Program planners
 Social scientists
Better understand how different
communication channels are being utilized by
adults 18 and older.
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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…
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Unequal access to the internet.
Literacy issues.
How to help with this?
 Involve community members in planning ehealth interventions.
 Offer ongoing training and support for using
new communication tools.
Program Effect + Dissemination
Program A
Program B
= Net Effect
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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.
Consistency
Availability
Accuracy
Reach
Understandability
Cultural
Competence
Repetition
Evidence
Based
Balance
Timeliness
Reliability
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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.
Attention
Comprehensi
on
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Reception
Yielding
Variables related to intended population may
affect model.
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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.
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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.
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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
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National Cancer Institute, (2005). Theory at a
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Human Services National Institutes of Health
McGuire, W. (1968). Personality and attitude
change: An information-processing model.
Glance: A Guide For Health Promotion
Practice. U.S. Department of Health and
Psychological foundations of attitudes.
(pp.171-196). New York, NY: Academic Press