Health Communication Commons^™

Alcohol Analysis Of Breath And Urine To Support Drink Driving Awareness In Students, Megan Haverty

Students Learning with Communities

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Information Technology On Patient Engagement And Health Behavior Change: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Suhila Sawesi, Mohamed Rashrash, Kanitha Phalakornkule, Janet S. Carpenter, Josette F. Jones

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Advancements in information technology (IT) and its increasingly ubiquitous nature expand the ability to engage patients in the health care process and motivate health behavior change.

Objective: Our aim was to systematically review the (1) impact of IT platforms used to promote patients’ engagement and to effect change in health behaviors and health outcomes, (2) behavior theories or models applied as bases for developing these interventions and their impact on health outcomes, (3) different ways of measuring health outcomes, (4) usability, feasibility, and acceptability of these technologies among patients, and (5) challenges and research directions for implementing …

Exploring Visual Prevention: Developing Infographics As Effective Cervical Cancer Prevention For African American Women, Candace P. Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the creation of a cervical cancer health prevention infographic, geared toward African American women ages 30 to 65, to be potentially used to raise health literacy and influence positive behaviors towards practicing prevention measures—ultimately preventing unnecessary deaths. This dissertation also produced a cervical cancer health prevention infographic prototype for African American Women ages 30 to 65 to be further tested and implemented within future health communication campaigns.

Cervical Cancer is both preventable and treatable (if diagnosed during early stages); therefore the amount of individuals dying from the cancer should be minimal. Still, …

Relationally Managing Weight Loss, Clinton L. Brown

Masters Theses

Previous research emphasizes the link between social support and weight loss. However, scholarship has failed to explore how family members enact support during an individual's weight loss attempt and how participation in a weight loss program impacts family communication about dietary choices. This project examines how family members enact support for individuals in a weight loss program and how as a result of participating in a weight loss program family members renegotiate relational norms and rules regarding dietary behaviors. Thirteen individuals (n= 13), eleven (11) females and two (2) males enrolled in a medically supervised weight management program journaled about …

Using Social Networking Sites During Public Health Crises: Theorizing The Diffusion Of Effective Messages, Sarah Vos

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

During a public health crisis, officials need to communicate with the public quickly and accurately. Social networking sites (SNS) have been identified as an appropriate channel for this type of communication; however, few studies have examined what makes SNS messages effective. Further limiting research in this area is a lack of attention to theoretical constructs that may explain message effectiveness in SNS.

In this dissertation, I propose that diffusion of innovations (DOI) be used to understand SNS and message success on SNS. In doing so, I compare traditional message success (persuasion) to message success on SNS platforms (amplification) and provide …

To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate: A Qualitative Description Of The Information Available On Popular Search Engines Regarding The Vaccine Debate., Madeline Rhinesmith

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The current study looks at the assumption that that more information, along with improved access to that information could lead to more informed decisions through evaluating and critically reflecting on the vaccine debate. The research is done through the perspective of Science, Technology, and Society - an interdisciplinary field that analyzes the connection between scientific advancement and its implications on the world. This research seeks to replicate previous studies’ which simple search engine websites were used to look at the websites people, including parents, are likely to encounter when they are researching information on vaccinations. This research seeks assess how …

A Study Of The Media's Portrayal Of The Measles Outbreak, Ashley K. Lawrence

Honors College Theses

This thesis project examines how social media was used during the measles outbreak in the United States from February 1, 2015-April 30, 2015. This content analysis research project will examine social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook, on the basis of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The media outlets will be observed in order to determine the context of the measles outbreak, and the responses from the public (positive and negative) about how they felt or reacted to the information. In order to examine the social media outlets, research from the CDC …

Boîte À Outils: Renforcement Des Compétences, Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Grâce à un processus appelé «conception intentionnelle», les outils d’apprentissage du Population Council aident à centraliser les besoins des filles. Ces outils s'appuient sur des preuves de la nécessité de maintenir les filles en bonne santé, de les intégrer socialement et de les préparer économiquement. La boîte à outils Renforcement des Compétences du Population Council aide les praticiens, les décideurs et les défenseurs à élaborer un contenu adapté, significatif et positif pour aider des sous-populations spécifiques de filles. La boîte à outils guide les praticiens à travers une série d'étapes qui doivent être suivies pour définir des cibles de bon …

The Relationship Between Problem-Solving Ability/Eating Motivation And Perceived Quality Of Life In Individuals Diagnosed With Celiac Disease, Vincenzo Zaccheo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Celiac disease (CD) is a digestive disorder resulting from gluten intolerance that leads to damage of the small intestine. The only current available treatment for CD involves adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. Due to the restrictive nature of this treatment diet, and the increasing prevalence of CD in recent years, much research has been conducted examining factors that impact the quality of life (QOL) of individuals with CD. However, there has been a dearth of literature identifying those factors which can be modified within a treatment setting. Thus, a need for further research in this area was identified. Through …

Is This Thing On? An Investigation Of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge Of Hearing Technology, Marissa M. Kobylas

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hearing technology knowledge of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) currently working in public elementary schools in the states of Michigan and Ohio. A total of 95 randomly chosen SLPs completed an online survey regarding their hearing technology training, their perceptions of the need for this type of training, and their clinical experiences working with hearing technology in educational settings. The types of hearing technology included hearing aids, cochlear implants, and FM/Infrared (IR) systems. Overall, participants reported a lack of sufficient hearing technology training and low comfort levels with performing hearing technology tasks, such …

The Word Outside And The Pictures In Our Heads: Contingent Framing Effects Of Labels On Health Policy Preferences By Political Ideology, Sungjong Roh, Jeff Niederdeppe

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study uses data from systematic Web image search results and two randomized survey experiments to analyze how frames commonly used in public debates about health issues, oper- ationalized here as alternative word choices, influence public support for health policy reforms. In Study 1, analyses of Bing (N = 1,719), Google (N = 1,872), and Yahoo Images (N = 1,657) search results suggest that the images returned from the search query “sugar-sweetened beverage” are more likely to evoke health-related concepts than images returned from a search query about “soda.” In contrast, “soda” search queries were more likely to incorporate brand-related …

Slam Poetry: An Online Intervention For Treating Depression, Spencer J. Ruchti, Mercedes Becker, Cara Mckee, Austin Herron, Alex Swalling

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Given that depression is the “leading cause of disability worldwide,” and that less than 50% of people suffering from depression receive treatment, this study aims to provide support for a globally accessible depression treatment (WHO, 2012). The study conducted implemented an internet-based treatment for depression in which users were provided an opportunity to watch slam poetry videos related to mental health issues and write free responses regarding the content of the videos and their subjective experience of depression. Numerous studies provide support for the effectiveness of expressive writing, online mental health interventions, and slam poetry in particular for reducing symptoms …

Policies And Clinical Practices Regarding Candidacy And Auditory Treatment For Hispanic Pediatric Patients In Cochlear Implant Centers In The United States, Matthew Ehrenburg

Senior Independent Study Theses

This research sought to investigate the policies and clinical practices regarding candidacy and auditory treatment for Hispanic pediatric cochlear implant patients at cochlear implant centers in the United States. More specifically, the study investigated treatment services provided to pediatric patients who are raised in monolingual Spanish, English as a second language (ESL), and bilingual English-Spanish speaking homes. The study made use of survey research to examine cochlear implant centers regarding their policies, clinical practices, and their referral processes for this specific group of cochlear implant recipients. The survey was distributed electronically through the online survey software Qualtrics via email to …

Referral And Treatment Settings For Pregnant Women, Linda D. O'Daniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Drug and alcohol addiction in pregnant women is a significant public health issue. The purpose of this study was to assess drug and alcohol addiction in pregnant women and the setting in which they sought service or treatment to determine whether U.S. census regions and race data could predict the type of addiction service or treatment that pregnant addicts chose. The theories of self-efficacy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and rational emotive behavioral therapy were used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions were used to examine whether there was a relationship between the source of addiction treatment referral …

Text Messaging Appointment Reminders To Reduce No-Shows: A Pilot Study, Cameron M. Stephenson

DNP Projects

Background: Hospital and outpatient clinic no-show, did not cancel or did not attend rates are a serious problem to organizations across the United States health care system. No-show appointments reduce clinic productivity, wastes clinician time and clinic resources and can be detrimental financially. Bluegrass Pediatrics and Internal Medicine (BPIM) located in Georgetown, KY experiences these problems on a daily basis.

Purpose/Methodology. This quality improvement project consisted of evaluating the effects of text messaging on appointment attendance during 3 clinic weeks of February 2016. The sample was derived from all patients enrolled at BPIM with a scheduled well, established or routine …

Measurement Challenges In Shared Decision Making: Putting The ‘Patient’ In Patient‐Reported Measures, Paul J. Barr, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Measuring clinicians' shared decision-making (SDM) performance is a key requirement given the intensity of policy interest in many developed countries - yet it remains one of the most difficult methodological challenges, which is a concern for many stakeholders. In this Viewpoint Article, we investigate the development of existing patient-reported measures (PRMs) of SDM identified in a recent review. We find that patients were involved in the development of only four of the 13 measures. This lack of patient involvement in PRM development is associated with two major threats to content validity, common to all 13 PRMs of SDM: (i) an …

The War At Home, Joseph A. Altobelli Mr.

Capstones

This site was made to show how the cuts to and politics behind the Veterans Affairs Hospital in New York affects the veterans it is set up to care for.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Screening For Improved Patient Wellness: A Cancer Center Initiative, Alison Morris

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: People experiencing serious illness have significant unmet physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) requires patients to be screened for emotional wellbeing and pain by their second oncology visit. This project details one cancer center’s quality improvement initiative to (a) implement electronic screening of every cancer patient by their second oncology visit, (b) design processes for ongoing assessment and intervention of need(s), and (c) develop measurable and sustainable evaluation metrics to ensure that palliative care needs are met. Methods: In June 2015, we launched electronic collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) using the Patient Reported …

The Person We Knew: Perceptions Of The Identity Of Loved Ones With Dementia By Family Caregivers, Amber Jannusch, Dena Huisman

Speaker & Gavel

While several studies have looked at the identity of dementia patients, most focus on the point of the view of the patient. However, caretakers’ and family members’ view of the identity of the dementia patient is unstudied. This study attempts to see how family caregivers’ view of their family member’s dementia manifests in communication about the loved one. This study is a preliminary examination of family caregivers’ constructions of the identity of their loved one, revealing that caretakers have one of three views: the patient without an identity, the patient as a different person, or the patient as “not lost” …

Meet Me Monday: Case Study On A Community Health Program Through The Lens Of The Elaboration Likelihood Model, Joshua Schlaich

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This case study employs the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a framework for understanding one Idaho/Oregon Health System's community health program and weekly walking event. Meet Me Monday, a program started in 2013 due to many organizational and federal goals to improve patient population and community health, has been perceived to have struggled with influencing increased and sustained participation. This study focuses on the communicative efforts of the Meet Me Monday community health program, and looks to gain a fuller understanding of the influences and moderating variables to participation.

Utilizing data sources such as semi-structured interviews with program organizers, surveying of …