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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The cost-effectiveness of health communication programs: what do we know?

While a considerable body of evidence has emerged supporting the effectiveness of communication programs in augmenting health, only a very small subset of studies has examined also whether these programs are cost-effective, that is, whether they achieve greater health gains for available financial resources than alternative interventions. In this article, we examine the available literature on the cost-effectiveness of health behavior change communication programs, focusing on communication interventions involving mass media, and, to a lesser extent, community mobilization and interpersonal communication or counseling. Our objective is to identify the state of past and current research efforts of the cost-effectiveness of behavior change communication programs. This review makes three principal conclusions. First, the analysis of the cost-effectiveness of health communication programs commonly has not been performed. Second, the studies reviewed here have utilized a considerable diversity of methods and have reflected varying levels of quality and adherence to standard cost-effectiveness methodologies. This leads to problems of transparency, comparability, and generalizability. Third, while the available studies generally are indicative of the cost-effectiveness of communication interventions relative to alternatives, the evidence base clearly needs to be expanded by additional rigorous cost-effectiveness analyses.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1983

Nutrition communication program: a direct mail approach.

A nutrition communication model (7) provided the framework for developing and evaluating a mass communication program for families with young children. A three-way interactive communication system via direct mail combined some of the attributes of interpersonal communication with the efficiency of mass-mediated communication. This interaction within the family and between the family and the nutrition communicator was expected to enhance the probability of improvement in nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The nutrition program took a holistic approach in order to develop an understanding of basic concepts important for making decisions about diet and food selection. Results from audience lists showed that the communication strategy led to desired interaction, particularly within the family reference group. Family discussion occurred frequently, and the amount of feedback was moderate. Attention paid to the messages was good for fathers and very good for mothers. As measured two weeks after program completion, nutrition knowledge increased significantly, and six of nine measured behaviors changed in the desired direction. In addition, one-third to one-half of the participants reported specific changes in food practices. The nutrition communication program was generally effective. The evidence of behavioral changes shows that it is possible to influence food practices with a mass communication program. These results support the belief that the limited effects of mass-mediated programs have been due at least in part to the way the channel has traditionally been used.

Communication↗
PubMed2006

Cost-effectiveness analysis for health communication programs.

This article describes methods for analyzing the cost-effectiveness of health communication programs, focusing in particular on estimating program effectiveness with econometric methods that address experimental and quasi-experimental designs (and their absence), national or subnational program coverage, and endogenously targeting of programs. Experimental designs provide a gold standard for assessing effectiveness but are seldom feasible for large-scale health communication programs. Even in the absence of such designs, however, fairly simple methods can be used to examine intermediate objectives, such as program reach, which in turn can be linked to program costs to estimate cost effectiveness. When moving beyond program reach to behavioral or other outcome measures, such as contraceptive use or fertility, or when faced with full-coverage national programs, more elaborate data and methods are required. We discuss data requirements and assumptions necessary in each case, focusing on single-equation multiple regression models, structural equations models, and fixed effects estimators for use with longitudinal data, and then describing how cost information can be incorporated into econometric models so as to get measures of the cost-effectiveness of communication interventions.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1997

Fundamentals for establishing a risk communication program.

This paper provides a suggested outline for developing a risk communication organizational plan that could be used by a variety of federal, state, or private agencies. Drawing on various techniques presented in the literature and on the authors' insights, suggestions are provided as to how to formulate and convey risk messages. First, the paper provides a few risk communication fundamentals including definitions, the goal of informing vs. influencing, the importance of public participation in risk management, building trust and credibility, the consideration of outrage, and the importance of oral and visual communications. Second, a stepwise approach synthesized by the authors is presented that can be applied in developing a risk communication program. The approach is a 13-step method based on the premise that the risk communication program should be dynamic, flexible, and involve interaction with the public at every possible step.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of a couple communication program on marital adjustment.

BACKGROUND: Couples are usually advised to improve their communication skills to increase harmony and avoid conflicts. However, studies aimed at increasing marital adjustment in primary care are limited. METHODS: A Couple Communication Program was announced at the Ondokuz Mayis University Permanent Education Center, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale was administered to 67 couples who volunteered. Twenty-eight persons (14 couples) with the lowest test scores were randomized into study and control groups. At the end of the program (post-test), the scale was again administered to the study group. Afterward, the pretest and post-test scores of the study and control groups were compared. The study group's pretest, post-test, and follow-up test scores were also examined. RESULTS: No difference in marital adjustment was found between the study and control groups before the start of the program (P > .05). The post-test scores of the couples attending the Couple Communication Program proved to be higher in total than the scores of those who did not attend (P < .001). The post-test and follow-up scores of the study group were significantly higher than their pretest scores (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the post-test and follow-up scores of the study group (P = 1.0). CONCLUSION: This program may have a positive effect on marital adjustment levels by improving communication skills and may lead to long-term behavioral modifications in couples.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Effectiveness of a structured communication program for family members of patients in an ICU.

BACKGROUND: In ICUs, an essential component of caring for patients' families is providing information about the patient's status. Nevertheless, interruptions by family members requesting information create an additional burden for nursing staff. OBJECTIVES: To test a structured communications program for family members to determine whether the program would increase family members' satisfaction with care, meet their needs for information better, and decrease disruption for the ICU nursing staff caused by incoming telephone calls from patients' family members. METHODS: The study used a two-group, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 30 family members of patients in a medical ICU (experimental group, n = 15; control group, n = 15). The intervention consisted of a structured communication program consisting of three components: (1) a discussion with a nurse approximately 24 hours after admission of the patient, (2) an informational pamphlet given at the time of the discussion, and (3) a daily telephone call from the nurse who was caring for the patient that day. RESULTS: The number of incoming calls from family members was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. In the experimental group, satisfaction with care increased significantly from pretest to posttest, as did the members' perception of how well their information needs were being met. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention reduced the number of incoming calls from family members, without compromising family members' satisfaction with care or how well their information needs were met.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The Minnesota Couples Communication Program and clinical pastoral education.

Describes the use of The Minnesota Couples Communication Program (MCCP) as part of a Clinical Pastoral Education unit's efforts to assist CPE students grow in communication skills, Notes four styles of communication and five modes of awareness and how these may lead to the establishment of more adequate communication and shared meaning. Observes that workshops using the MCCP may help pastors to initiate and improve their pastoral activities.

Awareness↗
PubMed1987

Managing a satellite communications program in a hospital library.

A satellite communications service used for the continuing education of hospital staff can be successfully managed by a hospital library. Organization of the service includes managing equipment and personnel, finding programming, marketing the service, arranging for teleconferences, and establishing videotape procedures. A satellite communications program gives the library the opportunity to establish new partnerships with other departments in the hospital as well as with other segments of the community.

Libraries, Hospital↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact evaluation of the "not me, not now" abstinence-oriented, adolescent pregnancy prevention communications program, Monroe County, New York.

"Not Me, Not Now" is an abstinence oriented, adolescent pregnancy prevention integrated communications program developed by Monroe County, NY. The evaluation utilized a cross-sectional time series approach in the analysis of items from several waves of youth surveys administered to two different age groups: (1) a survey of 7th and 8th graders on awareness, attitudes and intended behavior, and (2) the Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to 9th through 12th graders. The trends found in the surveys demonstrated high levels of awareness of the program, changing attitudes and intended behaviors consistent with the program's messages. Analysis of pregnancy rates for 15-17 year-olds in the county were compared to reductions found in similar geographic areas. Pregnancy rates in Monroe County declined faster than in comparison areas. The authors conclude that there is a strong likelihood that the program had independent effect on the outcome of pregnancies in the population exposed to the program.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Measuring the cost-effectiveness of a national health communication program in rural Bangladesh.

In this article we examine the cost-effectiveness of the Smiling Sun multichannel media campaign, which was undertaken in Bangladesh from 2001 to 2003 and involved a nationally broadcast television serial drama supported by radio, television, newspaper, and billboard advertisements and local promotion activities. The goal was to encourage the use of a package of family health services at NGO (nongovernmental organization) Service Delivery Program (NSDP) providers. This analysis relates the costs of the Smiling Sun campaign at the national and local level to measures of change in the use of health services, namely, antenatal care and childhood immunizations. Effectiveness is measured using data from cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2001 and 2003 in NSDP catchment areas in rural Bangladesh. The statistical approach, bivariate probit estimation, controls for nonrandom exposure to the program's media messages, advertisements, and signs. Using national-level data, we find that the Smiling Sun campaign was both effective and cost-effective, inducing higher levels of service utilization for only $0.05 per additional antenatal care (ANC) user and only $0.30 and $0.36 for each additional child vaccinated for measles and DPT3, respectively. With respect to local promotion activities, the cost per attributable behavior change was considerably higher--nearly $8 per new ANC user, $37 per new DPT3 vaccination, and $32 per new measles vaccination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Psychosocial effects of an intensive summer communication program for cleft palate children.

The preventative psychosocial effects of an intensive summer residential program for children with communication disorders related to cleft lip and palate are evaluated. Twelve children completed the five-week program. Following the program, the children increased their social interaction rates during observed interactions with nonhandicapped peers and according to parent ratings. Less difference existed between the children's perceived reinforcement value of peer interactions, and their expectancies for initiating such interactions. The limitations of these findings due to the small sample size and the lack of a control group are discussed. The value of multimethod measurement systems are also discussed.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The High-Performance Computing and Communications program, the national information infrastructure and health care.

The High-Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program is a multiagency federal effort to advance the state of computing and communications and to provide the technologic platform on which the National Information Infrastructure (NII) can be built. The HPCC program supports the development of high-speed computers, high-speed telecommunications, related software and algorithms, education and training, and information infrastructure technology and applications. The vision of the NII is to extend access to high-performance computing and communications to virtually every U.S. citizen so that the technology can be used to improve the civil infrastructure, lifelong learning, energy management, health care, etc. Development of the NII will require resolution of complex economic and social issues, including information privacy. Health-related applications supported under the HPCC program and NII initiatives include connection of health care institutions to the Internet; enhanced access to gene sequence data; the "Visible Human" Project; and test-bed projects in telemedicine, electronic patient records, shared informatics tool development, and image systems.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed2006

Measuring outcomes of a communication program for older people with hearing impairment using the International Outcome Inventory.

The main objective of this study was to describe the outcomes of a communication education program for older people with hearing impairment using the International Outcome Inventory--Alternative Interventions (IOI-AI) and the version for significant others (IOI-AI-SO). Ninety-six people aged 58 to 94 years participated in an interactive group education program for two hours per week for five weeks. The IOI-AI was administered at one to two weeks after the last educational session and 29 significant others also completed the IOI-AI-SO at this time. Overall, positive results were obtained using both questionnaires, and satisfaction with the program was particularly high. Findings also compared favourably to reports of outcomes for other audiological interventions (i.e., another communication training program and hearing aid fitting). Principal components analysis of the IOI-AI revealed a somewhat different factor structure than the original IOI-HA. The two versions of the IOI applied in this study are recommended as simple and effective measures of the outcomes of alternative interventions.

Aged↗