Achieving the promise of digital health information systems

Abstract not require

Relationship of Media Attention to Colorectal Cancer-Related Risk Appraisals in Older Japanese Americans: Using Structural Equation Modeling to Develop an Explanatory Model

Objectives: The goals of this study were: (1) to explore how personal attributes and media attention are related to colorectal cancer (CRC)-related risk appraisals (i.e., causal attribution, and fatalism/misconception) among Japanese Americans at risk; and (2) to identify segments of the population that should be targeted for education programs, topics of interest, and health communication channels. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to cross-sectionally test a proposed model derived from the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) and Attribution Theory for understanding the relationship between media attention and cognitive processes related to CRC in a population-based community sample of 341 asymptomatic Japanese Americans aged 50 and over residing in the Greater New York region. Results: Accounting for 30% of the variance in risk appraisals, the data fit a model (χ²(136)=231.41,

Strategic use of communication to market cancer prevention and control to vulnerable populations

There are significant challenges to communicating relevant cancer prevention and control information to health care consumers due both to the complexities of the health information to be communicated and the complexities of health communication, especially with vulnerable populations. The need for effective communication about cancer risks, early detection, prevention, care, and survivorship is particularly acute, yet also tremendously complex, for reaching vulnerable populations, those groups of people who are most likely to suffer significantly higher levels of morbidity and mortality from cancers than other segments of the population. These vulnerable populations, typically the poorest, lowest educated, and most disenfranchised members of modern society, are heir to serious cancer-related health disparities. Vulnerable populations often have health literacy difficulties, cultural barriers, and economic challenges to accessing and making sense of relevant health information. This paper examines these challenges to communicating relevant information to vulnerable populations and suggests strategies for effectively using different communication media for marketing cancer preventionand control to reduce health disparities and promote public health

Health communication inquiry and health outcomes

This article examines the applications of health communication research to enhancing the delivery of care and the promotion of health. Health communication scholars have the opportunity to inform the work of health care providers and health promotion practitioners to help them accomplish their complex health goals. There are many complex health promotion efforts that might benefit from definitive health communication research, yet are more often guided by good intentions, precedent, and expedience than by strong evidence. The complexity of achieving desired health communication goals, such as influencing health behaviors and guiding health-related decision making, demand strategic guidance from relevant and rigorous research. This article examines strategies for promoting the application of the best health communication research to guide development, implementation, and institutionalization of evidencebased health communication programs, policies, and practices

Quality Evaluation Tool for Clinician Online Continuing Medical Education

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess an instrument evaluating the quality of online continuing medical education interventions for clinicians. A review of seminal literature for evaluating health-related websites was conducted to incorporate best practices from health education, health communication, and web-based design principles. After reviewing the literature, 12 preliminary quality indicators were developed. Two independent coders used the preliminary quality indicators to code continuing medical education interventions. Internal reliability of the preliminary indicators was calculated using the Krippendorff’s alpha coefficient. After completing the reliability testing and revising the tool, the quality evaluation framework consisted of six quality indicators: accessibility, content, design, evaluation, interactivity, and theory/models. The indicators are not specifically tied to one content area; therefore, this tool can be utilized to assess the quality of continuing medical education interventions of various content areas. Future research should be conducted to further develop a comprehensive metric to assess indicators’ effect on behavior change and clinician communication with patients. These quality indicators are important as they are a foundation for intervention developers to effectively communicate current medical information and new guidelines from medical organizations and, in turn, impact patient communication and care

Expanding the Health Information National Trends Survey Research Program Internationally to Examine Global Health Communication Trends: Comparing Health Information Seeking Behaviors in the U.S. and Germany

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) is a well-established U.S.-based research program administered by the National Cancer Institute to track the public access to and use of health information. This paper introduces a German research initiative, part of the International Studies to Investigate Global Health Information Trends (INSIGHTS) research consortium. This adaptation of the HINTS is important for initiating analyses of global health communication practices and comparing health information seeking behaviors (HISB) across nations to pinpoint potentials and challenges of health information provision and contribute to a deeper understanding of socio-contextual determinants of HISB. First cross-country comparisons revealed that the share of residents seeking for health information is high in the U.S. (80%) and Germany (74%), but different primary sources are used. Whereas a clear majority of U.S. residents chose the Internet to gather health information (74.9%), Germans most often turn to health professionals (48.0%). Socio-structural and health(care)-related predictors were found to contribute to the explanation of HISB in both countries, whereas information-related predictors were only relevant in Germany. The results indicate the need to engage in patient-provider communication to initiate HISB and to improve the access to information for residents with lower socio-economic backgrounds

The Power & Perspective of Mommy Bloggers: Formative Research with Social Media Opinion Leaders about HPV Vaccination

Since the development of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006, significant promotion efforts have targeted adolescent females and their parents in order to reduce the incidence of HPV and related cancers. Yet vaccination rates for pre-adolescents (the recommended age of administration) still lag behind. Social media and social network campaigns hold promise not only for promoting broad awareness but also for influencing vaccination attitudes and behaviors by utilizing opinion leaders for message dissemination. This formative intervention study explored the feasibility of leveraging online ‘mommy bloggers’ as thought leaders and sources of influence in the promotion of HPV vaccine messages. Findings include insights into vaccine hesitancy amongst mommy bloggers; approaches for discussing HPV vaccination in the blogosphere; and engagement strategies for working with mommy bloggers

Trust in and use of COVID-19 information sources differs by health literacy among college students

People’s health information-seeking behaviors differ by their health literacy levels. This study assessed the relationship between health literacy and college students’ levels of trust in and use of a range of health information sources of COVID-19. We collected data from August to December 2020 among college students (n = 763) through an online survey. We used a health literacy measure containing three self-reported survey questions, developed by the CDC. We assessed the extent to which participants trusted and used any of the sixteen different sources of information about COVID-19. Respondents reported high levels of trusting and using COVID-19 information from the CDC, health care providers, the WHO, state/county/city health departments, and official government websites when compared to other sources. After controlling for demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, race, ethnicity, and income), those who reported having lower health literacy were significantly less likely to trust and use COVID-19 information from these health authorities when compared to participants who reported having higher health literacy. Students with lower self-reported health literacy indicated not trusting or using official health authority sources for COVID-19 information. Relying on low-quality information sources could create and reinforce people’s misperceptions regarding the virus, leading to low compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures and poor health outcomes.Hlth Sci, Couns and Couns Psyc (HCCP