THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
C&J 553 – Section 001

Health Communication Campaigns

SPRING 2009

 

Olaf Werder                                            Class Time: TR 2:00-3:15 pm
Office: C&J 230                                      Class Location: C&J 121                            
Phone: 463-3690                                     email: owerder@unm.edu

Web: http://www.unm.edu/~werder/
         http://ereserves.unm.edu (password: cj553)                                               
Office Hours- (R 10:00 am–12:00 pm) and by appointment

Course Materials

Required Text

Your required texts are:

  • Maibach, E., Parrott, R.L. (1995). Designing Health Messages: Approaches from
    Communication Theory and Public Health Practice
    . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Supplemental readings are available on our course web site and e-reserves at the UNM Library.
You are responsible for making sure that you have read all the readings and supplemental
in-class handouts and assignments if you were absent.

Suggested Texts

Listed below are some supplemental books that may be useful resources to you during the
semester.

Geist-Martin, P., Ray, E.B., Sharf, B.F. (2003). Communicating Health: Personal, Cultural and
Political Complexities
. Canada: Thomson Learning.

Hornik, R.C. (2002). Public Health Communication: Evidence for Behavior Change. Mahway,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

du Pre, A. (2005). Communicating about health: Current issues and perspectives (2nd Edition).
Boston: McGraw Hill.

Singhal, A., & Rogers, E.M. (1999). Entertainment-education: A Communication Strategy for
Social Change.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Course Overview

 

           This course provides an overview of theory and research concerning the role of communication campaigns in health promotion efforts. It focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of communication programs designed to change health behavior of individuals, groups, and entire populations. Examples of public health communication campaigns in the United States and in other parts of the world are used to illustrate the theoretical rationale behind campaigns.
           Topics covered in the first part of the course include micro- and macro-level theories of health behavior change, communication theories that inform the design and implementation of health communication campaigns, planned and unplanned effects of communication campaigns, and the evaluation of such campaigns.
           During the second part of the course, students will study actual health communication campaigns and design a campaign of their own. Through a series of individual and group assignments, students have an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they acquire in this class to the formulation, design, and evaluation of a communication campaign addressing a health problem of their choice.
           The course is intended for graduate and professional students in Public Health, Health Sciences, and Health/Mass Communication. Students should have some background in the social or behavioral sciences. Upper division undergraduates may be admitted by permission of the instructor. It is not necessary that students have previously taken courses in Mass Communication or Public Health, although this is encouraged in both cases.
           By blending theory and practice, this course (a) provides a starting point for developing knowledge of health campaigns, (b) encourages thoughtful criticism of past campaigns based on solid theoretical ideas, and (c) equips students with creative problem-solving skills that can be applied to the design of actual campaigns.

 

Ethical Conduct

 

This course emphasizes ethical practices and perspective. Above all, students and instructors should strive to communicate and act, both in class interactions and in assigned coursework, in a manner directed by personal integrity, honesty, and respect for self and others. Included in this focus is the need for academic honesty by students as stated by the UNM Pathfinder. Students need to do original work and properly cite sources. For example, be aware of plagiarism--directly copying more than 3 or 4 words from another author without quoting (not just citing) the author is plagiarism. Further, dishonesty in quizzes, tests or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; hindering the academic work of other students; misrepresenting academic or professional qualifications within or without the University; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records is also considered a violation of ethical conduct.
           All such cases will be at a minimum receive a zero grade for that particular exam or assignment and at a maximum may result in failure in the course and be reported to the proper university committee.

 

Students With Disabilities

 

Qualified students with physical and learning disabilities needing appropriate academic adjustments should contact me as soon as possible to ensure your needs are met in a timely manner. Handouts are available in alternative accessible formats upon request.

 

Diversity

 

This course encourages different perspectives related to such factors as gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and other relevant cultural identities. This course seeks to foster understanding and inclusiveness related to such diverse perspectives and ways of communicating.

 

Learning Objectives

 
- Identify and define variables, conditions, and processes of mass communication that influence public health at the individual, group, and community levels;
- Understand how theories, models, and assumptions of mass communication relate to effects on public health and public health issues. Theories include:
        Diffusion Models.
        Individual Effects: Social Cognitive Theory.

- Understand public health implications of day-to-day interaction with health-related messages and information appearing in the media;
- Understand how media organizational structures affect the formation of health-related content;
- Identify and define variables, conditions, and processes of mass communication that may positively influence health behavior change;
- Understand the potential and limits of using mass media proactively to help accomplish health education and promotion goals;
- Contrast health communication processes in U.S. and international settings;
- Perfect information search skills in the use and analysis of research literature databases;
- Develop basic planning skills in applying media approaches in public health setting.

Course Evaluation

Comments on weekly readings: (5@5%) ……............           25%
Class discussion leader: (2@10%)…….…………......            20%
Health Issue Analysis: ……………………...................            25%
Intervention Project: ……………………………...…….            30%

Your final grade in this class will be calculated by adding the points (each assignment has a total of 100 points multiplied by its percentage of total) you have accumulated throughout the semester (up to a possible total score of 100 points). Letter grades will be assigned using the following grading scale:

(A)        = 93-97                  (C+)      = 78-79
(A-)       = 90-92                  (C)        = 73-77
(B+)      = 88-89                  (C-)       = 70-72
(B)        = 83-87                  (D)        = 60-69
(B-)       = 80-82                  (F)        = 59 and below
      

Course Requirements

1. Reading and seminar participation:

Students should read all assigned material by the dates listed in the syllabus and be prepared to participate in a discussion of key topics from the readings. As this is a graduate seminar, the success of this course fully depends on students carefully reading and synthesizing material before class and actively attending each class session.

2. Comments on weekly readings:

In five different times throughout the semester (see class schedule) students will be required to write 2-3 pages (typed, double-spaced) of commentary and criticism on any ONE of the readings assigned for that week. Commentary/criticism should focus on the key topic/theme that is common to all the readings assigned that week. Also, students are expected to draw from the readings some major questions and issues that will be useful in class discussions. Comments should be submitted as an e-mail attachment (owerder@unm.edu) no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled class meeting.

3. Class discussion leader:

Each student will be assigned to lead the discussion of assigned readings twice throughout the semester. You should assume that your colleagues have read the article and do not need to have its contents repeated. You should draw from the article some key insights and questions and use these to generate discussion. Moreover, you should use examples of application either from past campaigns or campaigns you envision.

4. Health issue analysis:

Everyone will choose a specific illness that you will study from a communication perspective. The illness you choose should be specifically defined. For instance, you might choose lung cancer as your topic, but cancer in general would not be appropriate as the focus of investigation. You should pick a topic immediately and begin to immerse yourself in the available information about the health problem. At the end of the syllabus you will see of suggestions for paper topics. You do not have to choose one of these topics.

Your research should take you to health promotion and disease prevention information as well as popular literature. The goal of the assignment is to understand how the health problem is constructed and perceived within American culture. In order to accomplish this task you should gather data from a number of different sources.  Approach this as if the problem is one that directly affects you or someone very important in your life. 

Everyone must submit his or her paper topic by email to me no later than Friday, February 6 at 5:00 p.m. The final issues paper should be emailed to me as an e-mail attachment (Word document) as late as 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 5Any paper that is not submitted on March 5 will automatically receive a failing grade.  Once you have submitted your paper, you won’t be allowed to rewrite the paper in order to receive a higher grade than the one originally assigned. The paper must follow the rules for APA format.

5. Intervention project:

For the second paper, everybody will develop a theory-based health communication intervention on the topic of their choice (see above assignment).  You should ground your approach in the theoretical framework you deem appropriate. However, you should present your strategies using the executional steps outlined in class. Everyone will make a presentation on either May 5 or 7. The final paper is due on Tuesday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. via email.

(Health Issue analysis and intervention project assignments courtesy of T. Edgar of Emerson College (course in HC Theory Application)

Resources

Class website: Copies of the syllabus and assignments are available on the class website and EReserves. In addition, I might add to the course site links to websites related to topics covered in this class, current communication campaigns, and additional readings on health campaigns.


Course Schedule      

                                                                                   

Date                  Lecture                                                                                   Assigned                  Assignments

                           Topics                                                                                     Readings                   Due

 

Jan 20             Overview of Course

 

Jan 22             Discussion of Interests, Examples shown 
                       Explanation of health issue analysis paper                                          
           

                                               

Jan 27             Defining Health Communication                         Ch. 1                Commentary 1

Jan 29             1. Health Promotion & Disease Prevention          Items 1-3
                       2. Communication & Health
                       
3. Role of HC in Health Promotion

 

Part I: Theories of Health Behavior Change

 

Feb 3               1. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)                  Items 4-7         Paper topic, 2/6

Feb 5               2. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

 

Feb 10             1. Transtheoretical Model (TTM)                        Ch. 2                Commentary 2

Feb 12             2. Integrated Model (IM)                                   Items 8-9          (or)

                                                           

Feb 17             1. Health Belief Model (HBM)                            Ch. 3, 4             Commentary 2

Feb 19             2. Social Cognitive Theory (TPB)                      Items 10-12
                       3. Fear Appeals Models (FAM)

 

Feb 24             1. Social Network Theories                               Ch. 5, 7

Feb 26             2. Ecological Theories                                      Items 13-14
                       
3. Alternative Models

 

Part II: Public Health and the Media

 

Mar 3               1. Entertainment Media/Advertising                  Items 15-20     

Mar 5               2. News and Information Media                                                Issue paper due

           

Mar 10             3. Reporting Health and Risk                            Ch. 13              Commentary 3

Mar 12                                                                                   Items 21-22

           

Mar 14-22        NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK

                       

Part III: Theory-based Health Communication Strategies

                                                                                   

Mar 24             1. Communication Theory & Behavior Change    Ch. 9-11          

Mar 26             2. Principles of Successful Campaigns              Items 23-27     
                       3. Audience Segmentation Strategies

 

Mar 31              1. Social Marketing Approaches                       Items 28-30      Commentary 4

Apr 2                2. Social Network and other Approaches                     

 

Apr. 7               1. Persuasive Message Design                        Ch. 6, 12         

Apr 9                2. Educational Approaches                              Items 31-33

 

 

Part IV: Health Campaigns Case Studies

 

Apr 14              1. AIDS/Obesity/CVD Prevention                     Items 34-36     

Apr 16              2. Smoking Cessation and Prevention 

 

Apr 21              1. Alcohol-Related Campaigns                         Items 37-39      Commentary 5

Apr 23              2. Anti-Drug Campaigns          

                       

Part V: Campaign Evaluation and Lessons Learned

                                   

Apr 28              1. Campaign Evaluation                                  Items 40-42     

 

Apr 30              1. How effective are health campaigns?            Ch. 14             

2. The future of health campaigns                    Items 43-45

 

May 5               Presentations                                                                          

           

May 7               Presentations                                                                           Final paper

                                                                                                                       due May 12                     

 

Required Readings

 

Introduction

 

1. Finnegan, J.R. and Viswanath, K. (2002). Communication Theory and Health Behavior Change: The Media Studies Framework. In Glanz, Lewis and Rimer (Eds), Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3rd Ed (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass).

 

2. Brown, J. D., & Walsh-Childers, K. (1994). Effects of media on personal and public health. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 453-488). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [go to EReserves]

 

3. Rogers, E. M. (1996). The field of health communication today: An up-to-date report. Journal of Health Communication, 1(1), 15-23.

 

Part I: Theories of Health Behavior Change

 

4. Montaño, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2002). The theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. In K. Glantz, B. K. Rimer, & F. M. Lewis (Eds.), Health behavior and health education (3rd ed., pp. 67-98). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [go to EReserves]

 

5. Albarracín, D., Johnson, B. T., Fishbein, M., & Muellerleile, P. A. (2001). Theories of reasoned action and planned behavior as models of condom use: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 127(1), 142-161.

 

6. Stewart, Robert A., Roach, K. David (1998). Argumentativeness and the theory of reasoned action. Communication Quarterly, 46 (2), 177-193

 

7. Herr, Paul M. (1995). Whither Fact, Artifact, and Attitude: Reflections on the Theory of Reasoned Action. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 4 (4), 371-380.

 

8. Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross, J. C. (1992). In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist, 47(9), 1102-1114.

9. Fishbein, M. (2000). The role of theory in HIV prevention. AIDS Care, 12(3), 273–278.

 

10. Janz, N. K., Champion, V. L., & Strecher, V. J. (2002). The health belief model. In K. Glantz, B. K. Rimer, & F. M. Lewis (Eds.), Health behavior and health education (3rd ed., pp. 45-66). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [go to EReserves]

 

11. Baranowski, T., Perry, C. L., & Parcel, G. S. (2002). How individuals, environments, and behavior interact: Social cognitive theory. In K. Glantz, B. K. Rimer, & F. M. Lewis (Eds.), Health behavior and health education (3rd ed., pp. 165-184). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [go to EReserves]

 

12. Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. Media Psychology, 3, 265-299.

 

13. Bertrand, J. T. (2004). Diffusion of innovations and HIV/AIDS. Journal of Health Communication, 9, 113-121.

 

14. Sallis, J. F., & Owen, N. (2002). Ecological models of health behavior. In K. Glantz, B. K. Rimer, & F. M. Lewis (Eds.), Health behavior and health education (3rd ed., pp. 462-484). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [go to EReserves]

 

Part II: Public Health and the Media

 

Entertainment and News Media

 

15. Robinson, T. N.; Chen, H. L., and Killen, J. D. (1998). Television and music video exposure and risk of adolescent alcohol use. Pediatrics 102(5), E 541-E 546.

 

16. Field, Alison E (1999). Exposure to the Mass Media and Weight Concerns Among Girls. Pediatrics. 103(3), 660.

 

17. Cui, G (2000). Advertising of alcoholic beverages in African-American and Women's magazines: implications for health communication. The Howard Journal of Communications 11, 279-293.

 

18. Nelkin, D. (1996 June 8). An uneasy relationship: the tensions between medicine and the media. Lancet 347, 1600-1603.

 

19. Berger, CR (2001). Making it worse than it is: quantitative depictions of threatening trends in the news. Journal of Communication 51(4), 655-677.

 

20. Guttman N., Boccher-Lattimore D., Salmon C.T. (1998). Credibility of information from official sources on HIV/AIDs transmission. Public Health Reports 113, 465-471.

 

Reporting on Risk and Health

 

21. Trumbo, C (2002). Information processing and risk perception: an adaptation of the Heuristic-Systematic Model. Journal of Communication 52(2), 367-382.

 

22. Tomes, N. (2000). The making of a germ panic, then and now. Am J Public Health, 90, 191-198.

 

 

Part III: Theory-based Health Communication Strategies

 

Campaign Principles and Audience Segmentation

23. Hornik, R., & McAnany, E. (2001). Theories and evidence: Mass media effects and fertility change. Communication Theory 11(4), 454-471.

 

24. McGuire, W. J. (1981). Theoretical foundations of campaigns. In R. R. Rice & W. J. Paisley (Eds.), Public communication campaigns (pp. 41-70). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. [go to EReserves]

25. Guttman, N. (1997). Beyond strategic research: A value-centered approach to health communication interventions. Communication Theory, 7(2), 95-124.

 

26. Bell, R.A., Hillers, V.N., & Thomas, T.A. (1999). Hispanic grandmothers preserve cultural traditions and reduce foodborne illness by conducting safe cheese workshops. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 99(9), 1114-1116.

 

27. Dharod, J.M., Perez-Escamilla, R., Bermudez-Millan, A., Segura-Perez, S., & Damio, G. (2004). Influence of the fight BAC! food safety campaign on an urban Latino population in Connecticut. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 36(3), 128-134.

 

 

Social Marketing & Other Approaches

 

28. Ling, J., Franklin, B., Lindsteadt, J., & Gearon, S. (1992). Social Marketing: Its Place in Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 13, 319-339.

 

29. Solomon, D.S. (1981). A social marketing perspectives on campaigns. In R. R. Rice & W. J. Paisley (Eds.), Public communication campaigns (pp. 281-292). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. [go to EReserves]

 

30. Yanovitzky, I., & Bennett, C. (1999). Media attention, institutional response, and health behavior change: The case of drunk driving, 1978-1996. Communication Research, 26(4), 429-453.

 

Persuasion & Message Design

 

31. Harrington, N. G., et al. (2003). Persuasive strategies for effective anti-drug messages. Communication Monographs, 70(1), 16-38.

 

32. Witte, K. (1994). Fear control and danger control: A test of the extended parallel process model (EPPM). Communication Monographs, 61(2), 113-134.

 

33. Rothman, A. J., & Salovey, P. (1997). Shaping perceptions to motivate healthy behavior: The role of message framing. Psychological Bulletin, 12(1), 3-19.

 

Part IV: Health Campaigns Case Studies

 

34. Myhre, S. L., & Flora, J. A (2000). HIV/AIDS communication campaigns: Progress and prospects. Journal of Health Communication, 5(Supp.), 29-45.

 

35. Miles, A., Rapoport, L., Wardle, J., Afuape, T., & Duman, M. (2001). Using the mass-media to target obesity: an analysis of the characteristics and reported behavior change of participants in the BBC's `Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit' campaign. Health Education Research, 16, 3, 357-372.

 

36. Farrelly, M. C., et al (2002). Getting to the truth: Evaluating national tobacco countermarketing campaigns. American Journal of Public Health, 92(6), 101-107.

 

37. Elder, R. W., Shults, R. A., Sleet, D. A., Nichols, J. L., Thompson, R. S., & Rajab, W. (2004). Effectiveness of mass media campaigns for reducing drinking and driving and alcohol-involved crashes: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27(1), 57-65.

 

38. Stephenson, M. T (2003). Mass media strategies targeting high sensation seekers: What works and why. American Journal of Health Behavior, Supp. 3, 27, S233-S238.

 

39. Kelder, S. H, Maibach, E., Worden, J. K., Biglan, A., & Levitt. A. (2000). Planning and initiation of the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 6(3), 14-26.

 

 

Part V: Campaign Evaluation and Outlook

 

Campaign Evaluation

 

40. Yzer M.C., Diero F.W., and Buunk B.P. (2000). Can public campaigns effectively change psychological determinants of safer sex? An evaluation of three Dutch campaigns. Health Education Research, 15(3), 339-352.

 

41. Hornik, R., & Yanovitzy, I. (2003). Using theory to design evaluations of communication campaigns: The case of the national youth anti-drug media campaign. Communication Theory, 13(2), 204-224.

 

42. Flay, B. R., & Cook, T. D. (1981). Evaluation of mass media prevention campaigns. In R. R. Rice & W. J. Paisley (Eds.), Public communication campaigns (pp. 239-264). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. [go to EReserves]

 

Lessons Learned

 

43. Hornik, R. (2002). Public Health Communication: Making sense of contradictory evidence. In R. Hornik (Ed.), Public health communication: Evidence for behavior change (pp. 1-19). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [go to EReserves]

 

44. Guttman, N and Ressler, W (2001). On being responsible: Ethical issues in appeals to
personal responsibility in health campaigns
. Journal of Health Communication
, 6, 117-136.

 

45. Parrott, R. (2004). Emphasizing "Communication" in Health Communication. Journal of Communication, 54(4), 751-787.

 

Possible Health Topics for Issues Analysis Paper

Alcoholism
Alzheimer's Disease
Anorexia Nervosa
Blindness
Bulimia
Cerebral Palsy
Childhood Autism
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Colorectal Cancer
Congenital Hearing Loss
Cystic Fibrosis
Drug Dependency
Epilepsy
Female Infertility
Fibromyalgia
Gulf War Syndrome
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Hemophilia
Hodgkins’s Disease
Leukemia
Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)
Lung Cancer
Lupus
Male Infertility
Morbid Obesity
Muscular Dystrophy
Oral Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Parkinson's Disease
Sickle Cell Anemia
Skin Cancer
Spina Bifida
Spinal Cord Injury
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes
Tourette’s Syndrome
Tuberculosis