Volume 3, Number 1
January-March 1998

Vol. 3, Num. 1: Contents | Editorial | Up Front | Abstracts

Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Work-site AIDS Programs
    T.E. Backer & E.M. Rogers

Four case studies of the adoption of work-site AIDS programs were investigated, two of which were modifications of the CDC's Business Responds to AIDS (BRTA) Program. AIDS work-site programs were mainly initiated by the four study companies due to the efforts of a champion (defined as an individual who gains attention and resources for an issue in a system) or to the occurrence of a tragic event, such as a company employee contracting AIDS. The BRTA Program is an innovation that has not yet reached critical mass, after which the further rate of adoption occurs rapidly in a self-sustaining process.

Childbirth and Infant Development Knowledge Gaps in Interpersonal Settings
     C. Gaziano & J. O'Leary

The knowledge gap hypothesis predicts that infusion of information into an environment will lead to knowledge gain by groups with higher socioeconomic status (SES) at rates that outpace the knowledge gain of lower SES groups, leading to a growing relative gap between them. Four information source variable were studied: education, babycare experience, friend and relative networks, and interpersonal communication in a parent education setting. Study subjects were mothers and fathers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and mothers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the sample, the classic pattern of widening gaps due to education was not supported by time trend data, although one-time data showed gaps. The interpersonal communication condition contributed most to knowledge levels and to widened knowledge gaps.

The Quality of Interactive Computer Use Among HIV Infected Individuals
     Smaglik, P., Hawkins, R. P., Pingree, S., Gustafson, D. H., Boberg, E., Bricker, E.

This study examined how HIV-infected individuals used an interactive health software package called CHESS (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System). CHESS packages information and support in a variety of ways; the research examined how a subset of users whose posttest scores in a larger randomized trial showed significant improvement in quality of life compared on use patterns of CHESS with those who did not improve. The evidence presented here points to the nature of CHESS use more than it does the amount of CHESS use. Those whose quality of life improved were among the most involved in their use of CHESS information tools. That is, even thought Discussion Group accounted for the majority of all CHESS uses and time spent with the system, total use and Discussion Group use appeared less important than use of the the information tools, especially if that use was at least somewhat sustained and involved.

FORUM

Health Communication on the Internet: An Effective Channel for Health Behavior Change?
     M.M. Cassell, C. Jackson, B. Cheuvront

This article presents a theoretical rationale for using the Internet to conduct persuasive public health interventions. Through an examination of the conceptual bases of persuasion, it is posited that the World Wide Web and other Internet-based resources have many of the characteristics necessary for persuasive communication and may, in fact, constitute a hybrid channel that combines the positive attributes of interpersonal and mass communication. The notion that the Internet features many of the persuasive qualities of interpersonal communication makes it a prime candidate for the application of key behavioral science theories and principles to promote healthier behaviors. The broad reach that the Internet shares with many mass communication channels indicates an economy to Internet-based efforts to communicate with large audiences. It is concluded that if the Internet can be used for persuasive health communication and its reach continues to expand, it is time for public health professionals to explore the design and evaluation of Internet-based interventions directed at health behavior change.