Personal cancer knowledge and information seeking through PRISM: the planned risk information seeking model.

This study retested PRISM, a model of risk information seeking, and found that it is applicable to the context of cancer risk communication. The study, which used an online sample of 928 U.S. adults, also tested the effect of additional variables on that model and found that the original model better fit the data. Among the strongest predictors of cancer information seeking were seeking-related subjective norms, attitude toward seeking, perceived knowledge insufficiency, and affective risk response. Furthermore, risk perception was a strong predictor of an affective risk response. The authors suggest that, given the robustness across studies, the path between seeking-related subjective norms and seeking intention is ready to be implemented in communication practice.

Predicting cancer risk knowledge and information seeking: the role of social and cognitive factors.

This study tests an expanded Structural Influence Model (SIM) to gain a greater understanding of the social and cognitive factors that contribute to disparities in cancer risk knowledge and information seeking. At the core of this expansion is the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM). This study employed an online sample (N = 1,007) of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White adults. The addition of four cognitive predictors to the SIM substantially increased variance explained in cancer risk knowledge (R(2) = .29) and information seeking (R(2) = .56). Health literacy mediated the effects of social determinants (socioeconomic status [SES] and race/ethnicity) on cancer risk knowledge, while subjective norms mediated their effects on cancer risk information seeking. Social capital and perceived seeking control were also shown to be important mediators of the relationships between SES and cancer communication outcomes. Our results illustrate the social and cognitive mechanisms by which social determinants impact cancer communication outcomes, as well as several points of intervention to reduce communication disparities.

Saving time and resources: observational research to support adoption of a hand hygiene promotion campaign.

Hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent the spread of health care-associated infections, but many facilities may not have the resources or expertise to develop their own hand hygiene promotion campaign. This observational study demonstrated that a campaign developed for 1 facility could successfully contribute to behavior change at another, unrelated facility. It serves as a model and evidence that health care facilities can successfully adopt hand hygiene promotion campaigns developed and validated at other facilities.

Little Cigar and Cigarillo Beliefs and Behaviors among African-American Young Adults.

OBJECTIVES: To inform the development of future research and culturally-targeted interventions to address little cigar and cigarillo (LCC) use among an at-risk population: African-American (AA) young adults. Additionally, this project assesses LCC use and perception differences between college- and non-college attending AA young adults who use LCCs. METHODS: Separate focus groups with college and non-college attending AA young adult LCC users assessed participants' attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral controls regarding LCC use, which was guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior. A thematic analysis following standard qualitative methods procedures revealed 5 themes. RESULTS: Participants shared overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward LCC use, ubiquitous use in their communities, and limited barriers to use. Additionally, participants had difficulty separating LCC and marijuana use practices because LCCs often served as carriers for marijuana. There were no substantive differences between the college and non-college samples with respect to overall themes. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should assess LCC intended versus altered use and create culturally relevant intervention measures.

An analysis of nanoscientists as public communicators.

The American public remains unfamiliar with nanotechnology despite more than a decade of investment and development. Nanoscientists have an opportunity to contribute to public conversations about their work, and its potential implications, through their engagement with lay audiences and media professionals. Indeed, the leaderships of many professional scientific organizations have placed a renewed focus on the public communication of science, particularly in the light of drastic changes in the information landscape and the increasing politicization of many technological and scientific issues. However, we have a limited understanding of nanoscientists' perceptions and behaviours regarding their participation in public communication. Here, we report survey results that provide an examination of the public communication behaviours of nanoscientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), an integrated partnership of US research institutions designed to facilitate nanoscale research and development. Our results suggest that nanoscientists are relatively frequent public communicators who commonly associate their communication efforts with positive impacts on their professional success. We also identify a handful of characteristics that drive nanoscientists' intentions to communicate with the public about nanotechnology.

"Take time. Save lives. Clean hands protect." A comparison of two hand hygiene health promotion posters.

Two posters were designed to encourage hospital staff hand hygiene. One focused on broad benefits of hand hygiene to patients and staff, and the other highlighted hand hygiene as a long-known measure to infection control. The former was better received in terms of attention, likability, and potential to promote hand hygiene. A third-person effect, the perception of stronger impact of communication messages on others, was observed. Implications on health promotion message design were discussed.

"Think the sink:" Preliminary evaluation of a handwashing promotion campaign.

Owing to its utility in guiding the planning and evaluation of health promotion campaigns, the Theory of Planned Behavior was used to implement a 1-month campaign aimed at increasing handwashing among college students. Based on observations of bathroom users' handwashing behavior (n = 1,005) and an online survey (n = 188), overall handwashing did not increase as a result of the campaign; however, more students did use soap (58% vs 70%). Future campaigns designed to increase handwashing behavior in students may be advised to target messages according to gender difference-based responsiveness to handwashing norms.