Communication to Promote Healthier Behaviors – Understanding the Roles of Channels and Message Formats

Communication has been used to change people’s health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and it is critical for improving people’s lives, especially those who are in a disadvantaged group. Many studies suggest that communication is a powerful tool when it is used effectively for these population groups. In this dissertation I explored the roles of channels and message formats among vulnerable populations. Paper 1 investigated interpersonal diffusion of health information, specifically health information mavenism among people over age 65 in Japan, identifying the characteristics of health information mavens and whether they behave more healthily or report better health status. The study found that health information mavens can be a potential channel to facilitate word-of-mouth communication among the elderly, who are considered as a disadvantaged group. Paper 2 explored the impact of discrete emotions to Graphic Health Warnings (GHWs) on tobacco-related outcomes among smokers and non-smokers from lower socioeconomic status (SES) in the U.S. The paper researched the relationship between different discrete emotional reactions and smoking cessation-related cognitive outcomes. It demonstrated the importance of focusing on discrete emotional reactions and the intensity of the discrete emotional reactions that GHWs induce, beyond positive or negative valence, on tobacco-related outcomes. Paper 3 examined segmentation, specifically focusing the effectiveness of matched GHWs by race, gender, and chronic disease conditions on cognitive outcomes among smokers in vulnerable populations. It assessed whether the GHWs matched with the image of particular groups, in terms of race, gender and chronic disease conditions, increases risk perception and intention to quit smoking among the intended audience. Segmentation showed the increased effect for risk perception among female-targeted GHWs, however, the increased effect was not shown for other groups and outcomes. Further research is needed to investigate whether segmentation works for matched groups. The findings not only make contribution to the literature by generating new evidence on the role of channels and formats, but also contribute to practice by offering practical implications for program and strategy development in health communications among vulnerable population