Organizations Disseminating Health Messages: The Roles of Organizational Identification and HITs

Research into the dissemination of health information now includes more focus on how various organizations (e.g., beauty shops, schools, workplaces, and churches) and health information technologies (HITs) reach and affect audiences. One relational feature of organizations is identification—the feeling of belongingness. Our study explores how it influences audiences, especially in combination with HITs such as e-mail, websites, and social media. We use social identity theory to predict how organizational identification and social media might function in health communication. Using a 3?×?2 experimental design, we find that people's identification with a message source mediates the effect of social media on outcomes. These findings improve our understanding of when organizations might be most helpful for disseminating health information.     

部分媒体从业人员营养相关知识知晓情况及需求调查

目的了解部分媒体从业人员营养相关知识的知晓情况及需求,为开展营养健康传播提供科学依据。方法对全国范围内参与2013年“营养中国行”项目营养论坛的媒体从业人员开展问卷调查。结果共调查媒体从业人员105人,男性54人（51．4％）,女性51人（48．6％）。营养知识基本素养较低,“营养基础知识”全部回答正确率占37．1％,“《中国居民膳食指南》”全部回答正确率占8．6％。缺乏信息来源,或对信息来源不加甄别（68．6％）、报道以偏概全（50．5％）和过度强调单一食物的营养作用（40．0％）被认为是营养健康传播中最突出的3个问题;营养健康传播选题的主要依据是受众的需求（79．0％）;35．2％和47．6％的人会经常查证和逐条查证所传播信息的信源;47．6％的人比较了解受众的需求。83．8％和70．5％的人需要营养领域专家以及营养和健康教育专业机构的支持;63．8％的人希望专家用通俗易懂的语言传播营养健康知识;61．9％的人希望专业机构定期开展媒体和专家的沟通活动,并建立可查询的营养领域权威专家资源库。结论媒体从业人员营养知识还有不足,因此还需要健康教育和营养领域专业机构、媒体、营养专家和公众的通力合作。。     

Position of the American Dietetic Association: food and nutrition misinformation

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that food and nutrition misinformation can have harmful effects on the health, well-being, and economic status of consumers. Nationally credentialed dietetics professionals working in health care, academia, public health, the media, government, and the food industry are uniquely qualified to advocate for and promote science-based nutrition information to the public, function as primary nutrition educators to health professionals, and actively correct food and nutrition misinformation. Enormous scientific advances have been made in the area of food and nutrition, leading to a fine-tuning of recommendations about healthful eating. Consumers have become increasingly aware of the nutrition-health link and reliant on nutrition information to base their decisions, and have assumed partial responsibility for changing their eating behaviors. Unfortunately, these same trends also create opportunities for food and nutrition misinformation to flourish. News reports rarely provide enough context for consumers to interpret or apply the advice given, and preliminary findings often attract unmerited and misleading attention. Effective nutrition communication must be consumer-friendly and contain sufficient context to allow consumers to consider the information and determine whether it applies to their unique health and nutritional needs. Consistent with ADA's organizational vision that members "are the leading source of nutrition expertise," ADA recognizes its responsibility to help consumers identify food and nutrition misinformation in the following ways: (a) ADA members should provide consumers with sound, science-based nutrition information and help them to recognize misinformation; (b) ADA members need to be the primary source of sound, science-based nutrition information for the media and to inform them when misinformation is presented; and (c) ADA members should continue to diligently work with other health care practitioners, educators, policy makers, and food and dietary supplement industry representatives to responsibly address the health and psychological, physiological, and economic effects of nutrition-related misinformation.     

Health Halo Effects from Product Titles and Nutrient Content Claims in the Context of “Protein” Bars

Research on front-of-package (FOP) labeling demonstrates that nutrient content claims (e.g., “low fat”) can lead consumers to perceive foods as healthier in general—effects that have been interpreted using halo effect theories of impression formation. Extending this work, the present study investigates whether these effects may depend on whether nutrient information comes in the form of a nutrient content claim (“good source of protein”) or embedded within the product title itself (“protein” bar)—an important question given the popularity of energy/nutrition bars and ongoing policy debates over food-labeling regulation. Results from a between-subjects experiment (n = 274) revealed that although both conditions increased perceived protein content for a nutritional bar, only the product title condition increased overall perceptions of product healthfulness—an effect mediated by increased perceptions of additional non-claimed “healthy” nutrients (fiber, iron). Finally, although the presence of a traffic light warning label increased perceived sugar and calorie content, it did not counteract the effect of the product title on perceived healthfulness. We conclude with a discussion focused on implications for policy and health halo effects in the context of food labeling.     

Optimizing the Presentation of Mental Health Information in Social Media: The Effects of Health Testimonials and Platform on Source Perceptions,Message Processing,and Health Outcomes

Using social media for the purpose of disseminating mental health information is a critical area of scientific inquiry for health communication professionals. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a first-person testimonial in educational mental health information placed in Facebook and Twitter messages influenced college students’ (N = 257) source perceptions, information processing, cognitive elaboration, health information recall, beliefs, and behavioral intentions. Results show that exposure to social media messages that featured mental health information embedded with a testimonial predicted less source homophily and more critical thoughts about the social media source, less systematic message processing, and less cognitive elaboration. Health information recall was significantly impacted by both the social media platform and message content such that participants in the testimonial condition on Facebook were more likely to recall the health facts in those messages whereas participants who viewed the testimonial in Twitter were less likely to recall the facts in those tweets. Compared to those who read Facebook messages, participants who read Twitter messages reported higher levels of systematic message processing. These findings suggest that the integration of health testimonials into social media messages might inadvertently provoke psychological resistance to mental health information, thereby reducing the persuasive impact of those messages.     

加强国民营养监测,采取有效干预策略,减少营养性疾病的发生

国民营养事关国民健康素质的提高和社会经济的发展,营养与健康状况监测信息,是公共卫生及疾病预防控制工作不可缺少的基础信息,为全民营养健康状况改善、食物生产及慢性病防控策略的制定提供技术支持。近年来,我国营养供给能力显著增强,国民营养健康状况明显改善。本期“营养健康监测”栏目发表的论文来自中国居民营养与健康监测及省（市）级自主开展的营养监测报告,这些数据为制定全国或地方性营养与健康策略提供了科学的参考。当前,我国营养工作面临多重挑战,党中央、国务院始终把人民群众的营养与健康摆在十分重要的位置,为促进全民健康,我国政府已实施多项营养促进政策或策略,营养监测又将进一步评估这些措施实施的效果。     

Influence of social norms and palatability on amount consumed and food choice

In two parallel studies, we examined the effect of social influence and palatability on amount consumed and on food choice. In Experiment 1, which looked at amount consumed, participants were provided with either palatable or unpalatable food; they were also given information about how much previous participants had eaten (large or small amounts) or were given no information. In the case of palatable food, participants ate more when led to believe that prior participants had eaten a great deal than when led to believe that prior participants had eaten small amounts or when provided with no information. This social-influence effect was not present when participants received unpalatable food. In Experiment 2, which looked at food choice, some participants learned that prior participants had chosen the palatable food, others learned that prior participants had chosen the unpalatable food, while still others received no information about prior participants' choices. The social-influence manipulation had no effect on participants' food choices; nearly all of them chose the palatable food. The results were discussed in the context of Churchfield's (1995) distinction between judgments about matters of fact and judgments about preferences. The results were also used to illustrate the importance of palatability as a determinant of eating behavior.     

Are doctors nutritionists? What is the role of doctors in providing nutrition advice?

Diet and nutritional status impact on health outcomes. The global rise of diet‐related non‐communicable diseases plus the double burden of obesity and malnutrition means that it is imperative more than ever that all healthcare professionals are able to provide at least basic evidence‐based nutrition advice. Improving an individual's diet requires more than just information provision, it requires consistent and long‐term support to change and maintain new behaviours. Doctors acknowledge that nutrition plays a crucial role in health and agree that providing nutrition advice is part of their role. However, providing sufficiently detailed nutrition advice that is relevant to a patient's health goals, useful for the patient, and that results in measurable changes, is not common in practice settings. Numerous challenges and barriers have been identified for why doctors do not provide nutrition recommendations to their patients. A lack of nutrition education and training, time constraints during appointments, and patients who have access to an ever‐growing body of nutrition and health information via the Internet and social media, together may explain why doctors tend not to include nutrition advice in their care plans. This paper outlines both short‐ and long‐term strategies for improving doctors' engagement with nutrition interventions and collaborative working with dietitians in the context of collaborative care. Having doctors support and advocate for evidenced‐based nutrition practice is a crucial element of the World Health Organization's Decade of Action on Nutrition achieving measurable success.     

Nutrition Risk Measured Online in Community-Living Older Australians

Abstract

Many community-living older adults experience the condition of malnutrition and the causes are complex and multi-factorial. This study examined nutrition risk in a sample of community-living older Australians (n?=?77, age ≥65 years) using an online, self-administered survey consisting of two validated questionnaires (SCREEN II and SF-12). We found a significant relationship between health status and nutrition risk; those with higher self-rated health status had lower nutrition risk. Forty percent of the participants were categorized at high nutritional risk, 26% at moderate nutritional risk and 34% not at nutritional risk. The most common nutrition risk factors were: (i) weight perception (perceiving weight to be more than it should); (ii) food avoidance; (iii) low intake of milk, milk products and alternatives; and (iv) finding meal preparation a chore. Many nutrition-risk factors were consistent with population survey data highlighting the need for greater awareness of nutritional requirements for healthy ageing.     

When Information from Public Health Officials is Untrustworthy: The Use of Online News,Interpersonal Networks,and Social Media during the MERS Outbreak in South Korea

Public health officials (PHOs) are responsible for providing trustworthy information during a public health crisis; however, there is little research on how the public behaves when their expectations for such information are violated. Drawing on media dependency theory and source credibility research as our primary theoretical framework, we tested how credibility of information from PHOs is associated with people’s reliance on a particular communication channel in the context of the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea. Using nationally representative data (N = 1036) collected during the MERS outbreak, we found that less credible information from PHOs led to more frequent use of online news, interpersonal networks, and social media for acquiring MERS-related information. However, credibility of information from PHOs was not associated with the use of television news or print newspapers. The theoretical and practical implications of our results on communication channels usage are discussed.     

Paucity of nutrition and food safety 'news you can use' reveals opportunity for dietetics practitioners

The media is consistently ranked by the public as their primary source of nutrition and food information. To address the question of what the public is hearing about food, nutrition, and health through the news media, the International Food Information Council Foundation commissioned the Center for Media and Public Affairs to conduct a content analysis of nutrition and food safety stories. The study examined media coverage from 53 print and electronic news outlets during a 3-month period from May through July 1995. Specific criteria were applied to select the sample of food and nutrition stories (n = 979) by length of coverage during the reporting period. Coverage related to food policy or regulation, food programs, individual food companies or products, advertising or marketing, and economic adulteration or tampering were excluded from the sample. The analysis of media coverage of food and nutrition topics revealed a twofold emphasis on dietary fat over other topics. Consumption of dietary fat was mentioned in almost half of all reports, apart from discussions of body fat, weight, or obesity as a health issue. The content analysis also showed an inverse relationship between media stories of foods by food group compared with the recommended number of servings in the Food Guide Pyramid. During an era in which Americans receive their health, nutrition, and food messages from the media rather than from health professionals such as physicians and dietitians, there are multiple challenges for communicating with the public. Our media research and its findings offer approaches for dietetics practitioners to use when providing nutrition and food recommendations and education for clients and the public. These include communicating science, providing context, reinforcing basic messages and guidelines, and promoting action and behavior change to clients and consumers.     

Exploring Communication Strategies for Promoting Hepatitis B Prevention among Young Asian American Adults

In the United States, Asian Americans account for 50–60% of hepatitis B virus infections, leading to higher rates of liver cancer in this population. While some city-wide data have reported hepatitis B infection rates among young adults as high as 10–20%, little research has examined factors that impact hepatitis B beliefs, or the most effective strategies for reaching this particular population to promote hepatitis B awareness. An online survey was conducted with young Asian American adults (n = 418), aged 18–29 years old, to better understand their health information seeking, social media usage, and hepatitis B-related behaviors and beliefs. Results indicated that doctors and health organizations were the most trusted sources of health information, while the Internet was the most common source of health information. The majority of participants (99.8%) reported using social media and indicated they engaged in health-related behaviors on social media. Several factors, including non-receipt of hepatitis B vaccine, engaging in more health-related social media activities, and a higher mean score for difficulty with health information seeking, were significantly related to higher perceived susceptibility to hepatitis B. Future research should explore the effectiveness of using social media to reach young Asian American adults to promote hepatitis B awareness.     

Weight Bias among Dietetics Students: Implications for Treatment Practices

Background

Several studies have examined attitudes about obesity among food and nutrition professionals, yielding mixed results, and no experimental research has tested the impact of dietitians' attitudes on their treatment practices or health evaluations with obese patients.

Objective

This study investigated attitudes of dietetics students toward obese persons and tested whether a patient's body weight influences students' treatment decisions and health evaluations within a randomized experiment.

Design

Between the months of September and December 2007, a convenience sample of 182 dietetics undergraduate students (92% women; mean age 23.1±5.4 years) from colleges throughout the United States completed online self-report surveys to assess weight bias (using the Fat Phobia Scale). Participants were also randomly assigned to read one of four mock health profiles of patients who varied only by weight-related characteristics (eg, obese or average weight) and sex (male or female), and asked to make judgments about the patient's health status and participation in treatment.

Statistical analyses performed

To compare group data, multiple analysis of variance was used to test for an effect of the patient's body mass index on participants' health evaluations and their perceptions of patients in each of the four experimental conditions. Correlations were calculated between mean fat phobia scores and perceptions of patients.

Results

Participants in all conditions expressed a moderate amount of fat phobia (mean=3.7), and students rated obese patients as being less likely to comply with treatment recommendations compared with nonobese patients (P<0.05). Results from multivariate analysis of variance tests showed students also evaluated obese patients' diet quality and health status to be poorer than nonobese patients, despite equivalent nutritional and health information across weight categories for each sex in patient profiles. In contrast, obese and nonobese patients were rated to be similarly motivated, receptive, and successful in treatment.

Conclusion

Implications of these findings for education and intervention in dietetics training are discussed, with emphasis on increasing awareness of weight bias in existing dietetics curricula.     

Predicting Intention to Take Protective Measures During Haze: The Roles of Efficacy,Threat, Media Trust,and Affective Attitude

The Internet increasingly enables diverse health communication activities, from information seeking to social media interaction. Up-to-date reporting is needed to document the national prevalence, trends, and user profiles of online health activities so that these technologies can be best used in health communication efforts. This study identifies prevalence, trend, and factors associated with seeking health information, e-mailing health care providers, and using social media for health purposes. Four iterations of HINTS survey data, collected in 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2012, were analyzed to assess population-level trends over the last decade, and current prevalence of Internet-based health communication activities. Sociodemographic and health correlates were explored through weighted logistic regression modeling. Findings demonstrated that Internet use has steadily increased, with 78% of U.S. adults online in 2012; however several digital divide factors—among them education, age, and race/ethnicity—still predict access. Once online, 70% of adults use the Internet as their first source for health information, and while 19% have e-mailed health care providers, engagement in health communication on social media is still relatively low. Distinct user profiles characterize each type of communication, with age, population density, and gender emerging as important predictors across online health activities. These findings have important implications for health communication research and practice.     

Under- and Over-Nutrition Among Refugees in San Diego County, California

Resettled refugees often arrive in their host country with little knowledge of nutrition or available food choices. We explored nutrition-related issues of recent refugee arrivals to San Diego County—the second largest California resettlement site. In-depth interviews (n = 40) were conducted with refugees, health care practitioners, and refugee service organizations. Content analysis identified nutrition-related themes. Unhealthy weight gain after arrival was the most common concern and was attributed to social pressures among adolescents, food choices and a more sedentary lifestyle. Conversely, undernutrition remained a concern due to poor diets. Factors influencing nutritional problems included continuation of past habits, acculturation, unfamiliarity with available foods and socio-economic influences. The nutritional concerns encountered by resettled refugees in San Diego are not unique to this group but are aggravated by their past experiences, and abrupt changes to food choices and behavior. Addressing contextual factors of poor food choices may prevent some of the long term health consequences of poor nutrition.     

Evaluation of Nutrition Knowledge of Pregnant Women before and after Nutrition Education according to Sociodemographic Characteristics

ABSTRACT

The aim of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the effect of nutrition education on nutritional knowledge levels of pregnant women. The study was undertaken on a sample of pregnant women (i = 743) attending health centers in Istanbul for prenatal care. Nutrition knowledge scores were significantly higher in posttest (23.0) than pretest (16.0) after receiving nutrition education (p < .001). Significant differences in pretest (p < .05) but not posttest (p > .05) scores were found for factors, such as education level, work status, and the number of pregnancies; significant differences in both test scores were found for age and nutrition information (p < .05). In conclusion, pregnant women need to be given adequate and appropriate nutrition education for maternal and child health according to sociodemographic characteristics.     

Korean adolescents' perceptions of nutrition and health towards fast foods in Busan area

Adolescents in Busan area were asked in a survey about their perception and attitudes towards fast food. Most respondents answered that they consume fast food once a month because it is fast, easily accessible and tasty. Although they perceived fast food as unhealthy and less nutritious, they were less aware of its effect on their health and nutritional status. The more knowledgeable respondents were about nutrition and health the less likely they were to choose fast food over other meals. However, respondents who had little or no knowledge about the nutritional factors of fast food accounted for 43.1%. As to their source of dietary information, students relied on themselves (31.0%), parents (20.5%) and friends (19.9%). The medium through which students got the most nutrition and health information was television (66.8%), followed by the Internet (36.7%) and magazines (29.7%). This study will enable educators to plan more effective strategies for improving the dietary knowledge of the adolescent population.     

Understanding the Effects of Stigma Messages: Danger Appraisal and Message Judgments

Media coverage of health issues has been criticized for creating health stigmas. The model of stigma communication (MSC, Smith, 2007) provides insights into why this is so, but it has two problems: Some of its mediators have not been supported, and it does not do a good job of predicting the transmission of stigma messages (i.e., social transmission). We present a revised model of stigma message effects in which exposure to stigma messages leads to stigma beliefs and stigmatization as a result of a person-oriented danger appraisal. In addition, message judgments—shock value and common ground—are introduced as mediators of the relationship between danger appraisal and social transmission. Participants (N = 200) were randomly assigned to read a health story written either with or without the intrinsic features of stigma messages. The revised model of stigma-message effects was supported: Reading a health news story written with (vs. without) the intrinsic features of stigma messages resulted in greater danger appraisal, which directly predicted stigma-related outcomes and indirectly predicted social transmission through message judgments. Social transmission varied by message judgment: Shocking messages were shared in ways that facilitate diffusion, but common ground messages were shared with influential others, suggesting different means by which stigma as a collective norm may emerge from interactions among community members.