Trends in Michigan Farmers’ Information Seeking Behaviors and Perspectives on the Delivery of Information

A sample of Michigan farmers was surveyed in 1996 and 1999 to examine trends in their information-seeking behaviors and preferred methods of information delivery. In addition, the relationship between demographic characteristics and types of information sources used were examined. Some key findings for both years include: (a) The vast majority of farmers do not use web-based information; (b) income and farm size was positively correlated with all types of information delivery (print, web-based, radio/TV, organizational events and personal sources); and (c) part-time farmers and those with outside employment tended to use fewer information sources than full-time farmers. Suggestions are offered to help educators make better choices in campaign and message delivery

Re-imagining One Health: A perspective from social science

One Health is a framework focusing on the dynamic intersections between humans, animals, and ecosystems regarding health systems and practices. As human decisions and actions are the locus of One Health challenges, it is critical to understand how people perceive and act on these connections. Fundamentally, the literature in this area is based in the natural and health sciences; further efforts are still necessary to fully realize the potential of bringing social research squarely into One Health. We suggest several areas of scholarship that could move this effort forward.; Una sola salud es un marco de interpretación centrado en las interacciones entre seres humanos, animales y ecosistemas, tanto en términos de servicios como de prácticas sanitarias. Las decisiones humanas están en el centro de los retos que plantea este marco, por lo que comprender cómo se perciben estas conexiones y cómo se actúa ante ellas es fundamental. Los estudios en este campo se han basado principalmente en las ciencias naturales y de la salud, y será necesario un esfuerzo adicional para aprovechar también el potencial que tiene incorporar la investigación social a este enfoque. En este artículo sugerimos diversas áreas de estudio que podrían facilitar el avance en este sentido.; Una sola salut és un marc d’interpretació centrat en les interaccions éssers entre humans, animals i ecosistemes, tant en termes de serveis com de pràctiques sanitàries. Les decisions humanes estan en el centre dels reptes que planteja aquest marc, de manera que comprendre com es perceben aquestes connexions i com s’afronten és fonamental. Els estudis en aquest camp s’han basat principalment en les ciències naturals i de la salut, i serà necessari un esforç addicional per a aprofitar també el potencial que té incorporar la investigació social a aquest enfocament. En aquest article suggerim diverses àrees d’estudi que podrien facilitar l’avanç en aquest sentit

Measuring social norms related to handwashing : development and psychometric testing of measurement scales in a low-income urban setting in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

OBJECTIVES: To design and test the psychometric properties of four context-specific norm-related scales around handwashing with soap after toilet use: (1) perceived handwashing descriptive norms (HWDN); (2) perceived handwashing injunctive norms (HWIN); (3) perceived handwashing behaviour publicness (HWP); and (4) perceived handwashing outcome expectations (HWOE). DESIGN: Scale items were developed based on previous work and pilot tested in an iterative process. Content experts and members of the study team assessed the face validity of the items. The psychometric properties of the scales were assessed in a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in communal housing compounds in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 201 adult residents (≥16 years old) from 60 housing compounds completed the final questionnaire. OUTCOME MEASURE: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the goodness of fit of the global model. We assessed the internal consistency of each scale using Cronbach's alpha (α) and the Spearman-Brown coefficient (ρ). RESULTS: The results of the psychometric tests supported the construct validity of three of the four scales, with no factor identified for the HWOE (α=0.15). The HWDN and HWP scales were internally consistent with correlations of ρ=0.74 and ρ=0.63, respectively. The HWIN scale appeared reliable (α=0.83). CONCLUSION: We were able to design three reliable context-specific handwashing norm-related scales, specific to economically disadvantaged community settings in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, but failed to construct a reliable scale to measure outcome expectations around handwashing. The social desirability of handwashing and the narrow content area of social norms constructs relating to handwashing present significant challenges when designing items to measure such constructs. Future studies attempting to measure handwashing norm-related constructs will need to take this into account when developing such scales, and take care to adapt their scales to their study context

Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Child care centers are a unique context for studying communication about the social and personal expectations about health behaviors. The theory of normative social behavior (TNSB; Rimal & Real, 2005 ) provides a framework for testing the role of social and psychological influences on handwashing behaviors among child care workers. A cross-sectional survey of child careworkers in 21 centers indicates that outcome expectations and group identity increase the strength of the relationship between descriptive norms and handwashing behavior. Injunctive norms also moderate the effect of descriptive norms on handwashing behavior such that when strong injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are positively related to handwashing, but when weak injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are negatively related to handwashing. The findings suggest that communication interventions in child care centers can focus on strengthening injunctive norms in order to increase handwashing behaviors in child care centers. The findings also suggest that the theory of normative social behavior can be useful in organizational contexts

Social Networks and the Communication of Norms About Prenatal Care in Rural Mexico

Many normative beliefs are shared and learned through interpersonal communication, yet research on norms typically focuses on their effects rather than the communication that shapes them. This study focused on interpersonal communication during pregnancy to uncover (a) the nature of pregnancy-related communication and (b) normative information transmitted through such communication. Results from interviews with pregnant women living in rural Mexico revealed limited social networks; often, only a woman’s mother or the baby’s father were consulted about prenatal care decisions. However, women also indicated that communication with others during pregnancy provided important normative information regarding prenatal care. First, most referents believed that women should receive prenatal care (injunctive norm), which was conceptualized by participants as biomedical, nonmedical, or a blend of both. Second, family members often received prenatal care, whereas friends did not (descriptive norms). These findings highlight the key role of personal and social networks in shaping personal pregnancy-related beliefs and behaviors

Speaking of Values: Value-Expressive Communication and Exercise Intentions

This study introduces the concept of value-expressive communication and examines its relationship with behavioral intent. Value-expressive communication is conceptualized as the verbal output of a value-expressive attitude. Value-expressive communication about exercise is examined in relationship to strength of religious faith, exercise attitudes, communication frequency, and intentions to exercise among a sample of self-identified Christians. The data indicate a significant interaction between value-expressive communication and communication frequency explains significant variance in exercise intentions. Interact to and exercise attitudes is significantly associated with intentions to exercise. Suggestions for using value-expressive communication in health communication research and practice are discussed

Shark Bytes: Message Sensation Value And Emotional Appeals In Shark Diving Websites

Websites designed to promote risky activities provide a novel context for studying the role of emotional appeals and message sensation value (MSV) in risk messages in order to ultimately understand the type of messages that motivate people to engage in risk behaviors. Framed in theories of message design and emotion, this study investigates representations of threat, efficacy, and the extent to which risk messages appeal to a range of positive and negative emotions through the examination of 53 shark diving websites using content analysis and computer generated linguistic analysis. Results indicate that few websites provide explicit threat information (i.e. severity and susceptibility) but many do present implicit threats. Efficacy-related messages were present on all websites. Positive emotion was more common than negative emotion and there is little representation of the traditional components of MSV. Implications for theory development and communication about risk-seeking are addressed. © 2013 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

The impact of guilt and type of compliance-gaining message on compliance

Consistent with Cialdini's Negative State Relief Model it has been established repeatedly that targets of compliance-gaining attempts comply with a request to help more frequently when those targets feel guilty than when they do not feel guilty. Expanding upon this result it was predicted that to the extent that a compliance-gaining message serves as a cue to link compliance with the restoration of positive or neutral affect, the compliance rate would vary. Building upon this reasoning it was hypothesized that a positive self-feeling compliance-gaining message would be more effective in producing target compliance than would a direct request message when the target felt guilty, but that the opposite relationship would hold when the target was not feeling guilty. An experiment in which both guilt and message type were varied was designed to test this hypothesis. In the main, the data were consistent with these predictions