2017 Annual Meeting

1) Understand the theoretical background of two approaches to health communication (reasoned action and cultural frames).

2) Learn how to use one or both of these communications approaches to meet communication goals.

3) Learn practical tools from each approach that can enhance communication practice even if resources do not permit a full study.

Health communication is something we all engage, whether through emails to our partners or program participants, or coordinated campaigns directed to the broader public. There are theoretical tools available to help us improve our practice, though we often do not have access to information about these tools. This session will outline two approaches to health communciation: reasoned action and cultural frames, comparing and contrasting them, providing guidelines on when to use which approach, and offering tools from each theory that can be used even when a full-scale communication campaign isn't possible. The discussion will center around communication directed at policy makers to encourage support for early childhood development legislation.

The research question proposed was whether the reasoned action approach and cultural frames could be combined to create a novel way for creating health communication campaigns. The project involved analysis of the reasoned action approach and cultural framing in communication with state-level legislators around the issue of supporting policies for early childhood development. The core of the investigation was on how to effect legialator behavior around voting to support early childhood development policy. Through disection of each approach, the component parts of each theory were illuminated to reveal how the the parts of each theory could be used individually to improve communication practice in the context of health agencies without reasources to implement full communication research projects.

Results included development of a hybrid theory approach combining reasoned action with cultural frames to affect both the broad menal models held by the general public, as well as the components that can help campaign designers understand individual intentions to peform a behavior. Further, implications for practitioners were identified, including which parts of each model could be used to improve health communication campaigns when resources do not allow for a full investigation of the communicative context involved surrounding the behavior of interest.

Enhancing the sophistication of communications approaches within the field of injury and violence prevention has potential to improve health outcomes. This project advances understanding of theoretical models of communication while accounting for the reality that most pubic health agencies do not have the resources available to devote to full communication reserach projects. Having a broad conceptual understanding, as well as discrete tools offered by each theoretical approach enables practitioners to improve their communication practices within their existing structures.