Browsing by Subject "Health Communication"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A case study of community response to a health crisis from a communication perspective
    (2016-11) Goodin, Lisann; Parrish-Sprowl, John
    The city of Austin is a small community in Southern Indiana that experienced a large HIV/AIDS outbreak which infected over 180 people. Due to rapid spread of the disease from shared needles during intravenous drug use, a public health emergency was declared in March 2015. This epidemic was a symptom of the overall communal health issues within the area related to drugs, crime, prostitution and poverty. These problems affect residents’ physical and mental health, however, often go unaddressed due to limited resources, healthcare and education. Organizations within the area were affected by the epidemic, and many provided a response to help combat the issue. The purpose of this study is to examine how organizations respond to a health crisis from a communication perspective. Research question one is, what was the level of coordination between the seven organizations during the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Research question two is, what was the public’s response to the effort made by the seven organizations? This study interviewed seven participants and a thematic analysis was conducted that discovered four themes: coordinated response, uncoordinated activities, response time, and inadequate response. In response to research question one, the levels of coordination were infrequent with the seven agencies. Research question two found multiple areas that indicated the agencies approach ineffective in adequately informing the public. The agencies’ efforts displayed a lack of coordination and poor timely response to the crisis. These issues show it is imperative that we develop a resilient health system to operate systemically. By implementing communication for whole health, it would provide a resilient system for agencies to understand and develop coordination and collaboration between each other. With a sense of coordination, they would then be able to execute ways of promoting and living out better physical and mental health (Parrish-Sprowl and Parrish-Sprowl, 2016).
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    Efficacy of tailored messages to improve behavioral intent to accept HPV vaccination among mothers may be moderated by sociodemographics
    (Elsevier, 2021-05-29) Feemster, Kristen A.; Head, Katharine J.; Panozzo, Catherine A.; O'Dell, Sean M.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Kornides, Melanie L.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    We assessed differences in response to a tailored recommendation intervention for HPV vaccine by participants’ sociodemographic characteristics in this exploratory sub-analysis of a larger web-based, randomized-controlled trial on tailored messaging among mothers with low intent to vaccinate their 11–14-year-old child against HPV. The intervention consisted of pre-recorded video messages tailored to 1–5 common concerns about HPV vaccine. In these exploratory analyses, we used generalized linear models to assess differences in post-intervention intent across intervention arms, stratified by sociodemographic characteristics among 496 trial participants. We found significantly higher post-intervention intent in the intervention participants versus the control group among mothers: 1) with younger children; 2) with white vs. black children; 3) with Non-Hispanic children; 4) who were younger; 5) with some college or vocational training; with household incomes of ≥$100,000; and 7) with 1–2 children. Our findings of effect modification by certain sociodemographic factors such as age, race/ethnicity, and household income should be considered when designing similar tailored messaging interventions.
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    "Every Interaction is an Intervention": A Case Study Employing a Communication Complex Approach to Addressing Community Mental Health in a Low-Middle Income Country
    (2024-03) Goodin, Lisann Renee; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Longtin, Krista; Goering, Beth; Schwebach, Gary
    Historically, community engagement projects have been addressed from traditional approaches of looking at physical, mental, and social health separately instead of seeing how they are intertwined elements in making up a person’s whole health. Implying the systemic connection between all health and not just the absence of disease engages the World Health Organization’s definition of health. There is a need to shift to a complex approach known as communication complex that better supports complex environments like Low-Middle Income Countries. Communication complex is a meta-perspective that helps design a quantum complexity framework that engages the bioactive nature of communication and the systemic interconnection of everything. When communication complex is applied to the context of health, this is known as Communication for Whole Health which is an interventional framework. This approach informed the development of the following research questions: RQ1: How might researchers meld into a community to promote CWH? RQ2: How can the shifting trajectory from a culture of reactivity to one of receptivity be assessed? The methodological approach for this study is looking at a case study as an ethnographic participant observer within participatory action research to observe and understand where interventions have occurred within the community. This study found that researchers can meld into a community through a relational multi-interventional process by focusing on building healthy relationships with Communication for Whole Health practices. Further findings discovered that to assess how a culture shifts from a culture of reactivity to receptivity, this occurs through an evaluative approach that is not traditional of being done to an organization but rather observing how relationships change in conversation. In conclusion, using a Communication for Whole Health approach for community engagement that moves from object to relational provides a better framework to respond to a complex environment with minimal resources.
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    Identifying Metaphors Used by Clinicians That Help Patients Conceptualize Complex Cardiac Device Data for Managing Their Health
    (2021-12) Daley, Carly Noel; Holden, Richard; Jones, Josette; Bolchini, Davide; Bute, Jennifer
    Metaphors are used to conceptualize one thing in terms of another that is more familiar or concrete. The use of metaphors in patient-provider communication has helped providers generate empathy and explain concepts effectively, improving patient satisfaction and understanding of health-related concepts. With advances in technology, concepts related to health monitoring have become increasingly complex, making the potential for using metaphors in health communication at its highest relevancy. With the increase in health data there is a need to improve tools to help people understand complex information. Ethical considerations, such as possible misinterpretation of health data, as well as the potential to widen disparities because of factors such as health literacy, must be addressed. Metaphors are powerful tools that can make explanation of information accessible, accurate, and effective for people who are monitoring their data. The current research aims to contribute design recommendations for using metaphors in communication between clinicians and patients for monitoring biventricular (BiV) pacing, a complex device data element used in the monitoring of patients with heart failure (HF) who have cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. The overarching goal is to understand this process such that it can be applied to broader communication needs in health informatics. The study addresses the following aims: Aim 1: Identify metaphors clinicians use to conceptualize BiV pacing for CRT devices using semi-structured interviews with clinician experts. Aim 2: Identify metaphors that help patients conceptualize BiV pacing for CRT devices using semi-structured interviews with patients, and exploring the metaphors identified in Aim 1. Aim 3: Develop design recommendations for health informatics interventions using an understanding of metaphors that help patients understand BiV pacing for CRT devices. Themes from analysis of Aims 1 and 2 contribute to recommendations for the use of metaphors in health informatics interventions. The purpose of this work is to contribute to an in-depth understanding of metaphors in a specific health informatics context. Importantly, this research applies methods and principles from the field of health communication to address a communication-related issue in health informatics.
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    The Role of Online Social Support in Supporting and Educating Parents of Young Children With Special Health Care Needs in the United States: A Scoping Review
    (JMIR Publications, 2016) DeHoff, Beth A.; Staten, Lisa K.; Rodgers, Rylin Christine; Denne, Scott C.; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: When parents of young children with special health care needs (CSHCN) receive their child’s diagnosis, they encounter information they may not understand, emotions they may not know how to cope with, and questions about their child’s immediate and long-term future that frequently lack answers. The challenge of health care providers is how to prepare parents for caring for their CSHCN, for coping with any resulting challenges, and for accessing the systems and services that can assist them. Objective: The purpose of this work was to review evidence of the information and support needs of parents of young CSHCN and to determine whether online social support can serve as an avenue for learning and empowerment for these parents. Methods: A scoping review identified the challenges, coping mechanisms, and support needs among parents of CSHCN, and the reach and effectiveness of digital technologies with these families and health care providers. We also conducted interviews with professionals serving parents of CSHCN. Results: The literature review and interviews suggested that parents best learn the information they need, and cope with the emotional challenges of raising a CSHCN, with support from other parents of CSHCN, and that young parents in recent years have most often been finding this parent-to-parent support through digital media, particularly social media, consistent with the theory of online social support. Evidence also shows that social media, particularly Facebook, is used by nearly all women aged 18-29 years across racial and socioeconomic lines in the United States. Conclusions: Parents of young CSHCN experience significant stress but gain understanding, receive support, and develop the ability to care for and be advocates for their child through parent-to-parent emotional and informational social support. Online social support is most effective with young adults of childbearing age, with social media and apps being the most useful within the theoretical framework of social support. This opens new opportunities to effectively educate and support parents of young CSHCN. Providers seeking to inform, educate, and support families of CSHCN should develop strategies to help parents find and use social support through digital resources to facilitate their emotional adjustment and practical abilities to care for and access services for their child. [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(12):e333]
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    A Study On Compassion Fatigue Among Professionals Working with Child Sexual Abuse Survivors in Mainland China
    (2019-08) Cao, Aoxuan; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Sandwina, Ronald M.; Goering, Elizabeth
    Compassion fatigue is an outcome showing a series of popular negative symptoms with an engagement of empathy among caregiving professionals. To fill the gap of related study among professionals working with child sexual abuse survivors in China, the qualitative research method was performed through nine in-depth interviews with four social workers, three psychological counselors, one lawyer, and one prosecutor. The four main results are: professionals are facing challenging working environments; professionals have intense psychological distress; professionals are not aware of their mental status; professionals are not engaged in self-care. In further discussions, the reasons for and implications of the results are explored. First, professionals are at risks of compassion fatigue. Second, cultural and social ideologies affect professionals work in helping child sexual abuse survivors; such barriers can generate compassion fatigue. Third, the language used for (child) sexual abuse impacts social ideology towards sexual abuse and sexual abuse victims. Fourth, undeveloped legislation cannot provide solid backup for professionals’ work. Fifth, there is an absence of cooperation between the public security organs and intervention service providers. In conclusion, people must be alert to compassion fatigue among professionals working with child sexual abuse survivors. The society also needs to sweep potential barriers of professionals’ work from the cultural and social ideologies. Moreover, legislation should refine to build school protection system and boys sexual abuse protection.