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2008 Impact Factor: 2.057
Ranking: 2/45 (Communication), 9/51 (Information Science & Library Science)
© 2008 Thomson Reuters, Journal Citation Reports®

Editor's Note:

Like a Hollywood thriller movie, the 2009 flu outbreak developed in real time, complete with phases of pandemic alerts issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) as if they were DEFCON warnings, the defense readiness condition that gauges activation and readiness of the United States Armed Forces. The WHO Phase 6 warning means outbreaks have been detected in two or more regions of the world and a pandemic is under way.  These do not relate nor communicate imminence of deaths or protective actions by individuals. We are understandably confused and concerned.  Information pours in 24/7 through media coverage, social media, blogs and conversations. This is not just a case of communicable chaos, but a real test of our ability to appropriately reach and inform citizens with understandable, reliable, and actionable news (information) they can use.  It’s about health literacy.  What do I need to know and do today to protect my health and that of my family?  Where do I find information that I can understand and trust? People should know if they are at risk and what they can do.  We need a widely known, accessible repository of trustworthy, actionable health information that everyone knows how to find and use.

Read more in my recent editorial.

Scott C. Ratzan, MD, MPA
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Health Communication
Vice President, Government Affairs, Europe
Johnson & Johnson

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Table of Contents 

• Recent Articles in JHC
  • Volume 14, Issue 3
  • Volume 14, Issue 4
• Featured Book Review
• Supplemental Issue: State of the Science in Communication for Cancer Prevention and Control
  

Recent Article in JHC:

Volume 14 Issue 3 (April 2009)
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• Bridging the Digital Divide by Increasing Computer and Health Literacy: Community Technology Centers for Head-Start Parents and Families
  - Peter Salovey;  Pamela Williams-Piehota;  Linda Mowad;  Marta Elisa Moret;  Denielle Edlund; Judith Andersen
  Salovey, Williams-Piehota, Mowad, Moret, Edlund, and Andersen report the outcomes of a computer and cancer literacy course that was presented to Latino and African American parents of children enrolled in Head Start and other community residents.  Findings suggest that the program increased knowledge about computers and their use, knowledge about cancer and its prevention, and computer use including health information-seeking via the Internet.   
  
  
• Kenyan In-School Youths’ Level of Understanding of Abstinence, Being Faithful, and Consistent Condom Use Terms: Implications for HIV-Prevention Programs
  - Tiffany Lillie; Julie Pulerwitz; Barbara Curbow
  The HIV-prevention behaviors of “abstinence” from sex, “being faithful” to one sexual partner, and “condom use” (ABC) are the focus of many international HIV interventions. Kenyan in-school youth ages 13-19 years (N=1375) were surveyed before the intended HIV-prevention intervention was implemented. As part of the survey, students wrote their definitions of the terms in a space provided. These definitions were qualitatively analyzed by determining recurrent themes, developing a codebook, and having two coders code the responses. The entire definition was assigned an overall fully comprehended, partly comprehended, did not comprehend, or no response code in comparison to the conventional definition of the term. Overall, 48 percent fully comprehended abstinence, 20 percent fully comprehended being faithful, and 7 percent fully comprehended consistent condom use. This suggests that these terms, and the meanings behind them, need additional clarification and discussion if they are to be used appropriately in HIV prevention programs.
  
  
• Media Influence on Alcohol Control Policy Support in the U.S. Adult Population: The Intervening Role of Issue Concern and Risk Judgments
  - Michael D. Slater; Frank Lawrence; Maria Leonora G. Comello
  “Media Influence on Alcohol Control Policy Support in the U.S. Adult Population: The Intervening Role of Issue Concern and Risk Judgments” finds evidence, based on a nationally-representative survey, that attention to news stories about crime and accidents predicts support for alcohol control laws and regulation by increasing the attentive readers’ concerns about alcohol-related injuries and deaths. The authors conclude that media advocacy efforts to reduce alcohol-related morbidity and mortality should focus on encouraging journalists to determine and report on the role of alcohol in violent crime and accidents above and beyond drunk driving alone.
  
  
• The Effect of an Internet-Based, Stage-Matched Intervention on Young Taiwanese Women’s Physical Activity
  - Sheu-Jen Huang; Wen-Chi Hung; Maiga Chang; Janie Chang
  A web-based, stage-matched message intervention was designed in order to see the effect on the exercise behavior of young Taiwanese women with regard to several variables. One hundred and thirty female freshmen, enrolled in a nursing class in a university in Taipei, completed the survey at three different points in time. They were assigned to three groups: an experimental group with stage-matched messages on the website, a generic group with non-stage-matched messages on the website, and a control group that was only given lectures but had no access to the website. The results suggested that a website conveying theory-based messages can serve as a useful tool for improving young females’ physical activity and exercise self-efficacy. Additionally, we need research that explores different degrees and dimensions of tailoring in order to find the optimal degree of audience segmentation.
  
  
• The Role of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in Shaping Public Opinion Surrounding Prescription Drug Use to Treat Depression or Anxiety in Youth
  - Lourdes S. Martinez; Nehama Lewis
  Martinez and Lewis explored the impact of exposure to prescription drug advertisements for antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications on public opinion regarding preferred treatment options for youth. The authors observe that among respondents with negative attitude towards direct-to-consumer advertising (for all products), with increased exposure to ads for antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, support for the use of these drugs to treat youth decreased. This study presents implications for compliance among parents of youth diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders.
  
  
• Topics and Sources of Memorable Breast Cancer Messages and Their Impact on Prevention and Detection Behaviors
  - Sandi W. Smith; Samantha Nazione; Carolyn LaPlante; Michael R. Kotowski; Charles Atkin; Christine M. Skubisz; Cynthia Stohl
  Often, people are able to recall a message on a particular topic for a long period of time. These memorable messages have the ability to influence behavior when they are recalled from memory long after initial exposure. Knowing the topics and sources of the messages that are remembered about breast cancer can improve the efficacy of future breast cancer outreach. To this end, 359 women completed an online survey about memorable breast cancer messages. Most women (60%) recalled a memorable message, described it, identified its source, and noted whether it had resulted in prevention or detection behaviors. Four categories of message topics emerged: early detection (37.3%), awareness (30.9%), treatment (25.8%), and prevention (6%)). Furthermore, five categories of sources of these memorable messages were found: (media (35.5%), friends (22.2%), family (21.6%), medical professionals (15.2%), and others (5.5%)). The media were a major source of all four topics of messages although family members, friends, and the medical community were major sources for particular message topics, as well. Memorable messages originating from medical professionals were substantially more likely to motivate detection behaviors than prevention behaviors. This research demonstrates that message topic and source both play roles in determining message recall as well as in determining how memorable messages impacted behavior.
  FULL TEXT

Volume 14 Issue 4 (June 2009)
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• Using the Extended Parallel Process Model to Explain Physicians’ Decisions to Test Their Patients’ for Kidney Disease
  -- Anthony J. Roberto and Catherine E. Goodall
  Roberto and Goodall conducted a study to determine the effects of perceived threat and efficacy on physicians’ intentions and behavior to test their patients’ level of kidney functioning. As predicted by the extended parallel process model, physicians perceiving greater threat to patients and greater efficacy demonstrated greater intention and greater behavior to test their patients’ kidney functioning than physicians who perceive other combinations of these variables. These findings suggest that health communication campaigns targeting doctors could be more effective if they incorporate high threat/high efficacy messages (even if the threat is to patients rather than to the physicians themselves).
  
  
• Pregnancy Intentions and Folic Acid Supplementation Exemplars: Findings from the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study
  -- Roxanne Parrott; Julie Volkman; Marianne Hillemeier; Carol Weisman, Gary Chase; Anne-Marie Dyer
  One Healthy People 2010 objective is that 80% of women start a pregnancy with optimal levels of folic acid. This often requires women to use folic acid supplements preconceptionally, as diet has not been found to be a consistent predictor of adequate consumption. We advance a framework based on exemplification theory and supplementation as an additive action to identify two role model exemplars associated with folic acid supplementation among women of reproductive age able to become pregnant (n = 1,258). The women were participants in Phase I of the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study (CePAWHS). One exemplar identified represents the positive habits aligned with supplementers considering a pregnancy sometime in their future, while the other resides in the exemplification of positive habits aligned with supplementers not considering a pregnancy sometime in their future but still able to become pregnant. Among women not considering a future pregnancy, daily green salad consumption, weekly fish consumption, having had a health care visit in the past year, and having had any ob/gyn visit in the past two years resulted in increased odds of folic acid supplement use in a multivariable model. In the same model, an increase in age resulted in increased odds of folic acid supplement use. Among women considering a future pregnancy, not smoking cigarettes, having higher levels of psychosocial stress, and having higher levels of interaction social support resulted in increased odds of folic acid supplement use in a multivariable model. In the same model, those who have had a health care visit in the past year and have received pregnancy planning counseling were also more likely to use a folic acid supplement. Implications for strategic communication are considered.
  
  
• Efficacy Methods to Evaluate Health Communication and Marketing Campaigns
  - - W. Douglas Evans; Jennifer Uhrig; Kevin Davis; Lauren McCormack
  Communication and marketing are growing areas of health research, but relatively few rigorous efficacy studies have been conducted in these fields. In this paper, we review recent health communication and marketing efficacy research, present two case studies that illustrate some of the considerations in making efficacy design choices, and advocate for greater emphasis on rigorous health communication and marketing efficacy research and the development of a research agenda. Much of the outcomes research in health communication and marketing, especially mass media, utilizes effectiveness designs conducted in real-time, in the media markets or communities in which messages are delivered. However, such evaluations may be impractical or impossible, limiting opportunities to advance the state of health communication and marketing research and the knowledge base on effective campaign strategies, messages, and channels. Efficacy and effectiveness studies use similar measures of behavior change. However, efficacy studies offer greater opportunities for experimental control, message exposure, and testing of health communication and marketing theory. By examining the literature and two in-depth case studies, we identify advantages and limitations to efficacy studies. We also identify considerations for when to adopt efficacy and effectiveness methods, alone or in combination. Finally, we outline a research agenda to investigate issues of internal and external validity, mode of message presentation, differences between marketing and message strategies, and behavioral outcomes.
  
  
• Testing Communication Strategies to Convey Genomic Concepts Using Virtual Reality Technology
  -- Kimberly A. Kaphingst; Susan Persky; Cade McCall; Christina Lachance; Andrew C. Beall; and Jim Blascovich
  In order for individuals to benefit from information about genetic susceptibility, health care providers and public health professionals need to be able to communicate the information in an understandable and usable way. However, the challenges involved in such communication are substantial. Prior research provides limited guidance for the development of effective strategies to communicate genomic concepts to the general public. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine two factors that might inform communication strategies for lay individuals regarding the concept of gene-environment interactions: (1) learning mode and (2) metaphor selection. We developed four learning modules and tested them with a 2x2 between-subjects, repeated measures design using an innovative virtual reality technology experimental platform. Study participants were 42 undergraduates aged 19-23. The results showed that mean transfer score was significantly higher for an elevator metaphor than a bridge metaphor (p<0.05). Mean change in recall was significantly higher for the didactic learning approach than the active learning approach (p<0.05). However, mean ratings for variables posited to be associated with better learning (e.g., motivation, attention) were generally higher for the active learning worlds. The findings suggest that message designers should select less complex metaphors that are consistent with how the target audience conceptualizes an abstract concept. The results also indicate that active learning might not be more effective than didactic learning in some health communication contexts, highlighting the importance of pre-testing educational strategies. Future research could examine which of these variables is more important in increasing comprehension, or whether the variables interact in their effects.
  
  
• Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus: Differences by Self-Reported Treatment for Genital Warts and Sociodemographic Characteristics
  -- Jill Koshiol; Lila Finney Rutten; Richard P. Moser; Nicola Hesse
  Women with genital warts have a “teachable moment” with respect to HPV. Evaluating the level of knowledge about HPV in these women identifies the information that is being communicated, as well as gaps in knowledge. Using data from the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey, this paper is one of the first to evaluate HPV knowledge in a group of women with self-reported treatment for genital warts compared to women without warts from the general population. Three percent (N=97) of women answered “yes” and 97% (N=3450) “no” to “Have you ever been treated for venereal warts or condyloma?” Women who reported treatment for genital warts were more likely to have heard of HPV, to have been told they had HPV, and to have accurate information about HPV, such as HPV causes cancer. However, a large proportion (41%) of women who reported treatment for genital warts had not heard of HPV. These women tended to be older, poorer, less educated, non-Hispanic black, less likely to have had a recent Pap test, and divorced, widowed, or separated. Women with genital warts are learning about HPV, but socioeconomically disadvantaged groups may need to be targeted.
  
  
• Testing a Theory-Based Health Communication Program: A Replication of Go Sun Smart in Outdoor Winter Recreation
  -- Peter A. Andersen; David B. Buller; Barbara J. Walkosz; Julie Maloy; Michael D. Scott; Gary R. Cutter; Mark B. Dignan
  The epidemic of preventable skin cancer in the United States creates an urgent need for health communication campaigns to improve sun protection. Go Sun Smart (GSS), a theory-driven multichannel health communication campaign showed positive effects on sun safety behaviors of employees and guests in a randomized trial at high-altitude ski areas. In this article we report findings from the North American GSS campaign for guests at ski areas that comprised the original control-group resorts, replicating the results of the original guest intervention. Results showed that after GSS was deployed, guests at the original control group ski areas increased sun protection and reported greater recall of sun safety messages. Conversely, GSS had no effect on sunburning attitudes or self-efficacy beliefs. Like the original GSS guest intervention, the present study found that greater exposure to GSS messages was associated with greater use of sunscreen, sunscreen lip balm, and face covering, but not gloves or overall sun protection. There was no evidence that GSS decreased sunburning or attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs regarding sun safety.

Featured Book Review

A Review of: “Vande Berg, L., & Trujillo, N. (2008). Cancer and death: A love story in two voices.” Reviewed by Elizabeth Gill. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. ISBN: 978-1-57273-851-5, (paperback), 192 pp., $23.95 Click here to read the entire review

The combined promise of behavioral science and computer technology for improving access to personally relevant and accurate information, enhancing informed health choices, and ultimately improving people’s health status, has not yet been fully realized. In March 2008, the Cancer Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Society of Behavioral Medicine commissioned a preconference scientific meeting, “Communication in Cancer: Prevention and Control.” This meeting was co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), along with the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Cancer Society. With the further support of the NCI, the Cancer SIG team invited manuscripts from the meeting participants and has integrated them into this special issue. The NCI has long recognized that an understanding of the basic principles of cancer communication at the micro (clinical) to macro (media) levels, in conjunction with the design and evaluation of messaging channels for conveying that information, is fundamental to cancer prevention and control, along the entire cancer continuum. Each article presents a distinctive, but complementary, view on the field of cancer and communication. The issues discussed range from a focus on communication patterns between people as they deal with their health care options and choices, to perspectives on how health care policy influences—and is reciprocally influenced by—available communication concepts, tools, and challenges. The articles contained in this volume present the state of the science in cancer related communication, and are geared to be equally useful for cancer researchers and providers. The overarching goal of this special issue is not only to distill out the existing evidence base on communication in cancer prevention and control, but also to provide a roadmap for future research and to strengthen multidisciplinary collaborations. Accordingly, the roster of contributors includes both independent investigators and NCI staff, to gain perspective from the vantage points of their respective positioning in the field, and to work toward melding these viewpoints together.

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