Evoked fear and effects of appeals on attitudes to performing breast self-examination: an information-processing perspective.
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The effect of fear arousal on attitude toward participating in early detection activities [i.e. breast self-examination (BSE)] was studied from an information-processing perspective. It was hypothesized that fear arousal motivates respondents to more argument-based processing of fear-relevant persuasive information. Respondents first read information about breast cancer in which fear was manipulated. After measuring fear arousal, respondents read a persuasive message about performing BSE. Analyses with reported fear, but not manipulated fear, found support for the hypothesis. Respondents who reported mild fear of breast cancer based their attitude toward BSE more on the arguments provided than respondents who reported low fear of breast cancer. This finding suggests that the use of fear arousal may be an efficient tool in health education practice. However, alternative interpretations are provided, in addition to the suggestion to be careful with using fear arousal in health education messages. (+info)
Occupational health and safety amongst sex workers: a pilot peer education resource.
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This paper presents an account of a pilot project to design and implement an innovative, sex-worker-driven approach to peer education in London. A 28-min, double-sided tape cassette containing extracts of sex workers talking candidly about their work was compiled from oral history recordings. The aims were to pilot process issues in compiling the collaborative resource, and to stimulate discussion of health and safety issues, exploring whether the resource could potentially enhance positive changes in sex workers' knowledge and awareness, self-esteem, and lifeskills. In a limited pilot distribution, 15 sex workers and seven outreach workers in London listened to the tape and completed short evaluation questionnaires. The paper sets out strengths and weaknesses of the pilot method, linking these to broader critical reflections on issues raised about peer education to, for and by sex workers. (+info)
Mass education for obesity prevention: the penetration of the BBC's 'Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit' campaign.
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The study aimed to evaluate the BBC's 'Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit' campaign's success in achieving public awareness of the need for obesity prevention, and putting over its message of healthy eating and increased physical activity. Demographic factors associated with awareness of the campaign were assessed. Data were collected from a national representative British sample as part of the ONS Omnibus survey in March 1999. Questions included weight and height, recognition of the campaign name, recall of the content of the campaign, and participation in the campaign registration scheme. More than half of the respondents had heard of the campaign and 30% recalled the healthy lifestyle messages, although fewer than 1% registered to participate in the scheme. Awareness of the campaign was high in all socio-economic groups, but memory for the healthy lifestyle message was significantly poorer in those with lower levels of education and from ethnic minority groups. Disappointingly, awareness was also no higher in overweight than normal weight respondents. The results strongly support the effectiveness of the campaign in publicizing the issue of increasing prevalence of obesity and the need for lifestyle change, but suggest that different approaches might be needed to maximize participation from groups most in need of lifestyle change. (+info)
Using the mass-media to target obesity: an analysis of the characteristics and reported behaviour change of participants in the BBC's 'Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit' campaign.
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The study aimed to assess the characteristics and reported behaviour change of participants in the BBC's 'Fighting Fat, Fighting Fit' (FFFF) campaign. A postal questionnaire survey was sent to a random sample of 6000 adults registering with the FFFF campaign at the start of the campaign and 5 months later. Demographic characteristics, weight, eating behaviour and activity patterns were assessed. In total, 3661 respondents completed the baseline questionnaire and 2112 (58%) of these completed a follow-up evaluation questionnaire 5 months later. The majority of evaluation participants were women and classified as 'overweight' or 'obese'. Participants reported significant reductions in weight, and in fat and snack intake, and significant increases in exercise levels, and in fruit, vegetable and starch intake during the 6 months of the campaign. These effects remained significant if non-responders were assumed to have made no change. These results show that mass-media campaigns might make a contribution to weight control at the population level, but particular subgroups such as men and people under 25 may require specifically targeted campaigns. In addition, whilst such campaigns may initially attract obese people, they may be more likely to drop out of the campaign than overweight and normal weight individuals. (+info)
Brief intervention for heavy-drinking college students: 4-year follow-up and natural history.
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OBJECTIVES: This study examined long-term response to an individual preventive intervention for high-risk college drinkers relative to the natural history of college drinking. METHODS: A single-session, individualized preventive intervention was evaluated within a randomized controlled trial with college freshmen who reported drinking heavily while in high school. An additional group randomly selected from the entire screening pool provided a normative comparison. Participant self-report was assessed annually for 4 years. RESULTS: High-risk controls showed secular trends for reduced drinking quantity and negative consequences without changes in drinking frequency. Those receiving the brief preventive intervention reported significant additional reductions, particularly with respect to negative consequences. Categorical individual change analyses show that remission is normative, and they suggest that participants receiving the brief intervention are more likely to improve and less likely to worsen regarding negative drinking consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Brief individual preventive interventions for high-risk college drinkers can achieve long-term benefits even in the context of maturational trends. (+info)
The performance of social marketing in reaching the poor and vulnerable in AIDS control programmes.
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The article reviews evidence on the impact and effectiveness of condom social marketing programmes (CSMPs) in reaching the poor and vulnerable with information, services and products in the context of HIV/AIDS/STD prevention and control. Ideally, the success of CSMPs would be judged by whether they contribute to sustained improvements in sexual health outcomes at the population level. Given methodological and attribution difficulties, intermediary criteria are employed to assess effectiveness and impact, focusing on changes in behaviour (including condom use) among poor and vulnerable groups, and access by the poor and vulnerable to condoms, services and information. It remains difficult to reach definitive conclusions about the extent to which CSMPs meet the sexual health needs of the poor and vulnerable, due largely to reliance on sales data for CSMP monitoring and evaluation. CSMPs (like many health programme strategies) have traditionally collected little information on client profiles, health-seeking behaviour, condom use effectiveness, and supply-side issues. Recent data indicate that CSMPs are unlikely to be pro-poor in their early stages, in terms of the distribution of benefits, but as CSMPs mature, then inequities in access diminish, followed by reduced inequities in condom use. The paper assesses the extent to which social marketing is effective in improving access for the poor and vulnerable using a number of variables. In terms of economic access, it is evident that low-income groups are particularly sensitive to CSMP price increases, and that a cost-recovery focus excludes the poorest. Convenience is significantly improved for those who can afford to pay, and CSMPs appear to be addressing social and regulatory constraints to access. Conventional CSMP monitoring systems make it difficult to assess the effectiveness of behavioural change IEC strategies, although data on this dimension of the social marketing approach are beginning to emerge. (+info)
Using folk media in HIV/AIDS prevention in rural Ghana.
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The pandemic of HIV/AIDS continues to pose a serious threat to the population of sub-Saharan Africa, despite ongoing public health efforts to control the spread of infection. Given the important role of oral tradition in indigenous settings throughout rural Africa, we are beginning an innovative approach to HIV/AIDS prevention based on the use of folk media. This commentary explains the types of folk media used in the traditional Ghanaian setting and explores their consistency with well-known theories. Folk media will be integrated with broadcast radio for interventions under the HIV/AIDS Behavior Change Communication Project being undertaken as part of the CARE-CDC Health Initiative (CCHI) in 2 districts in Ghana. (+info)
Modeling and reinforcement to combat HIV: the MARCH approach to behavior change.
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Theory and research suggest that behavioral interventions to prevent HIV/AIDS may be most effective when they are personalized and affectively compelling, when they provide models of desired behaviors, and when they are linked to social and cultural narratives. Effective strategies must also take into account the opportunities and obstacles present in the local environment. The Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV (MARCH) projects combine key aspects of individual behavior change with efforts to change social norms. There are 2 main components to the program: entertainment as a vehicle for education (longrunning serialized dramas on radio or television portray role models evolving toward the adoption of positive behaviors) and interpersonal reinforcement at the community level (support from friends, family members, and others can help people initiate behavior changes; support through changes in social norms is necessary for behavioral effects to be sustained over time). Both media and interpersonal intervention activities should be linked to existing resources in the community and, wherever possible, provide increased access to preventive services, supplies, and other supporting elements. (+info)