ABSTRACTS

Volume 10, Number 1
January-February 2005

Vol. 10, Number 1: Contents | Editorial | Abstracts

An Alumni-based Evaluation of Graduate Training in Health Communication: Results of a Survey on Careers, Salaries, Competencies, and Emerging Trends
    TIMOTHY EDGAR A1 and JAMES N. HYDE A2

A1 Emerson College Boston Massachusetts
A2 Tufts University School of Medicine Boston Massachusetts

Published information about career options and the core competencies necessary for health communication professionals (HCPs) is limited. Although the number of graduate programs in health communication continues to grow, no formal assessment of the success of this type of training has been conducted. The current study presents the results of an evaluation of the Master's Program in Health Communication offered collaboratively by Emerson College and the Tufts University School of Medicine. The program was one of the first of its kind and has graduated more health communication students than any other in the United States. To conduct the assessment of the program, the two schools collaborated on the development of an on-line survey for the alumni. Of the 131 graduates eligible to participate, 106 completed the survey. The survey yielded detailed information on the following: (1) career options for individuals with master's degrees in health communication; (2) value of graduate coursework for developing competencies in health communication; (3) salary expectations for individuals with graduate degrees in health communication; and (4) emerging trends in the field. These findings have important implications for the development of new programs and the refinement of existing ones in health communication.

Smoking Cessation Research via the Internet: A Feasibility Study
     JACQUELINE L. STODDARD A1, KEVIN L. DELUCCHI A1, RICARDO F. MUÑOZ A2, NOAH M. COLLINS A2, ELISEO J. PÉREZ Stable A3, ERIK AUGUSTSON A4, LESLIE L. LENERT A5

A1 Department of Psychiatry University of California San Francisco
A2 Department of Psychiatry University of California, San Francisco, and San Francisco General Hospital, Latino Mental Health Research Program
A3 Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, University of California San Francisco and Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
A4 Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute Bethesda Mary land
A5 Department of Medicine University of California San Diego

To reverse the present stagnation in progress toward reduced smoking rates, new widely accessible treatment methods for smoking cessation must be developed and evaluated with large groups of smokers.

We tested the feasibility of conducting a smoking cessation study over the Internet using a brief, self-help educational intervention. Through a direct e-mail sent from a large health information web site (WebMD), and with our presence on the Internet, we recruited 538 adult smokers to the study.

Most participants (90.5%) completed all baseline questionnaires. Questionnaires showed acceptable to good reliability and were comparable with studies using paper-and-pencil methods. Participants appeared to be highly dependent on nicotine. Forty-two percent indicated being ready to quit smoking at baseline. At 1-month follow-up, 42.8% of baseline participants returned a complete follow-up questionnaire, 40% of whom indicated having made a serious quit attempt, and 8.3% of whom indicated 7-day abstinence. Most follow-up participants rated the site as at least somewhat helpful to quitting (74.9%) and reported at least a slight increased intention to quit smoking over baseline (67.3%).

While Internet-enabled self-help interventions for smoking cessation are able to reach large numbers of smokers interested in quitting smoking, additional procedures are needed to retain these users for treatment and follow-up assessments.

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication as an Integrative Model
     BARBARA REYNOLDS A1 and MATTHEW W. SEEGER A2

A1 Office of Communication Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta Georgia
A2 Department of Communication Wayne State University Detroit Michigan USA

This article describes a model of communication known as crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC). The model is outlined as a merger of many traditional notions of health and risk communication with work in crisis and disaster communication. The specific kinds of communication activities that should be called for at various stages of disaster or crisis development are outlined. Although crises are by definition uncertain, equivocal, and often chaotic situations, the CERC model is presented as a tool health communicators can use to help manage these complex events.

Uncertainty Management Following a Positive Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis
    JAMES PRICE DILLARD A1 and CHRISTINE L. CARSON A1

A1 Center for Communication Research University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA

As advances are made in understanding the human genome, newborn screening for a variety of different diseases becomes more prevalent. Although this screening can provide a number of benefits, it also may be associated with various negative psychosocial consequences, including heightened uncertainty and anxiety about the child's health. Relying on videotaped interactions between health care providers and families whose child received a positive newborn screening test for cystic fibrosis (CF; N = 17), in this article we report on how the respective parties manage uncertainty. Although the goal of the providers appears to be one of reducing uncertainty, all parties to the interaction engage in behaviors that both manage and negotiate as opposed to just reduce uncertainty. Implications for theorizing about uncertainty management are discussed.

Communication for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Kenya: Social–Cultural Considerations
     NANCY W. MUTURI A1

A1 Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, University of West Indies, Mona Campus Kingston Jamaica

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic is spreading fast in Africa in spite of the various efforts and resources put in place to prevent it. In Kenya, reproductive health programs have used the mass media and other communication interventions to inform and educate the public about the disease and to promote behavior change and healthy sexual practices. This effort has led to a discrepancy between awareness and behavioral change among people of reproductive age. In this article I examine the discrepancy in Kenya from a communications perspective addressing social cultural and related factors contributing to the lack of change in behavior and sexual practices. I draw on the theoretical framework of Grunig's model of excellence in communication, the importance of understanding and relationship building between programs and their stakeholders. Data were gathered qualitatively using focus groups and in-depth interviews among men and women in rural Kenya. Key findings indicate that although awareness of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is high in Kenya, a majority of the population, particularly those in the rural communities, lack understanding of the communicated messages. They also lack the knowledge of other ways of transmitting HIV particularly among those not sexually involved. Cultural beliefs, values, norms, and myths have played a role in the rapidly increasing epidemic in the rural communities and yet HIV/AIDS communication programs have not addressed these factors adequately. I conclude that successful behavior change communication must include strategies that focus on increasing understanding of the communicated messages and understanding of the audience through application of appropriate methodologies. Building a relationship with the audience or stakeholders through dialogues and two-way symmetrical communication contributes toward this understanding and the maintenance of the newly adopted behaviors and practices.

Book Review

Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications (Vols.1 to 4)
Johnston, D.H.(Ed.).(2003)
Reviewed by Sundeep R.Muppidi, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, USA