Convincing through conversation:Unraveling the role of interpersonal health communication in health campaign effectiveness

There is still a lot to gain in the field of health communication. Mass mediated health campaigns often do not have a direct effect on health behavior, but conversations about health issues in an informal setting, such as with partner, family and friends appear to play a significant role here. However, we do not know much about factors that influence the occurrence and the effects of such interpersonal health communication. Therefore, four empirical studies are discussed in this dissertation.First, the factors that influence whether, when, with whom and how people talk about health issues were investigated qualitatively. The results show that interpersonal health communication is not one general type of behavior, but instead consists of several subtypes of behavior, each of which differs in its influencing factors. Subsequently, two health message types were investigated in their ability to trigger conversations: the complex message and the narrative message. The complex message, at least when personally relevant, appeared to be unsuitable for achieving this goal. The narrative message, aimed at college students and regarding the health theme safe sex, appeared to be a promising strategy to trigger conversations. In the fourth study, actual conversations about safe sex in response to this message were therefore analyzed. The conversations positively influenced college students’ safe sex-related intentions. In the conversations, safe sex was mainly discussed positively and casually, for instance by exchanging anecdotes. Moreover, the conversations exposed behavioral patterns, providing valuable information on, for instance, attitudes and social norms regarding safe sex

Engaging community-dwelling older adults in fall prevention programs: a qualitative study on strategies promoting participation in fall prevention programs among community-dwelling older adults

IntroductionFall rates and fall-related injuries among community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years) are expected to increase rapidly, due to the aging population worldwide. Fall prevention programs (FPPs), consisting of strength and balance exercises, have been proven effective in reducing fall rates among older adults. However, these FPPs have not reached their full potential as most programs are under-enrolled. Therefore, this study aims to identify promising strategies that promote participation in FPPs among community-dwelling older adults.MethodsThis is an exploratory qualitative study. Previously, barriers and facilitators for participation in FPPs by older adults had been identified. Next, six strategies had been designed using the Intervention Mapping approach: (1) reframing; (2) informing about benefits; (3) raising awareness of risks; (4) involving social environment; (5) offering tailored intervention; (6) arranging practicalities. Strategies were validated during semi-structured interviews with community-dwelling older adults (n = 12) at risk of falling. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following a qualitative thematic methodology, with a hybrid approach.ResultsAll strategies were considered important by at least some of the respondents. However, two strategies stood out: (1) reframing ‘aging’ and ‘fall prevention’: respondents preferred to be approached differently, taking a ‘life course’ perspective about falls, and avoiding confronting words; and (2) ‘informing about benefits’ (e.g., ‘living independently for longer’); which was mentioned to improve the understanding of the relevance of participating in FPPs. Other strategies were considered important to take into account too, but opinions varied more strongly.DiscussionThis study provides insight into potential strategies to stimulate older adults to participate in FPPs. Results suggest that reframing ‘aging’ and ‘fall prevention’ may facilitate the dialogue about fall prevention, by communicating differently about the topic, for example ‘staying fit and healthy’, while focusing on the benefits of participating in FPPs. Gaining insight into the strategies’ effectiveness and working mechanisms is an area for future research. This could lead to practical recommendations and help professionals to enhance older adults’ participation in FPPs. Currently, the strategies are further developed to be applied and evaluated for effectiveness in multiple field labs in a central Dutch region (Utrecht)

The influence of conversational content on college students’ safe sex intentions:A mixed method approach

Even though health campaign designers are advised to specifically focus on triggering conversations between people about health issues, there is still a lot unknown about what aspects of a conversation may contribute to safe sex behavior and intentions. Empirical research in this field so far has mainly focused on conversational occurrence rather than conversational content, and where content is taken into account, this mostly concerns self-reports. In this mixed method study, we looked into the quantitative effects of real-life conversations about safe sex, triggered by a safe sex message, on college students’ intentions related to safe sex. We then used a qualitative analysis to try and identify content-related aspects that may be related to the quantitative effects. Two weeks after filling in a questionnaire on their safe sex-related intentions, participants (N = 24) were instructed to watch and talk about a safe sex video with a conversation partner of choice, followed by filling in a questionnaire. The conversational data were analyzed qualitatively. The results suggest that the conversations increased safe sex-related intentions compared to pretest scores, and that content-related aspects such as conversational valence, type of communication behavior and behavioral determinants were related to these effects. Thus, our findings provide enhanced insight into the social norms and behavioral patterns related to safe sex, and indicate that it is important to look at conversational content in detail rather than to focus on mere conversational occurrence or quantitative effects

Uncovering Factors Influencing Interpersonal Health Communication

Talking to friends, family, or peers about health issues might, among other things, increase knowledge of social norms and feelings of self-efficacy in adopting a healthier lifestyle. We often see interpersonal health communication as an important mediating factor in the effects of health campaigns on health behavior. No research has been done so far, however, on factors that influence whether and how people talk about health issues without being exposed to a health campaign first. In this exploratory study, we interviewed 12 participants about their communication behavior concerning six different health themes, like smoking and exercising. The results suggest that at least four types of interpersonal health communication can be distinguished, each influenced by different factors, like conversational partner and objective of the conversation. Future research should take this diversity of interpersonal health communication into account, and focus on designing health campaigns that aim to trigger dialogue within target populations