Latino and Non-Latino Perceptions of the Air Quality in California's San Joaquin Valley.

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California has poor air quality, high rates of asthma, and high rates of obesity. Informational campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of the health impacts of poor air quality and promoting behavior change need to be tailored to the specific target audiences. The study examined perceptions of air quality, perceived health impacts, and methods of accessing information about air quality between Latinos and other groups in the SJV. Residents of the SJV (n = 744) where surveyed via one of three methods: community organizations (256), public locations (251), and an internet panel (237). The results suggest that people perceive the air quality in their region to be generally unhealthy, particularly for sensitive groups. The air quality is more likely to be reported as being unhealthy by people with health problems and less unhealthy by Latinos and people who report regularly exercising. Latinos are more likely to report working outdoors regularly, but also more likely to report being able to reduce their exposure if the air quality is unhealthy. The results report differences in informational sources about air quality, suggesting that informational campaigns should target high risk groups using a variety of media

Barriers to blood donation on social media:An analysis of Facebook and Twitter posts

Background: To better understand donor behavior and ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply, various observational studies have examined barriers to blood donation. This study used Facebook and Twitter data to enhance existing research on donation barriers and associated emotions communicated on social media by both donors and non-donors. Study design and methods: We conducted a semantic network analysis (SNA) with 168 232 public Dutch language social media messages from Facebook and Twitter during 2012-2018. SNA uses concepts as nodes in a network and the relationship (ie, co-occurrence) as links between them. We identified the relationship between donation barriers, non-donation (voluntary and involuntary), and dissatisfaction (anger and disappointment) within social media messages. This computational method was combined with an analysis examining significant relationships in-depth. Results: Twelve donation barriers were identified: lifestyle, donation location, medical reasons, no invitation, opening times, physical reactions, pregnancy, remuneration, sexual risk behavior, time constraints, travels, and waiting times. More messages related to involuntary non-donation compared to voluntary non-donation. Involuntary non-donation was associated most strongly with medical reasons and sexual risk behavior, while voluntary non-donation was associated most strongly with resentment regarding remuneration of the blood bankʼs top management. Anger associated most strongly with sexual risk behavior and disappointment most strongly with medical reasons. Conclusion: Discussions around blood donation are increasingly taking place online. Donation barriers found in this study differ from those in survey research. Insights into how donation barriers are communicated in an ever-growing online environment can be utilized to enhance recruitment and retention strategies

Understanding Public Views about Air Quality and Air Pollution Sources in the San Joaquin Valley, California.

The San Joaquin Valley of California has poor air quality and high rates of asthma. Surveys were collected from 744 residents of the San Joaquin Valley from November 2014 to January 2015 to examine the public's views about air quality. The results of this study suggest that participants exposed to high PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in size) concentrations perceived air pollution to be of the worst quality. Air quality in the San Joaquin Valley was primarily perceived as either moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups. Females perceived air pollution to be of worse quality compared to males. Participants perceived unemployment, crime, and obesity to be the top three most serious community problems in the San Joaquin Valley. Participants viewed cars and trucks, windblown dust, and factories as the principle contributors to air pollution in the area. There is a need to continue studying public perceptions of air quality in the San Joaquin Valley with a more robust survey with more participants over several years and seasons

The development and validation of the Leiden Bother and Needs Questionnaire for patients with pituitary disease: the LBNQ-Pituitary

Background Patients report persisting impairment in quality of life (QoL) after treatment for pituitary disease. At present, there is no questionnaire to assess (a) whether patients with pituitary disease are bothered by these consequences, and (b) their needs for support. Objective To develop and validate a disease-specific questionnaire for patients with pituitary disease which incorporates patient perceived bother related to the consequences of the disease, and their needs for support. Methods Items for the Leiden Bother and Needs Questionnaire for patients with pituitary disease (LBNQ-Pituitary) were formulated based on results of a recent focus group study (n = 49 items). 337 patients completed the LBNQ-Pituitary and six validated QoL questionnaires (EuroQoL-5D, SF-36, MFI-20, HADS, AcroQol, CushingQoL). Construct validity was examined by exploratory factor analysis. Reliabilities of the subscales were calculated with Cronbach’s alphas, and concurrent validity was assessed by calculating Spearman’s correlations between the LBNQ-Pituitary and the other measures. Results Factor analyses produced five subscales (i.e., mood problems, negative illness perceptions, issues in sexual functioning, physical and cognitive complaints, issues in social functioning) containing a total of 26 items. All factors were found to be reliable (Cronbach’s alphas all ≥.765), and the correlations between the dimensions of the LBNQ-Pituitary and other questionnaires (all P ≤ .0001) demonstrated convergent validity. Conclusions The LBNQ-Pituitary can be used to assess the degree to which patients are bothered by the consequences of the pituitary disease, as well as their needs for support. It could also facilitate an efficient assessment of patients’ needs for support in clinical practice. We postulate that paying attention to needs for support will lead to optimal patient care (e.g., improvement in psychosocial care), and positively affect QoL

Using the Integrative Model to predict protective behaviors around air quality: An in-depth look at the influence of the information environment on behavior.

Air pollution is the single largest environmental risk and one of the largest global risk factors. The adverse effects of air pollution on health call for efforts to reduce the pollution in the air. However, since that is a long-term goal that requires the successful engagement of multiple stakeholders, efforts are also necessary to reduce the adverse health effects of air pollution on an individual level. Even though risk reducing behavior is possible (and recommended), the majority of people don’t take such action. Through a series of studies, factors related to risk reducing behavioral intention and the relation with the information environment were explored. Study I examined how air pollution is covered in the media, utilizing a content analysis of two national (the New York Times and the Washington Post) and two local newspapers (the Fresno Bee and the Bakersfield Californian). Newspapers report on the potential health impacts of air pollution, but lack efficacy information, suggesting that the reporting is not conducive to risk reducing behavior. Study II modelled the integrative model of behavior prediction (IM) using data from an online survey of emerging adults (n = 938) living in the SJV. Attitude, social norms, and self-efficacy consistently predicted behavioral intentions in the three primary risk reducing behaviors: staying indoors, limiting physical activity, and using air filters. The information environment was found to be an inconsistent predictor of components in the IM. Exposure to the air quality index – the primary air quality communication tool – was low and was found to have limited effect on determinants of risk reducing behavioral intentions. Attention to media was related with attitude and social norms, but not with self-efficacy. The emphasis of health communication efforts focused on increasing behavioral intention should be on increasing awareness and self-efficacy of the primary risk reducing behaviors

Using the Integrative Model to predict protective behaviors around air quality: An in-depth look at the influence of the information environment on behavior.

Air pollution is the single largest environmental risk and one of the largest global risk factors. The adverse effects of air pollution on health call for efforts to reduce the pollution in the air. However, since that is a long-term goal that requires the successful engagement of multiple stakeholders, efforts are also necessary to reduce the adverse health effects of air pollution on an individual level. Even though risk reducing behavior is possible (and recommended), the majority of people don’t take such action. Through a series of studies, factors related to risk reducing behavioral intention and the relation with the information environment were explored. Study I examined how air pollution is covered in the media, utilizing a content analysis of two national (the New York Times and the Washington Post) and two local newspapers (the Fresno Bee and the Bakersfield Californian). Newspapers report on the potential health impacts of air pollution, but lack efficacy information, suggesting that the reporting is not conducive to risk reducing behavior. Study II modelled the integrative model of behavior prediction (IM) using data from an online survey of emerging adults (n = 938) living in the SJV. Attitude, social norms, and self-efficacy consistently predicted behavioral intentions in the three primary risk reducing behaviors: staying indoors, limiting physical activity, and using air filters. The information environment was found to be an inconsistent predictor of components in the IM. Exposure to the air quality index – the primary air quality communication tool – was low and was found to have limited effect on determinants of risk reducing behavioral intentions. Attention to media was related with attitude and social norms, but not with self-efficacy. The emphasis of health communication efforts focused on increasing behavioral intention should be on increasing awareness and self-efficacy of the primary risk reducing behaviors

Media reporting on air pollution:Health risk and precautionary measures in national and regional newspapers

Exposure to air pollution is one of the primary global health risk factors, yet individuals lack the knowledge to engage in individual risk mitigation and the skills to mobilize for the change necessary to reduce such risks. News media is an important tool for influencing individual actions and support for public policies to reduce environmental threats; thus, a lack of news coverage of such issues may exacerbate knowledge deficits. This study examines the reporting of health risks and precautionary measures regarding air pollution in national and regional print news. We conducted a content analysis of two national and two local newspapers covering the USA’s most polluted region during a 5-year period. Coders identified information on threat, self-efficacy, protective measures and information sources. Nearly 40% of air pollution news articles mentioned human health risks. Fewer than 10% of news stories about air pollution provided information on the precautionary measures necessary for individuals to take action to mitigate their risk. Local newspapers did not report more threat (Χ2 = 1.931, p = 0.165) and efficacy (Χ2 = 1.118, p = 0.209) information. Although air pollution levels are high and continue to rise at alarming rates, our findings suggest that news media reporting is not conducive to raising environmental health literacy

Fatalism and exposure to health information from the media: examining the evidence for causal influence

ABSTRACTFatalistic attitudes have a negative impact on a broad variety of health behaviors and behavioral determinants of health. A growing body of research has documented an association between media exposure and fatalism; however, scholarship has not been able to ascertain the causal direction. This review synthesizes the current state of the literature. A major finding is that most studies purporting to assess the relationship between media exposure and fatalism use conflated measures of fatalism. Among those that use an appropriate measure, there is some evidence that increased exposure to media increases fatalism. Although there is a substantive theoretical rationale for such effects, more research is needed to make a definitive claim and to explain the mechanism for such effects

Blood donation narratives on social media: A topic modeling study

Social media have shown great potential for producing significant changes in behavior and have become the cornerstone for many public health and agency efforts. The nonprofit sector -including blood collection agencies- has adopted social media to aid their cause and reach their goals. However, despite the tremendous impact of social media on society and its promising role for donor recruitment and retention, it has been overlooked in donor research. This study therefore sought to map the social media landscape around blood donation. We showcase an inductive computational method to make sense of vast amounts of dynamic unstructured blood donation text data that exists on social media. With this method, we display what is discussed about blood donation on social media, how these topics are distributed on Facebook and Twitter, and how the prevalence of these topics changes over time. We applied structural topic modeling on 7 years of Dutch blood donation Facebook and Twitter data by the general public. We found 25 topics clustered in 6 distinct clusters. Over time, there is a substantial reduction of messages in which donors announce their donations. Topics that emphasize the positives of blood donation, including donor identity-related topics, are rising. In addition, the findings show a clear social media platform contrast. Topics related to campaigns and controversial policies were found more on Twitter and positive donation topics and topics related to the donation process more on Facebook. To make optimal use of social media for recruitment and retention campaigns and efforts, blood collection agencies should recognize the turbulent environment in which they take place. Monitoring public opinions about blood donation will help blood collection agencies make strategic choices and utilize social media more effectively