Determining whether Public Communications Campaigns Based on the The Social Norms Approach are a Viable COVID-19 Prevention Strategy for College Campuses.

The purpose of this study is to (a) outline the formative steps that universities can follow to determine if a media campaign based on the social norms approach (SNA) is a viable method for increasing COVID-19 prevention behaviors among their students, (b) present formative research data collected at a large public land-grant university in the U.S., and (c) as a test case, apply that data to assess the SNA's viability for promoting COVID-19 prevention behaviors among students at that institution. Over time, a series of fast-track surveys were conducted to determine the descriptive and injunctive norms for four COVID-19 prevention strategies: wearing a mask in public, physical distancing, limiting the size of indoor gatherings, and receiving or planning to get a vaccination. The results demonstrated that, at this particular university, an SNA-based public communications campaign would be a promising strategy for promoting these protective behaviors. First, a clear majority of the survey respondents reported engaging in the behaviors. Second, the respondents perceived the behaviors to be less common than was actually the case, with one exception: wearing a mask. In all four cases, they perceived the behaviors to be less approved of than what the surveys documented.

Trick or Drink: Offline and Social Media Hierarchical Normative Influences on Halloween Celebration Drinking.

The current study examined the relationship between perceived societal and personal celebration drinking norms, social media use, and alcohol consumption during Halloween. The study used a survey of a nationally representative, convenience, and cross-sectional sample of underage youth (18-20 years old; N = 525). Participants self-reported their own drinking, perceived descriptive norms among peers and close friends, and alcohol-related social media posting and interaction during Halloween. Results revealed that underage youth's estimation of societal drinking norms related to their proximal close friends' drinking norms, which in turn, influenced self-reported number of drinks consumed during Halloween. Social media posting and interaction with alcohol-related content were associated with greater descriptive normative perceptions and self-reported drinking. Extending the hierarchical social norms approach, our findings showed that normative perceptions about proximal reference groups' drinking, along with alcohol-related social media activities, were associated with greater number of drinks consumed during Halloween.

Health-Care Provider Planned Responses to Patient Misunderstandings about End-of-Life Care.

This study examined health-care provider planned responses to patient misunderstandings about end-of-life care using a multiple goals framework. Plan topics and content alignment with task, identity, and relational goal types were coded. Findings suggested that content was predominately task-oriented and concerned implications of treatment options such as choice outcomes and efficacy rates. A substantial percentage of providers planned to refer further discussion about the misunderstanding to another team member or occupational resource. Despite the prompt of patient misunderstanding, little attention was given to literacy and/or avoidance of medical jargon. Implications for these findings are discussed.

Celebration Drinking around the Clock.

The fact that St. Patrick's Day (SPD) celebration drinking occurs during a specified, public, and socially-acceptable time frame which spans the better part of a day and evening makes it an important time to understand and attempt to influence celebration drinking behaviors among young adults. SPD has been identified as the celebration during which college students consume more alcohol than any other point during the school year. Intervention opportunities can be more successful with an understanding of the factors associated with alcohol consumption at specific times on particular celebrations. This study examined the factors associated with celebration drinking at different time periods on SPD which included perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, the numbers of close friends and acquaintances present, social media relationships, demographic variables, past drinking behavior, and intent to drink on SPD at the three time points of interest. Findings showed variability in the predictive factors on SPD celebration drinking at different times of the day. The theoretical and practical intervention implications of the findings are discussed.

Risk Belief and Attitude Formation From Translated Scientific Messages About PFOA, an Environmental Risk Associated With Breast Cancer.

Evidence regarding possible environmental causes of breast cancer is advancing. Often, however, the public is not informed about these advances in a manner that is easily understandable. This research translates findings from biologists into messages at two literacy levels about perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a possible environmental contributor to breast cancer. The Heuristic Systematic Model (HSM) was used to investigate how ability, motivation, and systematic and heuristic processing lead to risk beliefs and, ultimately, to negative attitudes for individuals receiving translated scientific messages about PFOA. Participants (N = 1,389) came from the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation's Army of Women. Findings indicated that ability, in the form of translated messages, predicted systematic processing, operationalized as knowledge gain, which was negatively associated with formation of risk beliefs that led to negative attitudes toward PFOA. Heuristic processing cues, operationalized as perceived message quality and source credibility, were positively associated with risk beliefs, which predicted negative attitudes about PFOA. Overall, more knowledge and lower literacy messages led to lower perceived risk, while greater involvement and ratings of heuristic cues led to greater risk perceptions. This is an example of a research, translation, and dissemination team effort in which biologists created knowledge, communication scholars translated and tested messages, and advocates were participants and those who disseminated messages.

Communication Style as an Antecedent to Reactance, Self-Efficacy, and Restoration of Freedom for Drug- and Alcohol-Involved Women on Probation and Parole.

This study extends research on psychological reactance theory by examining probation and parole officer (PO) communication style as an antecedent to female offenders' reactance and 2 indicators of subsequent drug and alcohol abuse while serving probation or parole sentences. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test a mediational path model, the results of which demonstrated that perceptions of PO conversational communication style were negatively associated with reactance but positively associated with self-efficacy to avoid drugs and alcohol. Conversely, women who perceived their POs as having a conformity communication style were more likely to report higher levels of reactance and lower self-efficacy to avoid drugs and alcohol. Psychological reactance led to desire to restore freedom, whereas self-efficacy to avoid drugs and alcohol did not. Desire to restore freedom was linked with reports of using drugs and alcohol and violations of parole or probation for using drugs and alcohol. These findings highlight the importance of communication style as an antecedent to reactance and in the relationship between POs and offenders.

An Effort to Increase Organ Donor Registration Through Intergroup Competition and Electronic Word of Mouth.

The effort to increase Web organ donation registrations in Michigan by enhancing 2 types of university campaigns with social media strategies informed by social identity theory is the focus of this research. The two campaigns focused on either ingroup or rivalry outgroup social identification, and each was enhanced with individually focused social media in the first year of the campaign and with electronic word of mouth in Year 2 of the campaign. Results indicated that individually focused social media such as Facebook ads worked well in rivalry campaigns (in which registrations increased two times over baseline) but not in ingroup identification campaigns (in which registrations decreased significantly over baseline when ads were introduced in the first year of each type of campaign). Electronic word-of-mouth strategies worked well in both ingroup identification campaigns (in which registrations increased two times over baseline) and rivalry campaigns (in which registrations rose almost eight times over baseline, when strategies were introduced in the second year of each type of campaign).

The effects of fear appeal message repetition on perceived threat, perceived efficacy, and behavioral intention in the extended parallel process model.

This study examined the effect of moderately repeated exposure (three times) to a fear appeal message on the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) variables of threat, efficacy, and behavioral intentions for the recommended behaviors in the message, as well as the proportions of systematic and message-related thoughts generated after each message exposure. The results showed that after repeated exposure to a fear appeal message about preventing melanoma, perceived threat in terms of susceptibility and perceived efficacy in terms of response efficacy significantly increased. The behavioral intentions of all recommended behaviors did not change after repeated exposure to the message. However, after the second exposure the proportions of both systematic and all message-related thoughts (relative to total thoughts) significantly decreased while the proportion of heuristic thoughts significantly increased, and this pattern held after the third exposure. The findings demonstrated that the predictions in the EPPM are likely to be operative after three exposures to a persuasive message.

Comparison of communication and personal characteristics of living kidney donors and a matched quota sample.

Deceased organ donation does not meet the need for kidney transplants. Thus, it is important to examine topics relevant to kidney donors such as communication leading to the donation decision and donor characteristics. This study reports personal characteristics and communication leading to the decision to donate among living kidney donors and a demographically matched quota sample. Donors had higher scores for compassion, while non-donors reported more volunteerism. Donors and non-donors did not differ in conversation or conformity orientations of family communication styles. Only 4.7% of donors reported being asked to donate directly. Matched respondents reported feeling more comfortable than unsettled with the idea of being asked directly and indicated a preference to learn of the need directly or indirectly, giving them the option to volunteer. The majority of donors were giving to family members and friends, and the matched sample indicated greater willingness to donate to immediate family members, followed by friends. Practical implications of the findings are offered.

The effects of heuristic cues, motivation, and ability on systematic processing of information about breast cancer environmental factors.

The heuristic systematic model is used to investigate how ability, motivation, and heuristic message cues predict knowledge scores for individuals receiving messages written for different literacy levels about 3 environmental risk factors for breast cancer. The 3 risk factors were the roles of genetics, progesterone, and ingesting perfluorooctanoic acid in breast cancer risk. In this study, more than 4,000 women participated in an online survey. The results showed support for the hypotheses that ability (measured as education, number of science courses, and confidence in scientific ability) predict knowledge gain and that those individuals who presented with the lower literacy level message had significantly higher knowledge scores across all 3 message topics. There was little support for motivation or heuristic cues as direct predictors of knowledge gain across the 3 message topics, although they served as moderators for the perfluorooctanoic acid topic. The authors provide implications for health communication practitioners.

The effects of message framing within the stages of change on smoking cessation intentions and behaviors.

This study examines two commonly used and accepted theoretical models in health communication-the stages of change and message framing-to determine whether gain- or loss-framed messages are more effective at getting people to intend to quit smoking depending on their current stage of change (precontemplation, contemplation, or preparation). One hundred forty-eight current smokers were exposed to one of four gain- or loss-framed messages that emphasized the benefits of cessation or the costs of smoking. Message believability, message processing, and stage movement were measured to see if any differences existed as a function of the individual's base stage of change and message frame exposure. Overall, results indicated that all participants, regardless of stage and frame, engaged in more central than peripheral message processing. However, those in the precontemplation/loss frame and preparation/gain frame conditions engaged in significantly less cognitive processing than those in all other conditions. Additionally, gain-framed messages were most influential at getting individuals to progress from the contemplation to the preparation stage. Implications and future directions for research are also discussed.

Help a buddy take a knee: creating persuasive messages for military service members to encourage others to seek mental health help.

Helping service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who need mental health help is an important problem for the United States military. Tanielian and Jaycox (2008) estimated that approximately 14%, or 300,000, of the service members returning from the wars have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet just over half of those needing psychological help seek it despite the availability of effective treatments. This article reports the focus group responses of military personnel about message factors associated with persuading individuals to encourage others to seek mental health help. The results have theoretical and practical implications for future message design for promoting increased usage of mental health services among members of this population. Responses are presented in terms of the communication variables of source, message, channel, and receiver factors.

College students' estimation and accuracy of other students' drinking and believability of advertisements featured in a social norms campaign.

Social norms campaigns, which are based on correcting misperceptions of alcohol consumption, have frequently been applied to reduce college students' alcohol consumption. This study examined estimation and accuracy of normative perceptions for students during everyday drinking occasions. Students who reported having 4 or fewer drinks underestimated the percentage of other students who had 4 or fewer drinks, while those who drank 5 or more drinks overestimated the percentage of other students who had 5 or more drinks. Believability of advertisements featured in social norms campaigns also played a crucial role in this process. Those who believed the ad more closely estimated alcohol consumption by their peers while ad believability moderated the relation between drinking behaviors and accuracy.

Living kidney donor decision making and communication.

There is high demand for kidney donors in the United States, and it is widely accepted that living donation is optimal for individuals who need a kidney. Much research has focused on the potential recipient, but little has been studied about the communication and decision making of living kidney donors. Interviews assessed the communication and decision-making processes of 43 kidney donor volunteers. Almost all of the participants were not asked, but instead volunteered, to donate. The majority of donors reported having conversations with the recipient and speaking about their decisions with other individuals in their social networks besides the recipient. Some participants said that they stopped talking to others because of negative feedback. Future research should further examine the communication of donors with non-recipient others and potential methods of training recipients and donors to communicate effectively about the donation process.

Measuring cancer clinical trial understanding.

Researchers, practitioners, and participants in cancer clinical trials must have a clear understanding of clinical trials if participation in them is to be solicited ethically and effectively. A valid and reliable measure of cancer clinical trial understanding did not exist prior to a 2005 study conducted for the Coalition of Cooperative Cancer Groups. This report outlines a measure derived from that study, discusses the rationale for its component items, examines its psychometric properties, and demonstrates the relationship of this measure to the enrollment decision. Data from national samples of cancer survivors and the general public demonstrate the measure's validity and reliability. Results are discussed as they relate to patient understanding of clinical trials, informed decision making, and health communication processes.

Using the Extended Parallel Process Model to create and evaluate the effectiveness of brochures to reduce the risk for noise-induced hearing loss in college students.

Brochures containing messages developed according to the Extended Parallel Process Model were deployed to increase intentions to use hearing protection for college students. These brochures were presented to one-half of a college student sample, after which a questionnaire was administered to assess perceptions of threat, efficacy, and behavioral intentions. The other half of the sample completed the questionnaire and then received brochures. Results indicated that people receiving the brochure before the questionnaire reported greater perceptions of hearing loss threat and efficacy to use ear plugs when in loud environments, however, intentions to use ear plugs were unchanged. Distribution of the brochure also resulted in greater perceptions of hearing loss threat and efficacy to use over-the-ear headphones when using devices such as MP3 players. In this case, however, intentions to use over-the-ear headphones increased. Results are discussed in terms of future research and practical applications.

The long-term effectiveness of a social norming campaign to reduce high-risk drinking: The Michigan State University experience, 2000-2014.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate effectiveness of a university-wide social norms marketing campaign to reduce high-risk drinking and its consequences among students at MSU. Participants: Campaign messages regarding descriptive and injunctive norms were distributed campus-wide from 2001 to 2014 to correct norm misperceptions. Methods: Random samples of students surveyed most semesters to monitor message saturation, dosage, and believability along with drinking attitudes, behaviors and harm related to celebratory events. NCHA conducted biennially since 2000 to assess overall progress. Results: Perceived drinking norms declined along with measures of actual drinking intensity, frequency, and frequency of intense drinking. Use of protective behaviors most often addressed in campaign messages increased while driving after drinking declined. Importantly, reported adverse effects of drinking on academic performance declined substantially. Conclusions: The evidence suggests the social norms approach has been effective at reducing adverse academic outcomes of drinking. Changes in perceptions, attitudes, behaviors and outcomes appear to be continuing.

The effects of sensation seeking, misperceptions of peer consumption, and believability of social norms messages on alcohol consumption.

The social norms marketing approach is one method used to reduce extreme alcohol consumption. The current study implemented a web-based survey (N = 891) to assess whether sensation-seeking, perceived moderate drinking norms, and social norm message believability impacted alcohol consumption on a college campus. Sensation seeking was not directly related to normative perceptions of others' moderate alcohol consumption. Sensation seeking, perceived norms, and message believability all had direct effects on alcohol consumption, and the interaction of sensation seeking and message believability impacted alcohol consumption, while the interaction of sensation seeking and perceived norms on alcohol consumption was marginally significant. Implications of these findings for the social norms marketing approach are discussed.

Action tendency emotions evoked by memorable breast cancer messages and their association with prevention and detection behaviors.

Memorable messages about breast cancer sent by different sources, such as friends and family members, were analyzed for the action tendency emotions that they evoked. Negative emotions of fear, sadness, and anger, and positive emotions of hope and relief were analyzed for their associations with prevention and detection breast cancer behaviors. Messages that evoked fear were significantly more likely to be associated with detection behaviors, whereas messages that evoked relief were significantly less likely to be associated with detection behaviors than messages that did not evoke these emotions. These results are consistent with control theory and also show that friends and family are important sources of memorable messages about breast cancer.

Ethnic differences in intention to enroll in a state organ donor registry and intention to talk with family about organ donation.

This study compared African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and White Americans on their intentions to enroll in a state organ donor registry and to talk with family about organ donation. The overall results showed that attitudes and subjective norms from the theory of planned behavior were significantly related to intention to enroll whereas perceived behavioral control was not. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were significantly related to intention to talk with family. The differences among ethnic groups were small, but the relationship between attitudes and intention to enroll was stronger for Asian Americans and weaker for African Americans than for White Americans. The implications of these and other findings are discussed for organ donation campaigns.