ABSTRACTS

Volume 13, Number 1
January 2008

Vol. 13, Number1: Contents | Editorial | Abstracts

A Comprehensive Analysis of Breast Cancer News Coverage in Leading Media Outlets Focusing on Environmental Risks and Prevention
    Charles K. Atkin a; Sandi W. Smith a; Courtnay McFeters b; Vanessa Ferguson c

a Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
b National Cancer Institute, Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, Michigan, USA
c Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

Breast cancer has a high profile in the news media, which are a major source of information for cancer patients and the general public. To determine the nature of breast cancer news coverage available to audiences, particularly on the topics of environmental risks and prevention, this content analysis measured a broad array of dimensions in 231 stories appearing in nine leading newspapers, newsmagazines, and television networks in 2003 and 2004. One fourth of all stories reported on various risks such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use. Very few items specifically addressed risks related to controllable lifestyle practices such as prepubertal obesity or chemical contaminants in the environment. About one third of the stories included prevention content, primarily focusing narrowly on use of pharmaceutical products. Little information described risk reduction via other individual preventive behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, and smoking), parental protective measures, or collective actions to combat contamination sites. The more traditional categories of prevalence, detection, and treatment were featured in one third, one quarter, and two fifths of the news items, respectively. There were twice as many stories featuring personal narratives as statistical figures, and two thirds of all the news items cited expert medical professionals, researchers, or organizations. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are addressed.

Entertainment-Education and Recruitment of Cornea Donors: The Role of Emotion and Issue Involvement
  Hyuhn-Suhck Bae a

a Department of Media & Communication, Yeungnam University, South Korea

This study examined the role of emotional responses and viewer's level of issue involvement to an entertainment-education show about cornea donation in order to predict intention to register as cornea donors. Results confirmed that sympathy and empathy responses operated as a catalyst for issue involvement, which emerged as an important intermediary in the persuasion process. Issue involvement also was found to be a common causal antecedent of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, the last two of which predict intentions unlike attitude, which does not. The revised path model confirmed that involvement directly influences intention. The findings of this study suggest that adding emotion and involvement in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) enhances the explanatory power of the theory in predicting intentions, which indicates the possibility of combining the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the TPB in the prediction of human behaviors.

Increasing Mental Health Literacy via Narrative Advertising
    Chingching Chang a

a Department of Advertising, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

This research explored the effectiveness of narrative advertising and argument advertising in increasing mental illness (depression) literacy. Results showed that narrative advertising was more effective than argument advertising at engaging participants in experiential immersion, resulting in greater sympathy toward those suffering from depression. In addition, narrative advertising better involved participants in issue elaboration and increased willingness to seek professional help. Finally, in comparison with argument advertising, narrative advertisements were rated higher in providing vivid information, resulting in an increase in participants' perceived efficacy in recognizing friends or family suffering from depression.

Risk Perceptions and Worry About Cancer: Does Gender Make a Difference?
    Amy McQueen a; Sally W. Vernon a; Helen I. Meissner b; William Rakowski c

a Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas, School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, USA
b Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
c Department of Community Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Risk perceptions and worry are important constructs in many theoretical frameworks used to develop cancer screening interventions. Because most cancers for which we have early detection or prevention strategies are gender specific, few investigations have examined gender differences. We examined gender differences in the magnitude of, and associations with, perceived risk and worry by cancer type. Our sample included 939 men and 1,580 women 50 years old with no history of relevant cancers from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Dependent variables included absolute and comparative perceived risk and worry for gender-specific (breast/prostate) and colon cancers. We examined demographics, health status, health behaviors, cancer beliefs, and cancer communication variables as correlates. Linear regression analyses and pairwise contrasts were conducted with SUDAAN. Men reported greater comparative perceived risk for developing cancers, whereas women reported more frequent cancer worry. For both genders, perceived risk and worry were lowest for colon cancer. Correlates of perceived risk and worry varied, and several associations were moderated by gender. Different risk messages and intervention strategies may be needed to influence males' and females' perceived cancer risk and worry. All effect sizes were small, and future prospective research is needed to confirm our findings.

Intentions of Becoming a Living Organ Donor Among Hispanics: A Theory-Based Approach Exploring Differences Between Living and Nonliving Organ Donation
   Jason T. Siegel a; Eusebio M. Alvaro a; Andrew Lac a; William D. Crano a; Alexander
   Dominick  Alexander Dominick was part of the Arizona Kidney Foundation at the time this
   article was completed. He has since left the organization.b

a School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, USA
b Arizona Kidney Foundation, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

This research examines perceptions concerning living (n = 1,253) and nonliving (n = 1,259) organ donation among Hispanic adults, a group considerably less likely than the general population to become donors. Measures are derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) and Vested Interest Theory (Crano, 1983, 1997). A substantial percentage of respondents reported positive attitudes and high personal stake concerning organ donation. Mean differences in norms, attitudes, intentions, and assumed immediacy of payoff were found between living and nonliving donor groups, suggesting that these two donation formats are dissimilar and should be examined independently. Accordingly, separate hierarchical multiple regression models were estimated for living and nonliving donation. Analyses supported both theoretical frameworks: Constructs associated with Planned Behavior and Vested Interest independently contributed to donor intentions. The implications of these results, and our recommendations for future health campaigns, are presented in light of these theoretical models.

Book Review

A Review of: "Harter, L. M., Japp, P. M., & Beck, C. S. (Editors). (2005). Narratives, Health, and Healing: Communication Theory, Research, and Practice." Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Michael Irvin Arrington