Health Communication Commons^™

Indonesia: Train Journalists To Write About Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

After government control over the media was liberalized in 1998, Indonesian journalists had a new mandate to explore new issues and foster public debate. Several studies had found evidence that women’s health worsened from 1997–99, yet media coverage of this topic was limited. To increase press coverage of reproductive health (RH) topics, the Population Council conducted an 18-month media project in collaboration with the State Ministry for Women’s Empowerment and other key agencies. The project focused on improving RH knowledge and reporting skills among 22 print journalists. Project staff monitored RH coverage in 22 major newspapers, magazines, and tabloids. After …

Ghana: Community Workers Can Communicate Sti And Hiv/Aids Messages Effectively, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

To support the Government of Ghana’s plan to expand community-based distribution (CBD) programs, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) and the Population Council conducted a study in 1999 of the CBD programs of 13 nongovernmental agencies. The study also assessed in depth PPAG’s CBD program, which is the country’s largest and oldest. Data sources included interviews with 301 CBD agents, 27 supervisors, and 20 clinicians in rural and urban areas in 16 districts; observations of 51 PPAG agents interacting with 6 clients each; and 15 focus group discussions with community members, former CBD agents, and CBD clients. CBD programs …

Violence Prevention: Reaching Adolescents With The Message, James B. Tucker, James E. Barone, Julie G. Stewart, Robert J. Hogan, James A. Sarnelle, Michele M. Blackwood

Nursing Faculty Publications

To identify an effective medium for communicating with adolescents in a large-scale, cost-effective violence prevention program.

A set of youth violence prevention programs was established at The Stamford Hospital, a level II trauma center. The traveling version of the program was presented to middle school students in four parts: 1) a rap music video created by our violence prevention staff, 2) a facilitated discussion about dealing with anger, 3) a video of a trauma resuscitation in our emergency department, and 4) a commercial video of a teenage boy paralyzed after a gunshot wound. A written questionnaire with a five-point rating …

Patient Compliance-Gaining: A Look At Care Facility Vs. Home Health, Merideth Mayberry

Masters Theses

The patient compliance-gaining strategies employed by health care providers in the care facility and home health environments were investigated. Each participant completed a two-page, open-ended survey. A content analysis, and more specifically a thematic analysis of the research, allowed for similarities and differences between the two settings to be compared to current literature. Results indicated that participants used similar strategies to those suggested by researchers in the field. The results showed that strategies applied by health care providers in this particular study are effective for gaining patient compliance.

Storybook Reading And The Speech Language Pathologist: A Fundamental Partnership For Speech And Language Intervention, Angela Crume

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Because of the relationship between speech and language delays and reading difficulties, speech-language pathologists should be encouraged to include elements of reading in their therapy with preschoolers. By using such activities, speech-language pathologists should observe an increase in the language and speech abilities of their clients, regardless of the children's present abilities. Reading can be included in the context of therapy in various ways, but the most efficient way is to design thematic units with correlated prereading and postreading activities.

A Content Analysis Of Televised Health News Coverage Within The Huntington, West Virginia Designated Market Area, Leigh Suzanne Hall

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Local media should carefully consider whether or not their health information coverage provides current and useful information to people living within their viewing area. Media play an important role in providing Americans with pertinent health information. As Greenberg and Wartenber (1990) suggest, “American people receive two-thirds more cancer prevention information from television than from their physicians.” Therefore, local television media should make a conscious effort to educate themselves about which health diseases and problems most affect people within their viewing area. For example, people living in Appalachia experience health conditions that are not consistent with those experienced in every region …

Getting Men Involved In Family Planning: Experiences From An Innovative Program, Directorate Of Family Planning, National Institute Of Population Research And Training, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This study was designed to determine the effect of interventions on accelerated proactive male involvement in family planning (FP) and factors influencing acceptance of male contraceptive methods. It was observed that a program can be successful if management cadres can be motivated and involved in the process. Other findings suggest the importance of education and communication materials, supply of information, orientation of fieldworkers, and mobilization of resources including hands-on refresher training. Misconceptions about male contraception (particularly vasectomy) are rampant in traditional Bangladeshi society, thus ideas should be positively expressed through visual aids. Among the various communications materials, at least one …

Appalachian Regional Healthcare Division Of Home Services: A Case Study, Marcella Ann Howard Brock

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Humanities at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communications by Marcella Ann Howard Brock on April 22, 1997.

The Effects Of Procedural Explanation In Lessening Anxiety During Dental Hygiene Care, Michelle Leigh Sensat

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if procedural explanation, given during dental hygiene care, significantly reduces client anxiety. The sample consisted of 62 subjects selected randomly from the population of all current clients, with records dating from 1994 to the present, of a private general dental practice in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A randomized subjects, pretest-posttest design was used to determine ii if procedural explanation yields a significant reduction in client anxiety as opposed to no such explanation during treatment procedures, measured by the Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests. The Dental Hygiene Fear Survey served as the …

Consumption Of Over-The-Counter Drugs And Attitudes Towards Over-The-Counter Drug Advertising: A Comparison Between The United States And Hong Kong, Kara K. Chan, Louisa Ha

School of Media and Communication Faculty Publications

A survey of 547 adults from the United States and Hong Kong was conducted to compare their perceptions about functions and consequences of OTC drug advertising and medical decisions when encountering health problems. Results indicate that American and Hong Kong consumers were very similar in their overall perception of functions and consequences of OTC drugs. A large majority of American consumers relied heavily on OTC drugs for all five types of selected health problems in this study. In contrast, Hong Kong consumers took OTC drugs only for specific illness.

Social Skill Training Effects On The Interpersonal Distance And Touch Recognition Abilities Of Second Grade Children, Thomas E. Redden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The effects of training on interpersonal distance and touch recognition abilities among 46 second grade children was evaluated. The children were involved in two, 45 minute training sessions each week for three weeks. Training effects were measured using the Emory Dyssemia Index-Brief Form (EDI-b). The teachers rated the children with the distance and touch subtest ofthe EDI-b. Pre-test and Post-test measures were obtained. A one way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Alpha was set at .05. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups prior to training. There was a significant difference between …

Counseling The Husbands Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt: Effects On Husband Involvement, Patient Recovery And Contraceptive Use, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Dale Huntington, Ezzeldin Osman Hassan, Hala Youssef, Laila Nawar

Reproductive Health

An ANE OR/TA Project qualitative study conducted in 1995 probed into women’s perceptions of abortion in Egypt, and the stress that postabortion patients experience during recovery. That study drew attention to the important role husbands can play in their wives’ recovery and subsequent use of contraception. This study was designed to test the effects of involving husbands in the postabortion medical-care process. Overall, the study indicates that providing counseling to husbands of postabortion patients is feasible, as the majority of husbands either accompanied their wife on admission or at discharge from the hospital. However, administrative changes are needed to enhance …

Telemedicine: Discovering And Overcoming The Barriers, Dennis Mcclain-Furmanski

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Telemedicine is the use of teleconmrunications for medical diagnosis and patient care from a distance. This multimedia computer based medium serves as an aid to decision making, a means of transmission of care-related data and as a channel for collaborative care management between a provider and a patient. It is of greatest utility in remote areas, or in other cases where transportation of either provider or patient would be problematic or economically less feasible than the telemedicine alternative.

This study examined the current capabilities of the computer hardware and software necessary to implement a telemedicine system. It found that current …

Changes In Communication After The Diagnosis Of An Illness, Kimberly M. Sniderman

Masters Theses

A cancer, HIV, or AIDS diagnosis may alter a person's life. This may be exhibited communicatively, particularly when people with illnesses (PWI) disclose their diagnosis to people without illnesses (PWOI). The present study examined the premise that communication between PWI and PWOI was likely to be affected by illness disclosure. PWI were asked whether and how (positively or negatively) they perceived communication to change in family, doctor, nurse, other health care professional and their own contexts. Results indicated that PWI communication did change, though this was not found across contexts. Specific types of communication changes PWI experienced included greater openness, …

Men And Family Planning In Bangladesh: A Review Of The Literature, Debbie Donahoe

Reproductive Health

This report reviews the literature on men and family planning (FP) in Bangladesh. A variety of topics are covered: male fertility preferences, opinions about male methods of contraception, family planning (FP) decision-making, and recent efforts to involve Bangladeshi men in FP programs. Men’s desired family size in Bangladesh is small; only one-third of respondents in the most recent DHS survey wanted more than two children. The same survey revealed that knowledge of at least one modern method of FP is practically universal and that attitudes toward contraception are overwhelmingly favorable. Only superficial information on the frequency and quality of communication …

Communications Needs Assessment In Egypt: Final Report, Sahar Hegazi

Reproductive Health

The recently approved dissemination strategy of the Population Council's ANE OR/TA Project aims to improve the communication process for diffusing study results, enhance their utilization, and institutionalize the operations research communications methods in each of the ANE OR/TA countries. A communications needs assessment was conducted to re-examine the target audiences, define the type of messages each responds to best, identify the most appropriate mix of media for transmitting those messages, and consolidate linkages with other communications professionals working within related fields. This exercise was conducted in Egypt between January and March 1996. The methodology was based on conducting in-depth interviews …

Improvements In Knowledge Of Norplant® Implants Acceptors: An Intervention Study In West Sumatra And West Java, Anthony Tan, Eman Mahdar, Faisal R. Djamal, Hafni Bachtiar, Jayanti Tuladhar, R. Hasan, R. Hasan, M. Hoesni

Reproductive Health

Previous studies on Norplant® implants in Indonesia have shown that there are a substantial number of implant acceptors, providers, fieldworkers, and volunteers who are unaware of the basic facts about Norplant. In addition, information, education, and communication materials are lacking for providers, fieldworkers, volunteers, and clients. With these issues in mind, the Training and Development Center for Biomedical and Human Reproduction Studies of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board launched an Operations Research intervention study with Study Groups on Human Reproduction from Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra, and Padjajaran University, Bandung, West Java, with support from the Population Council. The …

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender, Polly Thistlethwaite, Daniel C. Tsang

Publications and Research

The proliferation of publications in the lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and transgender press has allowed the weaving of a well-informed network of previously isolated individuals and communities, empowering and unifying lesbian, gay, and other sexual minorities," Dan Tsang and Polly Thistlethwaite wrote in the introduction to the 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender' section of Katzes' 1995 edition of Magazines for Libraries. This title review of the queer periodicals of the day was intended to serve as a guide and justification for 'mainstream' libraries' collection building. The number and range of titles in Thistlethwaite and Tsang's collaborative entries (1989, 1992, and …

Attribution Of Stigma As A Function Of Disease And Mode Of Transmission, Alfred Maxdee Decker

Graduate Theses

The knowledge and attitudes of Odessa College health care students (N=114) towards hypothetical patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) were measured via questionnaires. Transmission variables for infection were: anal sex with another man, injecting drug use, or blood transfusion. An Attribution Theory model was used to explain differences in knowledge and attitudes. Results suggest that students tend correctly to identify HBV as being more infectious than HIV and also to recognize that as future health care workers they are much more likely to die from HBV than HIV infection. In spite of this knowledge, …

Systematic Development Of Trans-Theoretically Based Behavioral Risk Management Programs, Galen E. Cole, David R. Holtgrave, Nilka M. Rios

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors explain the development and use of a behavioral Risk management strategy. It is designed for developing interventions to change behaviors, e.g., to lower the Risk of AIDS. The advantage of their strategy is said to be its structure combined with flexibility. Intervenors are not restricted to a single model in determining factors most relevant to changing Risky behavior.

Changes In Family Planning Knowledge Gap And Kap-Gap In Egypt During The 1980'S, Hanan Zakaria Sisalem

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lesbian And Gay, Polly Thistlethwaite, Daniel C. Tsang

Publications and Research

"The lesbian and gay press has shaped and reflected the rise of gay and lesbian liberation," Dan Tsang and Polly Thistlethwaite wrote in the introduction to the 'Lesbian and Gay' section of Katzes' 1992 edition of Magazines for Libraries. This title review of the queer periodicals of the day was intended to serve as a guide and justification for 'mainstream' libraries' collection building. The number and range of titles in Thistlethwaite and Tsang's collaborative entries (1989, 1992, and 1995) far exceeded any mainstream library collection known to either of the authors who were nevertheless hopeful that libraries would expand …

The Relationship Of Patients' Perceptions Of Physicians' Communication Style To Patient Satisfaction, Lisa Diane Abramson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between physician communication style and patient satisfaction in the diagnostic medical interview. Patient satisfaction is a critical issue for health care organizations today. Health care organizations are coping with the recruitment and maintenance of patient consumers in a competitive and costly market.

The literature indicates that effective communication between the physician and the patient is important to patient satisfaction. The physician needs to structure the medical visit in order to acquire medical information and, at the same time, invite communication with patients to determine their concerns and needs. Patient satisfaction may ensue if the patient …

Facts And Feelings Series For Parents, Unknown Unknown

All Archived Publications

Packet that gives instructions to parents about talking to teens about common issues they face.

Rumors About Family Planning In Egypt, Jeanet Samir Azer

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lesbian And Gay, Polly Thistlethwaite, Daniel C. Tsang

Publications and Research

"The time is past when librarians can assume no patron is lesbian or gay, or that there is no interest in gay research," Dan Tsang and Polly Thistlethwaite wrote in the introduction to the 'Lesbian and Gay' section of Katzes' 1989 edition of Magazines for Libraries. This title review of the queer periodicals of the day was intended to serve as a guide and justification for 'mainstream' libraries' collection building. The number and range of titles in Thistlethwaite and Tsang's collaborative entries (1989, 1992, and 1995) far exceeded any mainstream library collection known to either of the authors who …

Impact Of Presentation Medium And Message Length On The Persuasiveness Of Case History And Statistical Information, Bonnie Marie Hoffman

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Thank-You Letter And/Or Phone Call To First-Time Volunteer Blood Donors, Larkey Sheldon De Neffe

Dissertations and Theses

This study measures two reinforcement strategies designed to increase repeat donations in first-time volunteer blood donors.

The Communication Of Wellness Concepts Interculturally In An Alaskan Health-Care Context, Janet A. Allan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate in what ways cultural value differences between Alaskan Native clients and non-Native health professionals affect the communicating of "wellness" concepts. Specifically, this study focuses on possible difference in the cultural value orientation of "Man's Relationship to Health."

An Analysis Of The Affects Of Crisis On The Decision Making Practice Of A Dialysis Program: A Case Study, James Christopher Farley

Dissertations and Theses

In 1982 the Health Care Finance Administration mandated changes in the mechanism and financing of the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program by the provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. These changes in finances and procedures became effective August 1, 1983 and have created a state of crisis for ESRD facilities program wide. This study analyzes a large non-profit dialysis program and how its decision making practices were affected 2 by the change in Medicare laws. Application of decision theory in health care provides a basis for this study on the affects of crisis on decision making.

This study …