Biomedical subjects

Mohan J Dutta-Bergman

Publications and source records attributed to Mohan J Dutta-Bergman.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A formative approach to strategic message targeting through soap operas: using selective processing theories.

In the past 2 decades, soap operas have been used extensively to attain prosocial change in other parts of the world. The role of the soap opera in achieving social change has become of special interest to strategic health message designers and planners in the United States. Before a strategic approach is implemented, however, researchers need to conduct formative research to interrogate the viability of soap operas and guide communication strategies. This article constructs a profile of the soap opera user who is younger, less educated, and earns less than the nonuser. Using selective processing theory, I argue that the health-oriented individual is most likely to remember health content from soap operas and incorporate the content in future behavior. Strategic media planning and message construction guidelines are provided for the use of soap operas as vehicles for reinforcing positive health behaviors and introducing new behaviors in the health oriented segment.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Developing a profile of consumer intention to seek out additional information beyond a doctor: the role of communicative and motivation variables.

Current reports in the medical literature demonstrate increasing acknowledgment of consumer involvement in autonomous health and medical information search beyond the doctor. Although multiple studies have segmented consumers into different groups based on the different levels of patient autonomy, the literature review revealed the lack of systematic attempts at elucidating the antecedents of autonomous consumer health information search. In this article, I examine the role of health consciousness as a mediator of the relation between communicative (interpersonal, community, print, television, and Internet) factors and health information seeking.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2005

Theory and practice in health communication campaigns: a critical interrogation.

In recent reviews of the body of work on health campaigns, communication scholars discussed the importance of reflective thinking about the capacity of campaigns to effect change; this reflective thinking is especially important in the realm of the increasing gaps in society between the health rich and the health poor and the increasing marginalization of the poorer sections of society. This article critically reviews 3 central theories of health communication campaigns that represent the dominant cognitive approach: theory of reasoned action, health belief model, and the extended parallel process model. After articulating the limitations of these theoretical approaches, the article summarizes new directions in theory, methodology, and application of health communication campaigns targeting marginalized populations.

Communication↗

PubMed2005

The relation between health-orientation, provider-patient communication, and satisfaction: an individual-difference approach.

This article further examines the consumerist model of physician-patient interaction, documenting the role of health orientation in the realm of participatory communication in medical encounters. It articulates that physician-patient communication style mediates the positive relation between health orientation and relationship satisfaction. Based on a nationally representative sample of 2,636 respondents (48% men and 52% women) gathered in 1999, the study results support the mediating mechanism for key health-orientation variables such as health-consciousness attitude, health-information orientation, health-oriented beliefs, and healthy activities. As opposed to the development of universal communicative interventions that equip patients with communication skills, the project documents the importance of tailoring the health care provider's communicative style depending on the needs of the patient.

Communication↗

PubMed2004

Health attitudes, health cognitions, and health behaviors among Internet health information seekers: population-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Using a functional theory of media use, this paper examines the process of health-information seeking in different domains of Internet use. OBJECTIVE: Based on an analysis of the 1999 HealthStyles data, this study was designed to demonstrate that people who gather information on the Internet are more health-oriented than non-users of Internet health information. METHODS: The Porter Novelli HealthStyles database, collected annually since 1995, is based on the results of nationally representative postal mail surveys. In 1999, 2636 respondents provided usable data for the HealthStyles database. Independent sample t-tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The results showed that individuals who searched for health information on the Internet were indeed more likely to be health-oriented than those who did not. Consumers who sought out medical information on the Internet reported higher levels of health-information orientation and healthy activities, as well as stronger health beliefs than those who did not search for medical news on the Internet. It was observed that those who reported searching for information about drugs and medications on the Internet held stronger health beliefs than the non-searchers. Comparison of individuals who reported seeking out information about specific diseases on the Internet with individuals who did not showed those who sought out disease-specific information on the Internet to be more health-oriented. Finally, consumers who sought out healthy lifestyle information on the Internet were more health conscious and more health-information oriented than those who did not. They were also more likely to hold stronger health-oriented beliefs and to engage in healthy activities. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the functional theory of Internet use. Internet searchers who used the Internet for a wide range of health purposes were typically more health oriented than non-searchers.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2004

Poverty, structural barriers, and health: a Santali narrative of health communication.

Recent years have witnessed a surge in scholarship that problematizes the linear, Eurocentric approach to international health communication and suggests the pressing need for a culture-centered approach. This author takes a culture-centered approach to exploring the Santali meanings of health in rural Bengal. The open-ended interviews conducted with the Santals bring to surface key issues and meaningful theories of health. Central to the Santali experience of health is food; for the Santal, it is his or her hunger that is the greatest cause of disease and illness. Poverty and the presence of structural barriers that cripple Santali existence emerge as the critical themes of Santali health meanings. The study also illuminates the complex process of meaning making engaged in by participants of marginalized sectors. The author draws policy-based implications from the findings of this research.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Primary sources of health information: comparisons in the domain of health attitudes, health cognitions, and health behaviors.

The recent growth in consumer autonomy in health care accompanied by the surge in the use of new media for health information gathering has led to an increasing scholarly interest in understanding the consumer health information search construct. This article explores consumer health information seeking in the realm of the primary sources of health information used by consumers. Based on an analysis of the 1999 HealthStyles data, the paper demonstrates that active communication channels such as interpersonal communication, print readership, and Internet communication serve as primary health information sources for health-conscious, health-information oriented individuals with strong health beliefs, and commitment to healthy activities. On the other hand, passive consumption channels such as television and radio serve as primary health information resources for individuals who are not health-oriented. Media planning implications are drawn from the results, suggesting that broadcast outlets with an entertainment orientation are better suited for prevention campaigns. Such channels provide suitable sites for entertainment-education. On the other hand, print media, interpersonal networks, and the Internet are better suited for communicating about health issues to the health-active consumer segment.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

An alternative approach to social capital: exploring the linkage between health consciousness and community participation.

In recent years, social capital has received a great deal of attention in health communication. The fundamental premise behind the increased attention to social capital is the positive health outcome of social capital. Social capital is treated as an antecedent to health. Building on recent research that points out the role of trait-level variables in the production of social capital, this article examines the role of health consciousness in the production of social capital. The central idea here is that health conscious individuals choose to participate in their communities because of the positive health benefits of such participation.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Reaching unhealthy eaters: applying a strategic approach to media vehicle choice.

Founded upon the argument that unhealthy eaters need to be reached through strategic choices that are driven by adequate formative research, this article examines the media consumption patterns of unhealthy eaters. Based on an analysis of the 1999 Lifestyle data, the article points out that healthy and unhealthy eaters differ systematically in their media choices. While television news is the most effective channel for reaching healthy eaters, television sports and entertainment-oriented Internet are the two major media categories consumed by the unhealthy eater. Also, healthy eaters are more likely to be drawn to print media, suggesting that print-based healthy eating campaigns are unlikely to reach the at-risk group. The article recommends the exploration of alternative entertainment-oriented channels and content strategies to effectively reach the unhealthy eater.

Consumer Behavior↗

PubMed2004

The readership of health magazines:the role of health orientation.

Two important trends have drawn the attention of medical practitioners and academics in recent years: the growth of health consciousness within the United States, and the proliferation in the number of health-oriented media outlets. In the face of the growing health care consumerism, accompanied by the proliferation of health-oriented media delivery systems, it is important to explore the audience profile of health magazines so these magazines may be effectively used for media planning. This paper applies a motivation-driven approach to health magazine readership, arguing that health orientation influences the readership of health magazines. Based on an analysis of the Healthstyles data gathered in 1999 and building upon selective exposure theory, the study demonstrates that health orientation positively predicts health magazine readership. The study results provide guidelines for strategic media planning.

Adult↗