Designing health messages : approaches from communication theory and public health practice

How do you design an effective message for a health campaign? This book explores this question from both practical and theoretical perspectives. The contributors demonstrate the necessity of basing message design decisions on appropriate theories of human behaviour and communication effectiveness by synthesizing and integrating knowledge and insights from theory and research in communication and health behaviour change. This book will be an essential aid to designing messages for use in health communication campaigns. Contents Preface PART I: Theory-Driven Approaches to Health Message Design 1. Motivation to Attend to Health Messages: Presentation of Content and Linguistic Considerations • Roxanne Louiselle Parrott 2. Encouraging Risk Reduction: A Decision-Making Approach to Message Design • David R. Holtgräve, Barbara J. Tinsley, and Linda S. Kay 3. Moving People to Behavior Change: A Staged Social Cognitive Approach to Message Design • Edward W. Maibach and David Cotton 4. Fear Appeals in Health Promotion Campaigns: Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right? • Jerold L Hale and James Price Dillard 5. Thinking Positively: Using Positive Affect When Designing Health Messages • Jennifer L. Monahan 6. Designing Messages for Behavioral Inoculation • Michael Pfau 7. Reaching Young Audiences: Developmental Considerations in Designing Health Messages • Erica Weintraub Austin 8. Fishing for Success: Using the Persuasive Health Message Framework to Generate Effective Campaign Messages • Kim Witte PART II: Audience-Centered Strategies for Health Message Design 9. Using Research to Inform Campaign Development and Message Design: Examples From the "America Responds to AIDS" Campaign • Glen J. Nowak and Michael J. Siska 10. Choosing Audience Segmentation Strategies and Methods for Health Communication • Michael D. Slater 11. The Gatekeeping Process: The Right Combinations to Unlock the Gates • John McGrath 12. Use of Database Marketing and Consumer-Based Health Communication in Message Design: An Example From the Office of Cancer Communications’ “5 a Day for Better Health” Program • R. Craig Lefebvre, Lynne Doner, Cecile Johnston, Kay Loughrey, George I. Balch, and Sharyn M. Sutton PART III: Combining Theory and Practice: Additional Considerations 13. Supplementing Health Campaign Messages: Recent Developments in Informing Patients About Their Prescription Drugs • Sharon Lee Hammond 14. Enabling Health: Policy and Administrative Practices at a Crossroads • Roxanne Louiselle Parrott, Mary Louise Kahl, and Edward W. Maibach Index About the Contributors "How do you design an effective message for a health campaign? Designing Health Messages explores this question from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The contributors, all well known for cutting-edge research in their field, demonstrate the necessity of basing message design decisions on appropriate theories of human behavior and communication effectiveness by synthesizing and integrating knowledge and insights from communication and health behavior change. The first section covers theory-driven approaches and includes content and linguistic considerations, the role of fear in content, and using positive affect. Part II discusses audience-centered strategies and looks at the "America Responds to AIDS" campaign and the cancer communication's "5 a Day for Better Health" program. This comprehensive volume concludes with recent developments and policy and administrative practices for health message design. A much-needed book, Designing Health Messages is an indispensable resource and an essential aid for professors, students, and professionals in communication, specifically mass communication, and public health."--Jacket The opening and in many ways the main section of this book addresses theory-driven approaches to health message design.