Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

La Comunicación Lingüística En Español Y Sus Barreras En El Sistema De Salud De Los Estados Unidos, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

La enseñanza del español con fines médicos en los Estados Unidos ha experimentado un crecimiento exponencial en las dos últimas décadas. Sin embargo, los pacientes de origen hispano se encuentran desprotegidos ante las barreras lingüísticas que impone el sistema de salud estadounidense en muchos contextos monolingües y bilingües. Esta investigación descriptiva muestra como, por un lado, los malentendidos producidos por la comunicación ineficiente desarrollada por intérpretes e intermediarios (familiares, enfermeras con conocimientos de español, facultativos con una preparación lingüística deficiente, etc.) tienen serias repercusiones para la salud en el tratamiento de los casos. Por otro lado, el estudio da cuenta …

Using Social Media To Assess The Consumer Nutrition Environment: Comparing Yelp Reviews With A Direct Observation Audit Instrument For Grocery Stores, Ying Shen, Philippa Clarke, Iris N. Gomez-Lopez, Alex B. Hill, Daniel M. Romero, Robert Goodspeed, Veronica J. Berrocal, Vg Vinod Vydiswaran, Tiffany C. Veinot

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Objective
To examine the feasibility of using social media to assess the consumer nutrition environment by comparing sentiment expressed in Yelp reviews with information obtained from a direct observation audit instrument for grocery stores.

Design
Trained raters used the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) in 100 grocery stores from July 2015 to March 2016. Yelp reviews were available for sixty-nine of these stores and were retrieved in February 2017 using the Yelp Application Program Interface. A sentiment analysis was conducted to quantify the perceptions of the consumer nutrition environment in the review text. Pearson correlation coefficients (ρ) were …

Supermarket Retailers’ Perspectives On Healthy Food Retail Strategies: In-Depth Interviews, Olivia Martinez, Noemi Rodriguez, Allison Mercurio, Marie Bragg, Brian Elbel

Publications and Research

Background

Excess calorie consumption and poor diet are major contributors to the obesity epidemic. Food retailers, in particular at supermarkets, are key shapers of the food environment which influences consumers’ diets. This study seeks to understand the decision-making processes of supermarket retailers—including motivators for and barriers to promoting more healthy products—and to catalogue elements of the complex relationships between customers, suppliers, and, supermarket retailers.

Methods

We recruited 20 supermarket retailers from a convenience sample of full service supermarkets and national supermarket chain headquarters serving low- and high-income consumers in urban and non-urban areas of New York. Individuals responsible for making …

Translating Research As An Approach To Enhance Science Engagement, Michelle T. Juarez, Chloe M. Kenet

Publications and Research

The impact of research depends on the effective communication of discoveries. Scientific writing is the primary tool for the dissemination of research, and is an important skill that biomedical trainees have to develop. Despite its importance, scientific writing is not part of the mainstream curriculum. One strategy used to teach scientific writing is holding a journal club style discussion of primary research literature that the students are asked to read. However, this activity can result in a passive learning experience and limit the development of trainees’ scientific writing skills. In order to improve trainees’ written communication skills, we tested an …

Marketing Theory And Pregnancy Help Centers: A Unified Pregnancy Help Center Brand, Allison Schmidt

Masters Theses

Starting as a grassroots movement formed by individuals who are opposed to abortion, pregnancy help centers commonly provide resources to help women during and after their unplanned pregnancy. Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics serve as primary competition to pregnancy help centers. Planned Parenthood has branded themselves as the number one nonprofit relating to women's healthcare, sex education, birth control, and abortion. Planned Parenthood clinics are united under national branding and engage their audience through comprehensive sex education and healthcare services while embracing innovative digital technology. By researching how different demographics influence abortion attitudes, different market segments can be developed …

A Stress Management App Intervention For Cancer Survivors: Design, Development, And Usability Testing, Elin Børøsund, Jelena Mirkovic, Matthew M. Clark, Shawna L. Ehlers, Michael A. Andrykowski, Anne Bergland, Marianne Westeng, Lise Solberg Nes

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: Distress is prevalent in cancer survivors. Stress management interventions can reduce distress and improve quality of life for cancer patients, but many people with cancer are unfortunately not offered or able to attend such in-person stress management interventions.

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop an evidence-based stress management intervention for patients living with cancer that can be delivered electronically with wide reach and dissemination. This paper describes the design and development process of a technology-based stress management intervention for cancer survivors, including the exploration phase, intervention content development, iterative software development (including design, development, and formative …

Getting To The Heart Of It: Examining Intergenerational Sensemaking Of Heart Disease, Sarah R. Petitte

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Theory (Koenig Kellas, 2018), this study tested how grandchildren’s perceptions of risk and knowledge about heart disease in the family, as well as relational satisfaction, changed over the course of 3 weeks as a result of engaging in a storytelling experiment. Participants included 17 grandchild participants who interviewed their grandparents to tell stories about family heart health or discuss everyday events based on random assignment into a treatment or comparison group. Additionally, participants completed measures surrounding their knowledge of heart disease, relational satisfaction with their grandparent, and their perception of risk to develop heart disease in …

Conspiracy Theories And The Zika Epidemic, Shawn Smallman

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

After a Zika outbreak began in Brazil in April 2015, narratives blamed the virus on a variety of international actors, including chemical companies and the Gates Foundation. Many of these narratives drew upon older conspiracy theories that had circulated in Latin America during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Whether these narratives denounced transgenic mosquitoes or pesticides, they reflected not only the fear created by a mysterious wave of birth defects but also a profound mistrust of health authorities and transnational corporations. This paper will examine the narratives that circulated on YouTube, blogs, podcasts, and other alternative media sources, which typically …

Optimism And Compliance: An Examination Of Disempowering Processes Within Online Patient Communities, Wendi F. Coleman

Technical Communication Capstone Course

Patients diagnosed with long-term conditions (LTCs) are now being asked of medical practitioners to take an active role in their own health care as “expert patients.” This trend has accelerated the increase in people with LTCs who are using the internet for both information and social support. A valuable resource to these patients, and of interest to researchers, is a new type of online space: online patient communities (OPCs) created for patients suffering from specific illnesses. In order to better understand potential disempowering processes within OLPs, I follow the research and examine the illness narratives, focusing on their various external …

Name Of The Game: A Media Analysis Of Concussion Terminology In Documentary Film, Kaitlyn Graham

Honors Projects in Communication

This project explores the way concussions are communicated to us through the use of documentary film. By examining the use of concussion related terms, as well as the tone and general word choice, it can be seen that there are certain words and phrases that are commonly left out, and others that are used too much. The differences in the usage of these words and tones reflects the current concussion crisis occurring in many contact sports around the world. This media analysis was conducted with the goal of finding trends in how concussions are discussed depending on the sport and …

Care Transitions From Patient And Caregiver Perspectives, Suzanne E. Mitchell, Vivian Laurens, Gabriela M. Weigel, Karen B. Hirschman, Allison M. Scott, Huong Q. Nguyen, Jessica Martin Howard, Lance Laird, Carol Levine, Terry C. Davis, Brianna Gass, Elizabeth Shaid, Jing Li, Mark V. Williams, Brian W. Jack

Communication Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: Despite concerted actions to streamline care transitions, the journey from hospital to home remains hazardous for patients and caregivers. Remarkably little is known about the patient and caregiver experience during care transitions, the services they need, or the outcomes they value. The aims of this study were to (1) describe patient and caregiver experiences during care transitions and (2) characterize patient and caregiver desired outcomes of care transitions and the health services associated with them.

METHODS: We interviewed 138 patients and 110 family caregivers recruited from 6 health networks across the United States. We conducted 34 homogenous focus groups …

Efficacy Of Technology-Based And In-Person Health Education For Behavior Change In College-Aged Women, Madeline Bremel

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an in-person or technology based bone health intervention improved bone health knowledge and behaviors in college-aged women. Methods: 30 college-aged women were randomly divided into three groups: personal intervention (n = 10), technological intervention (n = 10), and control (n = 10). Both intervention groups received identical information regarding the importance of bone health and the appropriate behaviors for maintaining strong bones including weight-bearing exercise, calcium consumption, and vitamin D consumption. The technology group received the information via an online video, and the personal group via a one-on-one …

Herpes Zoster Patient Education: A Coloring Book Approach, Sophia Charuhas

Senior Honors Theses

Shingles, the disease caused by the herpes zoster virus, is a widespread and widely misunderstood illness in the United States. It is preventable, but many at-risk patients do not know what measures they may take to prevent it. Clear communication from physician to patient is crucial for patient understanding of diseases. Many patient education materials on herpes zoster currently available are often unused. It is therefore beneficial to public health to disseminate new mediums of medical communication, and one way of accomplishing this is through adult coloring books. The pathophysiology of herpes zoster virus is here explored and the idea …

Under The Needle: Understanding The Benefits And Misconceptions Of Vaccinations, Desmond Davis

Student Writing

By and large, medical and government institutions such as the CDC have been primarily responsible for educating the public on the necessities of vaccinations, and quelling fears regarding them. As the world becomes more connected, proponents of the anti-vaccination movement find common ground via social media platforms and other outlets from which to confirm preexisting notions that vaccines are detrimental to recipients. This places a burden on both the aforementioned institutions as well as the general public to deal with potential outbreaks before they either resurge from previously low infectivity rates, or before they reach epidemic proportions.

The Link Between Vaccination And Autism, Erika Tellez

Student Writing

Vaccination provides individuals with protection against many preventable diseases, yet many claims against vaccination have causes vaccination rates to drop. Vaccination rates have dropped after a claim that vaccines offset autism was published. Although vaccination is necessary in order to prevent the spread of diseases throughout the population and in order to protect individuals who cannot be vaccinated. The claim that there is a link between vaccines and autism has been disproven based on lack of communication between the scientific community and public, discovery of falsified evidence, and further studies which demonstrate there is no link.

Autism And Vaccines: Exploring Misperceptions In Science, Arsenio Menendez

Student Writing

This paper will be exploring the supposed link between vaccines and autism which is a hot button topic as of late. Starting at the roots of where this myth began with the infamous and long since disproved initial paper penned by Andrew Wakefield. As of late with the ever-rising numbers of parents deciding to forego the vaccination of their children there is an increasing risk of herd immunity failing leading to old diseases that had been wiped out making a massive resurgence. Detailed in my research findings will be data driven explorations of psychology and human nature changing perception of …

Clinical Measurement Of Problem Solving In Children With Autism, Megan Nicole Martin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study examined verbal and non-verbal problem skills in twenty-seven male children 10-16 years of age, twelve with autism and fifteen children who were neurotypical. The goal of this study was to assess problem solving abilities of children with autism when compared to gender and age matched peers. The twenty-seven participants completed two assessments of the Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving and one online assessment of Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. Results of this study showed a .92 reliability of the RAPS for all twenty-seven participants. Correlation between the RAPS and RPM was .419 for all participants. The results of …

Portion Control: An Examination Of Organizational Control And Male Athlete Eating Disorders, Katie Lever

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Eating disorders (EDs) are strikingly common among American adults. Past research has indicated that athletes in general are particularly vulnerable to developing EDs due to media pressure, athletic drive, and the population’s proclivity to perfectionism. Most ED research, both in athletic and non-athletic populations, is female-focused, as women are more likely to develop EDs. However, men are still susceptible to develop EDs and are understudied.

Links between lack of autonomy and EDs exist in familial settings, but have yet to be applied in organizational settings. This quantitative thesis sought to bridge a research gap by assessing ED levels in male …

Participatory Development And Menstrual Health Management In South Africa: A Case Study Of Project Dignity, Natalie Geismar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Menstrual health management (MHM) poses a significant public health concern in many South African communities. Though the national government is beginning to devote attention and resources to MHM, civil society organizations play a critical role in providing menstrual health products and education to female-bodied individuals who may otherwise lack access. This study examines the praxis and impact of Project Dignity, a nongovernmental organization which distributes washable, reusable sanitary pads and panties to students in public schools. The researcher collected qualitative data through participant observation as well as interviews and focus group discussions with Project Dignity’s staff and intended beneficiaries. Using …

Evaluating The Trustworthiness Of Consumer-Oriented Health Websites On Diabetes, Shahabedin Rahmatizadeh, Saeideh Valizadeh-Haghi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Objective: The patients involvement in disease management can decrease economic burden on diabetic patients and society. Quality health information may help patients to involve in their health management. Thus, individuals need to find the additional information from other information resources such as health websites. Nevertheless, health websites vary in quality and reliability. Therefore, it is of great importance to identify trustable health websites on diabetes. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability of health websites concerning diabetes.

Materials and methods: The keyword ‘’diabetes mellitus ‘’ was entered as a search term into the three …

Taking An Hpv Vaccine Research-Tested Intervention To Scale In A Clinical Setting, Suellen Hopfer, Anne E. Ray, Michael L. Hecht, Michelle Miller-Day, Rhonda Belue, Gregory Zimet, W. Douglas Evans, Francis X. Mckee

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Research tested interventions are seldom ready for wide spread use. Successful intervention adaptation to clinical settings demands an iterative process with target audience feedback. We describe the adaptation process of implementing an NCI research tested HPV vaccine intervention, Women's Stories, to a community clinic context (Planned Parenthood). Five phases are described for the adaptation of content and the development of a health kiosk intervention delivery system: (a) informant interviews with the target audience of young adult, predominantly African-American women, (b) translating HPV vaccine decision narratives into prevention messages, (c) health kiosk interface design, (d) conducting a usability study of the …

The Use Of Anecdotal Information In A Hypothetical Lung Cancer Treatment Decision, Preston Brown, Victor Kwan, Michael Vallerga, Hardeep Obhi, Erin Woodhead

Faculty Publications

This mixed-methods study examined variables associated with use of experience-based (i.e., anecdotal) decisional strategies among 85 undergraduate students presented with 2 hypothetical lung cancer scenarios. Participants were asked to think aloud while they made their treatment choice. Eleven decisional strategies were identified and grouped into either data or experience-based strategies. Approximately, 25% of participants used experience-based strategies. Use of experience-based strategies was more likely if the participant reported involvement in the life of someone going through cancer treatment, and if they rated print-based media sources as less important. Use of experience-based strategies was associated with choosing surgery instead of radiation …

A Cardiology Exhibit At A Science Museum, Viewed As Speech Acts In Sequence, David H. Lee

Publications and Research

An exhibit about cardiology at a science museum is an elaborate form of health communication, with messaging happening across text, pictures, models, and videos. This qualitative case study uses concepts of speech act sequencing and interpellation to explain a series of multimodal exhibits about cardiovascular health. Health exhibits are described as verbal and audiovisual arguments combining assertions of information; directives to change behavior, and designations of risk candidacy—or sequences of assertive, directive, and declarative speech acts. Visitors are targeted as heart disease candidates according to their risk factors, such as hypertension, overweight, and inactivity. Communication research focused on health exhibits …

Public Understanding Of One Health Messages: The Role Of Temporal Framing, Sungjong Roh, Laura N. Rickard, Katherine A. Mccomas, Daniel J. Decker

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Building on research in motivated reasoning and framing in science communication, we examine how messages that vary attribution of responsibility (human vs animal) and temporal orientation (now vs in the next 10 years) for wildlife disease risk influence individuals’ conservation intentions. We conducted a randomized experiment with a nationally representative sample of US adults (N = 355), which revealed that for people low in biospheric concern, messages that highlighted both human responsibility for and the imminent nature of the risk failed to enhance conservation intentions compared with messages highlighting animal responsibility. However, when messages highlighting human responsibility placed the risk …

The Flint Food Store Survey: Combining Spatial Analysis With A Modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey In Stores (Nems-S) To Measure The Community And Consumer Nutrition Environments, Erika R. Shaver, Richard C. Sadler, Alex B. Hill, Kendall Bell, Myah Ray, Jennifer Choy-Shin, Joy Lerner, Teresa Soldner, Andrew D. Jones

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Objective
The goal of the present study was to use a methodology that accurately and reliably describes the availability, price and quality of healthy foods at both the store and community levels using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S), to propose a spatial methodology for integrating these store and community data into measures for defining objective food access.

Setting
Two hundred and sixty-five retail food stores in and within 2 miles (3·2 km) of Flint, Michigan, USA, were mapped using ArcGIS mapping software.

Design
A survey based on the validated NEMS-S was conducted at each retail food store. …

Credibility Strategies Of Popular Health Websites: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Parkinson's Information Pages, Abigail Bakke

English Department Publications

Though using e-health is a common patient practice, unregulated and inaccurate online medical content can pose real dangers. To effectively convey important and accurate health messages, online health organizations must make their information stand out as trustworthy. To identify credibility strategies, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of Parkinson’s disease content from the two most popular U.S. health websites: NIH.gov and WebMD. Based on the range of credibility strategies identified in these webpages, I recommend that medical writers and e-health designers convey both expertise and trustworthiness to build credibility in their content.

Nutrition Knowledge, Personal Motivation, And Food Label Use Among Indian Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Moderated Mediation Model., Christopher J. Mckinley, Yam B. Limbu, Rajesh Gautam, Ajay K. Achiwar, Pragya Dubey, C. Jayachandran

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: There has been little research conducted within developing nations examining the link between knowledge and diet-related perceptions and behaviors. In addition, prior investigations have rarely examined interrelationships between knowledge and other nutrition-related factors. Purpose: This study explored the relationship between nutrition knowledge, social/informational factors, and diet-related outcomes among Indian adults with multiple chronic conditions. Methods: A snowball sampling technique was employed to recruit individuals. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine mediating and moderating relationships. Results: Results from a cross-sectional survey indicated that knowledge only predicted use among those reporting greater pressure/concern from close others. Furthermore, social …

Resilience In American Indian And Alaska Native Public Health: An Underexplored Framework, Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone, Julie A. Tippens, Hilary C. Mccrary, John E. Ehiri, Priscilla R. Sanderson

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: To conduct a systematic literature review to assess the conceptualization, application, and measurement of resilience in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) health promotion.

Data Sources: We searched 9 literature databases to document how resilience is discussed, fostered, and evaluated in studies of AIAN health promotion in the United States.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: The article had to (1) be in English; (2) peer reviewed, published from January 1, 1980, to July 31, 2015; (3) identify the target population as predominantly AIANs in the United States; (4) describe a nonclinical intervention or original research that identified resilience as …

The Social Amplification Of Haze-Related Risks On The Internet, Mark Chong, Murphy Choy

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study explores the implications of the digital network society for public health communication and management through an empirical study on communication related to the transboundary haze crisis in Singapore. Using the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), the authors applied sentiment and thematic analysis on haze-related posts on an online discussion forum (HardwareZone) and a social networking site (Facebook), as well as to haze-related articles in The Straits Times (a newspaper). The study shows that the medium matters in social amplification of risk: Facebook had an effect on the amplification of emotions while HardwareZone and Straits Times …

The Relationship Between Instruction Specificity And Resistiveness To Care During Activities Of Daily Living In Persons With Dementia, Jeffrey Buchanan, Britta Dejager, Sandra Garcia, Daniel Houlihan, Carolina Sears, Kathleen Fairchild, Adam Sattler

Psychology Department Publications

It is common for persons with dementia to display resistant behaviors during activities of daily living (ADLs) and caregiver communication skills can influence the likelihood of these behaviors. Previous research suggests that the type of instructions issued by caregivers is related to rates of compliance during ADLs in persons with dementia. It is unclear, however, if these instruction types affect the likelihood resistiveness to care (RTC) during ADLs. The purpose of the current study was to examine how the use of different types of instructions relate to instances of RTC during ADLs. Results indicated that vague and ambiguous instructions (i.e., …