"I Want to Walk with My Moko." The Application of Social Cognitive Theory in the Creation of a Diabetes Prevention Documentary with New Zealand Maori.

Type 2 diabetes is almost three times more prevalent in the indigenous people of New Zealand (Maori) than non-Maori. Despite the high rate of diabetes there is a low level of diabetes knowledge and awareness in the Maori community. Several studies of Maori health identify a need for new health communication approaches to diabetes prevention in order to reduce the gap between Maori and non-Maori disease rates. We applied a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework and behavioral theory to create a culturally appropriate documentary for Maori at risk for type 2 diabetes. We discuss how we utilized Bandura's social cognitive theory to provide a culturally sensitive theoretical basis for behavior change messaging. We outline why social cognitive theory was a culturally appropriate foundation and describe the role of the community in shaping the documentary messaging. A culture-centered approach utilizing participatory methodologies and culturally sensitive behavioral change theory might serve as a model for creating health communication resources in collaboration with other indigenous communities.

Career Paths of Recipients of a Master's Degree in Health Communication: Understanding Employment Opportunities, Responsibilities, and Choices.

A growing number of institutions offer a master's degree in health communication to prepare individuals for applied work in the field, but there is very little literature on the career paths graduates pursue. The current study reports the results of a national survey that targeted the alumni of five institutions that offer the degree. Of the 522 total graduates to whom the survey was sent, 398 responded (76.2% response rate). Results show that the degree recipients have found employment in a wide variety of organizations across the country, including jobs within very prestigious organizations, such as the National Cancer Institute. Common job titles include manager, coordinator, communication associate/specialist, and program/project director. The most common job responsibilities include research activities, the development of health communication materials, project/program management, communication management, and social media/website management. The results also include stories of graduates across programs that illustrate details of career paths. The discussion of the findings addresses implications for career preparation, curriculum development, and advising.

Results from a national survey of health communication master's degree recipients: an exploration of training, placement, satisfaction, and success.

The field of health communication has seen substantial growth in recent years, but existing health communication research literature contains little information on individuals who practice health communication in applied settings. This study reports the results of a national survey that targeted the alumni of 5 institutions that offer a master's degree in health communication. Of the 522 total graduates to whom the survey was sent, 398 responded. Survey results provided information in a number of areas including undergraduate education background; criteria used to determine what type of master's degree in health communication to pursue; strategies used to gain employment; employment sector of first job after graduation; salaries received after completion of a master's degree in health communication; satisfaction with career choice after completion of master's degree; satisfaction with type of master's degree in health communication received; satisfaction with career choice after completion of master's degree; and the degree to which respondents felt their master's program in health communication prepared them to meet core competencies in the field. These findings have significant implications for the health communication field and the programs that prepare individuals for a career as a health communication practitioner.

Using communication theory for health promotion: practical guidance on message design and strategy.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health communication is "the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health." The purpose of this article is to look at how health educators can use communication theory to create messages that are innovative, relatable, and motivating to intended audiences. Three specific communication theories are presented, along with examples of how they have been successfully used in behavior change initiatives. These three theories are offered in an effort to stimulate further investigation into how theory supports the creation of targeted, tailored, and effective communication strategies.

Sustainability for behaviour change in the fight against antibiotic resistance: a social marketing framework.

Antibiotic resistance is one of today's most urgent public health problems, threatening to undermine the effectiveness of infectious disease treatment in every country of the world. Specific individual behaviours such as not taking the entire antibiotic regimen and skipping doses contribute to resistance development as does the taking of antibiotics for colds and other illnesses that antibiotics cannot treat. Antibiotic resistance is as much a societal problem as it is an individual one; if mass behaviour change across the population does not occur, the problem of resistance cannot be mitigated at community levels. The problem is one that potentially can be solved if both providers and patients become sufficiently aware of the issue and if they engage in appropriate behaviours. Although a number of initiatives have been implemented in various parts of the world to elicit behaviour change, results have been mixed, and there is little evidence that trial programmes with positive outcomes serve as models of sustainability. In recent years, several scholars have suggested social marketing as the framework for behaviour change that has the greatest chance of sustained success, but the antibiotic resistance literature provides no specifics for how the principles of social marketing should be applied. This paper provides an overview of previous communication-based initiatives and offers a detailed approach to social marketing to guide future efforts.

Beyond literacy and numeracy in patient provider communication: focus groups suggest roles for empowerment, provider attitude and language.

BACKGROUND: Although the number of people living in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) is substantial, the impact of language on patients' experience of provider-patient communication has been little explored. METHODS: We conducted a series of 12 exploratory focus groups in English, Spanish and Cantonese to elicit discussion about patient-provider communication, particularly with respect to the concerns of the health literacy framework, i.e. ability to accurately understand, interpret and apply information given by providers. Within each language, 2 groups had high education and 2 had low education participants to partially account for literacy levels, which cannot be assessed consistently across three languages. Eighty-five (85) adults enrolled in the focus groups. The resulting video tapes were transcribed, translated and analyzed via content analysis. RESULTS: We identified 5 themes: 1) language discordant communication; 2) language concordant communication; 3) empowerment; 4) providers' attitudes; 5) issues with the health care system. Despite efforts by facilitators to elicit responses related to cognitive understanding, issues of interpersonal process were more salient, and respondents did not readily separate issues of accurate understanding from their overall narratives of experience with health care and illness. Thematic codes often appeared to be associated with education level, language and/or culture. CONCLUSION: Our most salient finding was that for most of our participants there was no clear demarcation between literacy and numeracy, language interpretation, health communication, interpersonal relations with their provider and the rest of their experience with the health care system.

Social Marketing as a Framework for Youth Physical Activity Initiatives: a 10-Year Retrospective on the Legacy of CDC's VERB Campaign.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In 2002, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the VERB. It's what you do! campaign to increase physical activity among tweens and concomitantly respond to the rise in childhood obesity. This retrospective study summarizes the history of the VERB campaign's social marketing approach and its effectiveness in promoting behavior change in the targeted population. RECENT FINDINGS: The legacy of VERB, which ended in 2006, is discussed, with an emphasis on examining initiatives over the last decade and the degree to which they followed (or did not follow) the structural and thematic lead of the campaign. The article ends with suggestions for how VERB still has the potential to inform other social marketing campaigns going forward.

Applying Community-Based Participatory Research to Create a Diabetes Prevention Documentary with New Zealand Maori.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is almost three times more prevalent in the indigenous people of New Zealand (Maori) than non-Maori. Despite the high rate of diabetes in the Maori population, little is known about their personal understanding or experience of the disease. OBJECTIVES: To engage Maori in a participatory process to develop a culturally relevant diabetes prevention documentary. METHODS: Principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) were applied to a qualitative research design employing key informant interviews and focus groups to develop a diabetes prevention documentary. CONCLUSIONS: A CBPR approach provides an appropriate model for enacting local action-oriented approaches in the creation of a documentary that reflects Maori cultural beliefs and practices.

BDSM Disclosure and Stigma Management: Identifying Opportunities for Sex Education.

While participation in the activities like bondage, domination, submission/sadism, masochism that fall under the umbrella term BDSM is widespread, stigma surrounding BDSM poses risks to practitioners who wish to disclose their interest. We examined risk factors involved with disclosure to posit how sex education might diffuse stigma and warn of risks. Semi-structured interviews asked 20 adults reporting an interest in BDSM about their disclosure experiences. Most respondents reported their BDSM interests starting before age 15, sometimes creating a phase of anxiety and shame in the absence of reassuring information. As adults, respondents often considered BDSM central to their sexuality, thus disclosure was integral to dating. Disclosure decisions in nondating situations were often complex considerations balancing desire for appropriateness with a desire for connection and honesty. Some respondents wondered whether their interests being found out would jeopardize their jobs. Experiences with stigma varied widely.

An alumni-based evaluation of graduate training in health communication: results of a survey on careers, salaries, competencies, and emerging trends.

Published information about career options and the core competencies necessary for health communication professionals (HCPs) is limited. Although the number of graduate programs in health communication continues to grow, no formal assessment of the success of this type of training has been conducted. The current study presents the results of an evaluation of the Master's Program in Health Communication offered collaboratively by Emerson College and the Tufts University School of Medicine. The program was one of the first of its kind and has graduated more health communication students than any other in the United States. To conduct the assessment of the program, the two schools collaborated on the development of an on-line survey for the alumni. Of the 131 graduates eligible to participate, 106 completed the survey. The survey yielded detailed information on the following: (1) career options for individuals with master's degrees in health communication; (2) value of graduate coursework for developing competencies in health communication; (3) salary expectations for individuals with graduate degrees in health communication; and (4) emerging trends in the field. These findings have important implications for the development of new programs and the refinement of existing ones in health communication.