chapter 4

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of engagement in health communication?

To persuade the audience without interaction

To replace the need for behavioral economics

To facilitate interactive communication (correct)

To provide detailed numeric information

Which factor is crucial for health communicators when using social media?

High level of self-awareness (correct)

Prior experience in healthcare

High level of graphic design skills

Ability to ignore audience feedback

What kind of information do effective visual displays provide in health communication?

Persuasive messages that compel action

Complex statistics that challenge understanding

Clear guidance without unnecessary persuasion (correct)

Ambiguous data that requires interpretation

How do behavior change theories assist health communicators?

By offering keys to motivate individuals to adopt new behaviors Signup and view all the answers

How does behavioral economics contribute to healthcare decision making?

It integrates psychology, neuroscience, and economics into transactions Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates a relatively 'easy' behavior change that may yield collective population value?

Implementing smoke-free restaurant regulations Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of social marketing?

Increase the acceptance of social ideas or practices Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents a modifiable risk factor?

Drinking alcohol before driving Signup and view all the answers

How is inoculation theory applied in risk communication?

By preparing the public for potential bad news Signup and view all the answers

Which example best reflects a socially marketed intangible product?

Educational programs on health topics Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of anticipatory guidance in healthcare?

To promote active patient engagement and learning about next healthcare steps. Signup and view all the answers

In the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), which two aspects do individuals evaluate when presented with threat information?

Their susceptibility to the threat and their self-efficacy to avoid it. Signup and view all the answers

Which component is NOT part of the Health Belief Model?

Social influence Signup and view all the answers

What can make it difficult for health officials to raise concern about mosquito-borne diseases, such as the Zika virus, in Puerto Rico?

The high percentage of residents experiencing prior mosquito-borne illnesses. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the Health Belief Model, what does 'self-efficacy' refer to?

The belief in one's ability to perform a specific health behavior. Signup and view all the answers

The Stages of Change model is primarily concerned with what aspect of behavior?

The linear progress individuals make towards changing their behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes a challenge in using the Health Belief Model with certain populations?

Some populations may underestimate the effectiveness of proposed interventions. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of the Health Belief Model relates to the idea of being at risk for a condition?

Susceptibility Signup and view all the answers

What does self-efficacy primarily refer to in behavior change interventions?

Belief in one's ability to perform a specific behavior Signup and view all the answers

Which model emphasizes the importance of intention as the best predictor of behavior?

Integrative Model Signup and view all the answers

Behavioral beliefs within the integrative model are primarily concerned with which of the following?

Expectancies about positive or negative outcomes Signup and view all the answers

What aspect directly influences normative beliefs in the integrative model?

Perceptions of what others think or do Signup and view all the answers

Which concept refers to the factors that either facilitate or hinder an individual's capability to perform a behavior?

Control beliefs Signup and view all the answers

Which element of social cognitive theory suggests that behavior is influenced by the dynamic interaction between personal and environmental factors?

Reciprocal determinism Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of the integrative model would be assessed to determine the beliefs influencing attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy?

Antecedent beliefs Signup and view all the answers

What role does observational learning play within social cognitive theory?

It helps in teaching incremental behavior skills through modeling. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is essential for successful diffusion of innovations in health communication?

The relative advantage of the innovation Signup and view all the answers

What does Media Richness Theory suggest about communication effectiveness?

Rich media allow for immediate feedback and discussion Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect should health communicators consider when selecting communication channels?

The compatibility of the channel with the audience Signup and view all the answers

What role do practice strategies play in health communication interventions?

They serve as the primary message delivery method Signup and view all the answers

In the Theory-informed media selection (TIMS) framework, what is a key component combined with media richness theory?

Uses and Gratifications Theory Signup and view all the answers

Which element does NOT directly relate to the successful diffusion of innovations?

The need for immediate adoption by the audience Signup and view all the answers

What is vicarious learning in the context of health communication?

Learning by observing others' behaviors and their outcomes Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect is critical for health communicators to assess when targeting messages based on audience characteristics?

The socio-cultural background of the audience Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of tailoring in communication?

The ability to modify the message based on the needs of the recipient in real time Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT considered a richness factor in communication?

Duration of communication Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT)?

Why and how people use specific media to achieve personal goals Signup and view all the answers

What should be considered first when choosing communication channels for engaging an audience?

The channels that the audience presently uses to engage with communities Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately reflects the importance of media channels in health interventions?

Content needs to appear in channels in which consumers have faith to inform them. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Action Words in Health Communication

Engagement, Informing, and Persuading are important action words in health communication.

Engagement

Engagement in health communication is interactive and requires timely feedback from all parties.
Social media usage for health communication requires high self-awareness to be effective.
Engagement is the initial step in persuading an audience to accept a message.

Information

Effective visual displays of numerical information are easy to understand and provide guidance without unnecessary persuasion.
Health communicators can use theory to design patient decision aids and other information materials.

Persuasion

Persuasion involves motivating people to adopt a new idea or behavior.
Behavioral change theories provide insights into persuading an audience.
A practice strategy in health communication refers to a planned approach or tactic to achieve communication goals.
Behavioral economics combines psychology, neuroscience, and economics to understand transactions involving goods, services, and wealth.
Behavioral economics is increasingly applied to healthcare decision-making, particularly for value-based choices.

Educational Approaches

Educational approaches in health communication are effective when the recipient is interested in or committed to the desired behavior.
These approaches focus on answering factual questions like "what", "who", "where", and "how".
Educational information should be simple, clear, and unambiguous.

Behavior Change

Relatively "easy" behavior changes might appear difficult or costly and offer few individual benefits, but upon deeper consideration might yield collective population value.
These changes might require enactment of laws or regulations.
Examples include smoke-free restaurant regulations and requirements to strap children into rear safety seats in motor vehicles.

Social marketing is the design, implementation, and control of programs aimed at increasing the acceptability of a social idea, practice, or product in one or more groups of target adopters.
The process involves the target population, who voluntarily exchange their time and attention for help in meeting their health needs as they perceive them.
Examples include promoting condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, skim/low-fat milk for children to reduce obesity, and folic acid to prevent birth defects.
Social marketing has also been used extensively to promote intangible "products" (attitudes and behaviors) like acceptance of community-based halfway homes for persons with cognitive impairments, using designated drivers after parties, and eating more fruits and vegetables in our daily diet.

Theories

Theories are made up of propositions that explain or predict events by illustrating the relationships among variables.

Modifiable Risk Factors

A modifiable risk factor is something that has been identified as contributing to a negative outcome, and we believe we can reduce that risk.
For example, drinking alcohol before driving is a modifiable risk factor for automobile crashes.

Inoculation Theory

Inoculation theory prepares people for potentially negative news by "inoculating" them from potential harm before it happens.
In risk or emergency communication, we use inoculation theory to prepare people that bad news is potentially on the way.
For example, a statement like "the death rates will likely go up as we are able to remove more debris" uses inoculation theory.

Anticipatory Guidance

Anticipatory guidance is a technique used in healthcare to prepare patients for future steps in their care.
It encourages patients to look forward to and actively learn about upcoming stages.

Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM)

EPPM explains how individuals react to threat information.
People consider their perceived susceptibility to the threat, its severity, and their ability to take action.
Self-efficacy plays a key role in influencing individuals' responses to threat information.
EPPM can be used to segment audiences based on their perceived fear and self-efficacy levels.

Health Belief Model (HBM)

The HBM explains individual health behaviors.
It emphasizes the role of beliefs and attitudes regarding susceptibility, severity, effectiveness, self-efficacy, and costs.

Susceptibility

The belief that one is at risk of experiencing a certain health condition.

Severity

The belief that the health condition is serious.

Effectiveness

The belief that the recommended treatment or prevention method is effective.

Self-efficacy

The belief in one's own ability to perform the desired behavior.

Costs

The perception of the monetary, physical, or psychosocial costs associated with performing the behavior.

Stages of Change Model

Also known as the Stages of Change (SOC) Model.
Outlines the process individuals go through when deciding to change their behavior and then actually changing it.
Suggests that people progress through specific stages as they work toward change.

Stages of Change

Stages of Change (SOC) is a model that describes how individuals change their behavior
Five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance

Individuals' behavior is a result of the interaction between the environment and their internal psychosocial characteristics
Reciprocal determinism: Individuals impact their environment AND the environment impacts them
Behavioral capability: Individuals must have the skills to perform a behavior
Expectations: Individuals need to believe the behavior will have positive outcomes
Self-efficacy: Belief in the individual's ability to perform the behavior ("I can do it!")
Observational learning: Learning by watching others model the behavior
Reinforcements: Positive outcomes increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated

Integrative Model

Developed by Fishbein and Ajzen, the Integrative Model (IM) can predict behavior using the intention to perform that behavior
Focused on antecedents: factors that influence intention
Behavioral beliefs: Expectations about the positive or negative outcomes associated with performing the behavior
Normative beliefs: Individuals' perceptions about what significant others think of the behavior, including their perceptions of what others do
Control beliefs: Individuals' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators related to performing the behavior
IM can be used to:
- Determine which antecedents best predict intention
- Identify the beliefs underlying intention
- Design communication messages to influence those beliefs

Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion of innovations (DI) studies how change spreads within a group over time.
Innovations spread through different communication channels within social systems.
Health communicators focus on aspects of an innovation like its relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability.
A successful innovation should be better than existing options, compatible with its target audience, and easy to adopt.
Successful diffusion often relies on media communication, interpersonal communication, and social networking.
Messages should be tailored to the target audience.

Intervention Mapping

Intervention mapping defines theory-based methods as coming from studies on individual or group behavior change.
Individual studies then use theory to develop theory-informed methods.
A practice strategy then implements the method in an intervention.
For example, role model stories, a form of entertainment education (EE), are practice strategies based on vicarious learning.
These practice strategies can be delivered through channels such as community theater plays, photo-novels, radio or television soap operas.
Specific media forms are then created for these activities.

Media Richness Theory

The Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) created the Theory-informed media selection (TIMS) framework to promote demand generation for reproductive health products.
The TIMS framework combines the Media Richness Theory (MRT) and the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT).
Richer communication media (like face-to-face communication and some emerging technologies) are more effective for conveying complex messages.
Richer media allow for discussion and immediate feedback, transmit both verbal and visual information, and can be more personalized.

Communication Richness Factors

Interactivity/feedback: Direct and rapid communication between individuals.
Tailoring: Adapting messages based on recipient needs in real-time.
Affect: Conveying emotions and feelings.
Language variety: Supporting informal (conversational) and formal language use.

Understanding of Communication Richness Theory (UCT)

UCT helps explain why people use specific media and channels for their communication needs.
Facebook is primarily used for interpersonal communication, entertainment, and information sharing by the general public.

Technology-Mediated Communication Strategy (TIMS)

A three-step process for selecting the most effective communication channels:
- MRT criteria: Choosing media that supports the required level of communication richness for the message.
- UGT criteria: Identifying which media channels the target audience uses for the desired communication type.
- Overlap: Prioritizing media channels that satisfy both MRT and UGT criteria.

Content Placement and Distribution

Informative content: Should appear where consumers have trust and confidence in the information source.
Engaging content: Should be placed within channels that the audience actively uses for connecting with their communities.
Content timing and placement are critical considerations.

Key Takeaways

Health interventions should be rooted in applicable change theories.
Behaviors should be tackled systematically, using health marketing, targeting, and tailoring strategies.

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Description

This quiz explores key concepts in health communication, focusing on engagement, information sharing, and persuasion. Understand how these action words influence communication strategies and patient behavior. Test your knowledge on effective practices and theories in health communication.