Health Communication Commons^™

A Lung Cancer Screening Personalized Decision-Aid Improves Knowledge And Reduces Decisional Conflict Among A Diverse Population Of Smokers At An Urban Academic Medical Center, Madeline Kaufman, Nilan Schnure, Andrea Nicholson, Frank Leone, Carmen Guerra

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: Few lung cancer screening decision aids have been tested in diverse populations. The study objective was to determine whether the online decision aid www.shouldiscreen.com impacts knowledge of and decisional conflict around lung cancer screening in a diverse population.

Methods: Eligible patients had significant smoking histories, were at increased risk for lung cancer (ages 45-80, >20 pack-years, smoking within last 15 years) and had no history of prior lung cancer or screening. Data was collected and analyzed in 2017.

Results: 40 patients were enrolled: 80% were female, 62.5% black, 33% white, and 48% had a high school …

A Metacognitive Approach To Reconsidering Risk Perceptions And Uncertainty: Understand Information Seeking During Covid-19, Yan Huang, Chun Yang

Faculty Publications

The study examined the psychological drivers of information-seeking behaviors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Employing a two-wave (from April 16, 2020, to April 27, 2020) survey design (N= 381), the study confirmed that both risk perceptions and uncertainty were important antecedents to information seeking and that their effects were linked to emotional appraisals of the risk situation. Findings revealed nuanced relationships between these two constructs and emotional appraisals. Danger appraisal was positively associated with perceived susceptibility and susceptibility uncertainty but negatively related to severity uncertainty; hope appraisal depended on the interaction between uncertainty and risk perceptions. Implications of …

Improving Reproductive Health And Family Planning Outcomes Among Out-Of-School Adolescents And Youth In The Philippines, Breakthrough Research, De La Salle University

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Breakthrough RESEARCH, in collaboration with De La Salle University’s Social Development Research Center (DLSU-SDRC) in Manila, conducted a targeted qualitative research study to facilitate social and behavior change approaches for out-of-school ages 15 to 19 for positive reproductive health and family planning behavior change. Research in three regions of the Philippines generated evidence for the design of intervention approaches to be most effective for four priority behaviors: delay of sexual debut, use of modern contraceptive methods, care-seeking in the first trimester for pregnant youth, and birth spacing of three to five years to prevent short birth intervals.

Informing Social And Behavior Change Programs: Using Social Listening And Social Monitoring, Breakthrough Research

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief offers practical guidance on social listening and social (media) monitoring as tools to inform social and behavior change programs, intended for global and regional program implementers, evaluators, and donors in USAID priority countries. This brief explains how social listening and social monitoring can be important tools for collecting information about target audiences’ knowledge and attitudes, as well as their exposure and responses to particular interventions. Using applied examples in Francophone West Africa, it illustrates social and social monitoring steps, provides examples of lessons, and identifies how these methods can be applied to social and behavior change programming. People …

Documenting Lessons From An Integrated Social And Behavior Change Program Linked To Integrated Health Services In Zambia, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This program brief documents lessons for social and behavior change programmers implementing multi-health, community-based programs with integrated health services. An iterative process by Breakthrough ACTION Zambia, from October 2018 through March 2019, identified four design concepts with strong feasibility and potential for impact and expansion. These four concepts were refined in Breakthrough ACTION Zambia provinces and districts in collaboration with implementing partners and the Ministry of Health Department of Health Promotion, with final intervention design and implementation processes determined in close collaboration with the Ministry.

Covid-19: The Culprit, The People And Lessons Learned, Kayihura Manigaba, Mukundwa K. Gael

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

COVID-19 has had a palpable impact on everyone from losing jobs to losing loved ones. It has altered our social dynamics and disturbed the world economy. We should all learn something from this challenging time. This article elaborates on three lessons learned by two brothers who grew up in Rwanda right after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, where more than one million people died in 100 days. One, Dr. Kayihura Manigaba, is currently responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as a clinical pharmacy manager and as an infectious diseases pharmacy specialist at a hospital in Florida, U.S, and the other, …

The Wakefield Phenomenon: A Rhetorical Examination Of The Resurgence Of The Anti-Vaccination Movement In The 20th & 21st Century, Karen Boger

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the phenomenon of the anti-vaccination movement and existing publications documenting significant points in its resurgence in the late 20^th and early 21^st century following the now redacted publication by the former Dr. Wakefield asserting a correlation between children receiving vaccinations and children exhibiting the onset of developmental disorders, with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) garnering the most public attention. With increasing numbers of parents delaying or forbidding their children from receiving vaccinations, along with the re-emergence of previously eradicated disease outbreaks and casualties, questions about the salience of Wakefield’s anti-vaccination statements arise. Investigation here is key …

Barriers Inhibiting Detection And Management Of Postpartum Hemorrhage By Providers In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Breakthrough RESEARCH partner ideas42 conducted research in June 2019 in peri-urban and rural areas of Vohipeno and Manakara districts of Madagascar's Vatovavy-Fitovinany region to identify health care providers' challenges for detecting and managing complications during childbirth including postpartum hemorrhage and identify optimal solutions. This brief summarizes the results of a behavioral diagnosis that reveals “Facility-based providers do not consistently follow best practices for the detection and management of complications during childbirth.” Low perception of risk of postpartum hemorrhage, limited review of compliance with best practices, consequences of current practices, and resource scarcity can negatively affect provider decision-making and clinical practice.

Obstacles Limitant La Détection Et La Prise En Charge De L’Hpp Par Les Prestataires De Soins De Santé À Madagascar, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

Breakthrough RESEARCH partner ideas42 conducted research in June 2019 in peri-urban and rural areas of Vohipeno and Manakara districts of Madagascar's Vatovavy-Fitovinany region to identify health care providers' challenges for detecting and managing complications during childbirth including postpartum hemorrhage and identify optimal solutions. This brief summarizes the results of a behavioral diagnosis that reveals “Facility-based providers do not consistently follow best practices for the detection and management of complications during childbirth.” Low perception of risk of postpartum hemorrhage, limited review of compliance with best practices, consequences of current practices, and resource scarcity can negatively affect provider decision-making and clinical practice.

Evaluating The Quality Of Information Found In The Most Common Health Websites In Google Using Discern And Craap, Ivan A. Portillo, Scott Yosuke Johnson, Catherine V. Johnson

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Objectives: Google search results can have an outsized impact on the health information that consumers find and trust. The researchers analyzed the health-related websites that show up most frequently on the first page of Google search results. After determining the websites that appear most frequently, the authors would evaluate the quality of the health information on these websites using the DISCERN instrument and the CRAAP test.

Methods: To replicate a common health information search, a list of search terms was gathered from the most frequently searched health-related topics on Google Trends. Each term would then be searched on Google and …

Exploratory Study Of Communication As A Psychosocial Factor Influencing Safer Sex Experiences Among Individuals Who Identify As Polyamorous, Cecilia Brooke Cholka

Communication ETDs

Even with over three decades of research on and promotion of safer sex, the rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to rise in the United States (CDC, 2017). Although communication about risk and protective factors is key to the promotion of safer sex behaviors, the meaning and impact of such communication is contingent upon culturally grounded understandings of safer sex among individuals of diverse sexual subcultures. This dissertation focuses on individuals who self-identified as polyamorous, a style of non-monogamy, and their understandings and experiences with safer sex. Drawing on the application of the AIDS Risk Reduction Model and narrative inquiry …

Communicating Uncertainty During Public Health Emergency Events: A Systematic Review, Pradeep Sopory, Ashleigh M. Day, Julie M. Novak, Stine Eckert, Lillian Wilkins, Donyale R. Padgett, Jane P. Noyes, Fatima A. Barakji, Juan Liu, Beth N. Fowler, Javier B. Guzman-Barcenas, Anna Nagayko, Jacob J. Nickell, Damecia Donahue, Kimberly Daniels, Tomas Allen, Nyka Alexander, Marsha L. Vanderford, Gaya M. Gamhewage

Honors Scholarly Publications

To answer the question, What are the best ways to communicate uncertainties to public audiences, at-risk communities, and stakeholders during public health emergency events? we conducted a systematic review of published studies, grey literature, and media reports in English and other United Nations (UN) languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. Almost 11,500 titles and abstracts were scanned of which 46 data-based primary studies were selected, which were classified into four methodological streams: Quantitative-comparison groups; Quantitative-descriptive survey; Qualitative; and Mixed-method and case-study. Study characteristics (study method, country, emergency type, emergency phase, at-risk population) and study findings (in narrative form) were …

Trauma Informed Care (Tic): Caring For Victims Of Trauma, Deanna Smith

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

This poster discusses the use of trauma-informed care (TIC) in care settings to address health needs of patients who have experienced traumatic events. Complex trauma, childhood trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can cause long term impacts on health of patients including physical, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations. This poster explores health implications of trauma, how they can present in healthcare settings, and how the use of trauma-informed care can alleviate the burden on healthcare settings and improve patient outcomes by preventing further re-traumatization. The use of the TIC approach is applicable to all care modalities and settings, including primary and …

Social Distancing: The New Professional Civility, Benjamin Hunt

Graduate Research

As a naturalistic paradigm dictated by dialectal practices, culture must be understood in relation to a time and place in order to make ethical sense of society. Similarly, culture cannot be appropriately measured and studied without a reference to prior historical and geographical contexts. Naturalism is a dialectic that manifests as a type of evolution within our society. This cultural phenomenon allows human beings to reflect on those constructs through empirical means in order to understand the world, and to best prepare a society for how to move forward. The actions of the United States Government in regard to social …

Breastfeeding: Insights For Improving Malaria, Family Planning, And Maternal And Child Health Outcomes In Northwestern Nigeria Through Social And Behavior Change Research, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief provides evidence for implementers and researchers of social and behavior change programs designed to improve community knowledge, attitudes, norms and behaviors for pregnant and postpartum women's health. The brief focuses on key behaviors including early breastfeeding initiation within one hour of birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, while also discussing breastfeeding barriers and facilitators. This is one of a series of briefs that present findings from a Breakthrough RESEARCH study that captured data on a wide range of psychosocial factors of behavioral outcomes for family planning, malaria, and maternal, newborn and child health, …

Hpv Vaccination In Females: The Role Of Primary Health Care And Primary Health Care Providers, Brooke Bouza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two reasons for subpar coverage of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are missed clinical opportunities and nonacceptance of the vaccine upon recommendation from a medical provider. The purpose of study one was to examine factors associated with access and adherence to physician’s recommendations in association with HPV vaccine uptake. Data were obtained from National Health Interview Survey (2017). Variables theoretically related to clinical opportunities and adherence to physician’s recommendations were examined in association with HPV vaccine uptake. Univariate logistic regressions were run to determine the associations between the aforementioned variables and uptake of the HPV vaccine. Multinomial logistic regressions were …

Building Assets For Humanitarian Settings, Women's Refugee Commission, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document is the Women’s Refugee Commission and the Population Council’s adaptation of the Building Assets Toolkit and its core activity, the Asset Exercise, for use in humanitarian contexts. An asset-building exercise is a thoughtful way to build intentional program content for girls to determine what assets they need in order to survive and thrive. This is particularly important for programs intended to reach the poorest girls in the poorest communities based on sound evidence on the reality of their lives. The Council’s Building Assets Toolkit is rooted in this exercise, helping practitioners, policymakers, and advocates build tailored, meaningful, …

An Evaluation Of A Web-Based Tool To Improve Feeding Practices And The Home Environment Among Parents Of Low-Income Minority Preadolescents At-Risk For Childhood Obesity, Katrina F. Mateo

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Web-based/mHealth interventions may be an engaging approach to promote positive dietary-related behaviors among parents of youth at-risk for childhood obesity. Importantly, childhood obesity research highlights the role of parents as a key support mechanism in improving child dietary outcomes. Intervention INC is a childhood obesity intervention that comprises a unique, interactive web-based child nutrition comic aimed at improving dietary behaviors among urban Black/African American (AA) and Latino preadolescents, and also weekly online parent newsletters (with feeding tips, healthy printable recipes, links to coupons to support healthy eating/feeding and health-promoting local/community events, and access to the child nutrition comic) to …

Gender Integration In Social And Behavior Change: What Does It Take?, University Research Co., Breakthrough Research

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document pulls from a recent review of social and behavior change (SBC)-focused literature and highlights eight promising practices regarding how to integrate gender considerations in health and non-health SBC interventions. The practices are operationalized at different levels of the Socio-Ecological Model for Change and are mutually reinforcing. The purpose of this document is to share these promising practices with SBC partners to strengthen gender integration and mainstreaming efforts in SBC programming.

Behavioral Sentinel Surveillance Survey In Nigeria: Baseline Technical Report, Emily White Johansson, Paul Hutchinson, Elizabeth Omoluabi, Akanni Akinyemi, Andrea Smith, J. Clint Welty, Udochisom Anaba, Dominique Meekers, Alejandra Leyton, Dele Abegunde, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This technical report presents results of the baseline Behavioral Sentinel Surveillance survey by Breakthrough RESEARCH in Nigeria in September and October 2019. From 2019 to 2021, baseline, midline, and endline surveys will assess the effectiveness of Breakthrough ACTION integrated social and behavior change activities for malaria, family planning, and maternal, newborn and child health plus nutrition in Kebbi and Sokoto in comparison to Breakthrough ACTION's exclusively malaria activities in Zamfara state. Malaria activities were initiated in Zamfara in October 2019. This technical report presents detailed baseline results, including comparisons of results for the Breakthrough ACTION integrated and malaria-exclusive program areas. …