Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives
UP FRONTVolume 1, Number 2 Vol. 1, Num 2: Contents | Editorial | Up Front | Abstracts From this Issue | From Other Sources | Meetings, Conferences, Courses | Publications | Prescriptions From This Issue Health communication research is not often utilized by practitioners in the field. The "aca- demic-practitioner" gap is both wide and deep in developing countries and within the United States. Health communication theory and research may be ignored because it seems irrelevant and abstract, unreadable, and/or inaccessible. Witte, K. Notes from the field: Does publishing in academic journals make a difference? Evidence of short-term effects of social marketing campaigns on various risk factors has been positive. Longer-term effects are less clear. This may be due in part to inadequate application of one or more social marketing variables, to the nature of the approach itself, or simply to confounding variables. Media advocacy, which focuses on changing policies and social systems, may be constrained by difficulties in controlling actual coverage of an issue or the controversy inherent in many advocacy initiatives. Winett, L. B., & Wallack, L. Advancing public health goals through the mass media Agencies of the U.S. Public Health Service have had mixed results from health risk com- munication efforts. Effective communications generally reflect a systematic approach to health risk communications and attention to the "Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication" previously identified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Tinker, T. L., Recommendations to improve health risk communication: Lessons learned from the U.S. public health service Absolute levels of knowledge about HIV transmission increased for nearly every educa- tion group from 1987 to 1990. The least educated groups lag behind all others, and the gaps between them and the highest educated groups have not changed consistently. Moreover, the links between knowledge and behavior and between individual and social- level phenomena are not established. Salmon, C. T., et al. AIDS knowledge gaps: Results from the first decade of the epidemic and implications for future public information efforts In a study of viewers' responses to serious health content (ovarian cancer) in a televi- sion series (thirtysomething ), 79% said they learned something new about the disease, 32% came away with new personal insights, and 40% reported taking some action as a result of watching the program. Variations, even overt contradictions, among audiences' understandings are reflective of individual approaches to common dilemmas. Sharf, B. F., et al. Contronting cancer on thirtysomething: Audience response to health content on entertainment TV A study of physician-patient communication and decision making about prescription medications found major discrepancies between perceived and actual communication. Physicians tended to overestimate the extent to which they discussed patients' ability to follow the treatment plan, sought patients' views about the prescribed drug, or discussed the risks. Nearly one quarter of patients left the visit with an "illusion of competence," believing that important topics had been covered that in fact were not discussed at all. Makoul, G., Arntson, P., and Schofield, T. (1995). Health promotion in primary care: Physician-patient communication and decision making about prescription medications. Social Science and Medicine, 41(9), 1241-1254. Focus groups testing the "5 A Day" communication strategy uncovered key benefits of concepts for the "5 A Day" program and that members of the target group (not currently eating five portions of fruits and vegetables daily) do not view comparison group mem- bers (already eating five or more portions daily) as models they want to emulate. Loughrey, K., Eisner, E., et al. (1995, October). Target audience focus groups for 5 a day strategy verification. National Cancer Institute (Office of Cancer Communications), Bethesda, MD. A study of the preferences of low-income women for persuasive communication approaches related to mammogram promotion revealed distinct patterns in preferred sources, messages, and channels. Among other findings, there was strong preference for one-to-one interpersonal channels. Marshall, A. A., Smith, S. W., and McKeon, J. K. (1995). Persuading low-income women to engage in mammography screening: Source, message, and channel preferences. Health Communication, 7(4), 283-299. Meetings, Conferences, Courses Emerson Health Communication Institute (July, 1996) is a 3 week series of seminars and instruction in Brussels focusing on international perspectives and applications in health communication, including: Strategic Health Campaigns: World Health Organization's Healthy Cities Program, International Health Promotion and Communication, Negotiation and Professional Communication, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Lobbying and Policy Making. The courses will be offered at the Emerson College, Brussels campus, with adjacent housing. Participants can register for 4 to 12 credit hours, which may be applied toward the Emerson-Tufts Master's Degree in Health Communication. A certificate will be awarded upon completion of the Institute. Detailed descriptions of the courses and instructors are available by contacting the Emerson Health Communication Institute in Brussels at (32) 26 48 58 06 or fax (32) 26 48 65 32, or Boston at 100 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02116, (617) 824-7831, or via e-mail jhc@emerson.edu. Dynamic Strategies for Dynamic Times, 6th Annual Social Marketing Conference, sponsored by the Department of Community & Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, June 19-22, 1996, Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL. Contact Ginger Phillips, Department of Community & Family Health, MDC56, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612-4799; phone 813-974-4867; fax 813-974-5172; e-mail phillips@cophdep2.coph.usf.edu Workshop on Social Marketing, a three-week course offered by Georgetown University and The Future Group International, at Georgetown University, June 3-21, 1996. Contact Alan R. Andreasen, Associate Dean, School of Business, Georgetown University, 210 Maguire, Washington, DC 20057; e-mail andreasa@gunet.georgetown.edu
Here, we offer concise information from the articles in this issue that is presented in our easy-to-read prescription format. Health Communications Campaign Strategies Liana B. Winett and Lawrence Wallack, of the Berkeley Media Studies Group, compare methodologies used to elicit a "Planned Response" from a health communications campaign. In their article, they offer a comparison chart along with advantages and disadvantages of social marketing, public relations, and media advocacy strategies. Their advice to health campaign planners is as follows.
Charles T. Salmon, of Michigan State University, joins Karen Wooten, Galen E. Cole, and Fred Kroger, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Eileen Gentry, a private consultant, in suggesting design and delivery guidelines for AIDS educators.
Entertainment-Education in Health Communication Barbara F. Sharf, Vicki S. Freimuth, and colleagues designed a study to determine effects associated with health messages in an entertainment context. Their examination of qualitative reports from focus groups and observations on the show thirtysomething resulted in the following guidelines for communicators planning to include health messages in entertainment venues.
Organization Strategies in Health Communication Tim L. Tinker, of the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, offers specific strategies for planning effective health communication initiatives. On the basis of his experience and the results of an expert panel report, Tinker suggests the following improvements for health communication initiatives.
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