Communication Research Research Articles

Protocol for a community-based digital storytelling pilot intervention to reduce Hispanic parents' vaccine hesitancy to immunize their children against COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines, currently available to children over six months old, are a powerful method of reducing the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and death. However, vaccination rates among Hispanic children remain suboptimal, primarily due to parental vaccine hesitancy. Health communication researchers have suggested using culturally aligned storytelling to reduce vaccine hesitancy; however, few studies have evaluated this approach for Hispanic parents of unvaccinated children. Working with community health workers, we will engage Hispanic parents who were previously hesitant to vaccinate their child(ren) against COVID-19 but currently support vaccination. We will ask them to share their stories of conversion in COVID-19 vaccine perspectives to help other parents overcome their mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines. We will then assess the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based pilot digital storytelling intervention based on these conversion stories vs. an information-only control among 80 parents and/or legal guardians of children who are not up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines. We will also examine pre- to post-intervention changes in vaccine perceptions, hesitancy, intentions, and uptake of children's COVID-19 vaccination at two months post-intervention. If our pilot study demonstrates feasibility and acceptability while reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and increasing vaccine uptake, we will conduct a full-scale randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of the DST intervention to reduce vaccine hesitancy.

Data Management Sharing Plan: Fostering Effective Trans-Disciplinary Communication in Collaborative Research

Data Management Sharing Plan: Fostering Effective Trans-Disciplinary Communication in Collaborative Research

Guest editorial: Communication research advancing sustainable development

Guest editorial: Communication research advancing sustainable development

Father’s Playbook: From Health Communication Research to Prenatal Health Intervention

ABSTRACT Research has demonstrated benefits of paternal involvement during the prenatal stage: increased prenatal visits, better adherence to postpartum best practices, and improved communication between partners. In the United States, where maternal morbidity remains higher than other advanced economies, the need for varied interventions aimed at improving the wellbeing of the entire family unit should remain a top priority. In an arena that is understandably dominated by interventions aimed at expectant mothers, scholars also advocate for including men in prenatal health care to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. In practice, however, they are often excluded. Evidence suggests paternal prenatal health interventions can result in better outcomes for the entire family, and researchers developed Father’s Playbook – a free bilingual evidence-based app for expectant fathers – in support of that goal. This article examines the creation of and lessons learned from this health communication intervention which represents a case study of implementation science in the field of health communication. This article documents how the project moved from early formative research to app development and now ongoing promotion of a state-funded health communication and public health intervention utilizing a variety of research approaches. Researchers believe this intervention can serve as a blueprint for other public health and health communication practitioners.

Contributions to Research and Practice Made by the National Cancer Institute’s Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch

ABSTRACT The Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the U.S. National Cancer Institute was founded in 1999 in response to increasing evidence demonstrating a link between effective health communication and improved cancer-related outcomes and in recognition of the rapid and dramatic technological changes that were transforming health communication at the turn of the 21st century. For the past 25 years, the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch has been conducting and supporting research at the forefront of emerging cancer communication trends and technologies, making numerous contributions to health communication science, public health, and cancer control practice. In this essay, we provide a brief history of the branch and the context that led to its establishment, discuss contributions made by the branch to health communication research and practice through key projects and initiatives, and conclude by highlighting health communication and informatics research priorities that offer opportunities for significant impact going forward in light of the challenges posed by the current communication environment.

ANALISIS PERAN BAWASLU PROVINSI BANTEN SEBAGAI FUNGSI PENGAWASAN PERILAKU ASN DALAM NETRALITAS PEMILU 2024 DI MEDIA SOSIAL

The democratic festivities are set to commence in a few months towards the end of 2023, with the impending turnover of regional leaders and general elections (Pemilu) on the horizon. The behaviors currently emerging, particularly the neutrality of Civil Servants (ASN), always reflect the societal engagement in using social media to express support for chosen candidates during elections. The aim of this research is to shape and instill hope, attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral orientations in ASN voters, encouraging consistency and neutrality in general elections. In this research, the researcher employs the method of virtual ethnography. Virtual ethnography, also known as netnography, is a new form of qualitative research in communication that focuses on consumer behavior in the use of new media. The results of the discussion reveal three functions of the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) concerning the neutrality of ASN: preventive function, supervisory function, and enforcement function against violations. The observed behaviors of ASN with regard to neutrality in elections include: 1) Social media campaigns (posting, sharing, commenting, liking, etc.); 2) Attendance at candidate declarations; 3) Participation as a committee/organizer; 4) Campaigning with civil servant attributes; 5) Campaigning using state facilities; 6) Attendance at political party events; 7) Attendance at the handover of party support to candidates; 8) Organizing activities that exhibit bias (issuing invitations, calls, and appeals); 9) Providing support to independent candidates. Sanctions for ASN or civil servants who violate election discipline may include: 1) Warning or reprimand; 2) Demotion or position reduction; 3) Temporary suspension from work in the civil service; 4) Dismissal with dishonor; 5) Other disciplinary sanctions; 6) Election prohibition; 7) Revocation of political rights

Zur Auswirkung der Videopräsentationen mit filmischer Inszenierung. Eine experimentelle Studie

During the COVID-19 pandemic, presentations with several participants that previously took place face-to-face have increasingly been held via online communication. This trend is still there in business communication. Therefore, the effect of different online presentation forms remains relevant for communication research. In the methodological framework of the work, the effect of cinematic staging on the impact of the two cues, the information presented and the person presenting it was then examined using an experimental study. An online survey-based between-subjects experiment with a single factor (video presentation with cinematic staging versus without cinematic staging) was conducted with 194 participants from Germany. The results confirmed the persuasive effects of cinematic staging on the effectiveness of communication. Hence, cinematic staging increases the persuasive effect of the information presented and the person presenting it. Memory recall of the presented content is also enhanced in video presentations. The study has theoretical and practical implications.

The Impact of Health Communication Research on Medical and Health Professional Education and Training

ABSTRACT In this essay, we review how health communication scholarship has been translated into various communication skills trainings (CSTs), we present four case studies of how health communication research informed the development and implementation of specific CSTs, and we reflect on how we can productively define “impact” in looking back as well as looking forward within this line of research.

Podcasting as Storycrafting and Translational Health Communication Scholarship

ABSTRACT Defining Moments is a podcast that extends the reach of articles published in Health Communication into public acoustic realms. In this essay, we locate Defining Moments in the broader realm of podcasting and highlight its inception, production, distribution, and impact through available data analytics. We approach podcasting as a relational experience in which meaning-making extends beyond any audio text to include reactions, interactions, and actions. Across three seasons and thirty-five episodes, the podcast has created space for scholars to translate research for general audiences and reflect on defining moments of their personal and professional lives, often situated in adverse experiences or unjust social contexts. Common to all episodes are stories of retrospective sensemaking in the service of prospective change.

Evidence-Based Health Communication in Practice: Driving Funding, Research, and Training Through the University of Texas at Austin Center for Health Communication

ABSTRACT Academic centers play a vital role in advancing knowledge, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration. The University of Texas at Austin Center for Health Communication was established in 2014 with the mission to improve public health through evidence-based communication research and practice. In this article, we reflect on the center history, explain our practice-oriented funding structure, and showcase examples of public health campaigns informed by theory and data, as well as professional-oriented educational programs. We also discuss the academic and community impact of our research, education, and practice and the benefits and challenges associated with this practice-led funding model. Although there are other approaches to operating academic centers, we hope the lessons we have learned can be of help to other centers dedicated to health communication research and practice.

Increasing Organ Donor Registrations in Motor Vehicles Offices Through Health Communication

ABSTRACT Health communication research has played a prominent role in the body of scholarship seeking to meaningfully increase the number of life-saving organs available to waitlisted patients. The current paper builds on earlier work in communication seeking to promote organ donation to individuals in community and organizational settings. The goal of this essay is to review health communication-based interventions seeking to meaningfully increase organ donation registrations in motor vehicles’ offices (DMV) transactions in the USA. For convenience, I use the acronym DMV, although it is understood different states use different titles for this office. Before describing the nature and impact of communication interventions and their impact in DMV contexts, I will provide context for the problem and briefly review the role of DMV registrations in relation to demand for organs in the United States.

To preprint or not to preprint: A global researcher survey

AbstractOpen science is receiving widespread attention globally, and preprinting offers an important way to implement open science practices in scholarly publishing. To develop a systematic understanding of researchers' adoption of and attitudes toward preprinting, we conducted a survey of authors of research papers published in 2021 and early 2022. Our survey results show that the United States and Europe led the way in the adoption of preprinting. The United States and European respondents reported a higher familiarity with and a stronger commitment to preprinting than their colleagues elsewhere in the world. The adoption of preprinting is much stronger in physics and astronomy as well as mathematics and computer science than in other research areas. Respondents identified free accessibility of preprints and acceleration of research communication as the most important benefits of preprinting. Low reliability and credibility of preprints, sharing results before peer review and premature media coverage are the most significant concerns about preprinting, emphasized in particular by respondents in the life and health sciences. According to respondents, the most crucial strategies to encourage preprinting are integrating preprinting into journal submission workflows and providing recognition for posting preprints.

Remembering Reasons for Reform: A More Replicable and Reproducible Communication Literature Without the Rancor

Increasing awareness of the “replication crisis” has prompted discussion about replicability and reproducibility in social and behavioral science research, including in communication. As with other fields, communication has seen discussion about concerns with the interpretation of existing research. One response has been the piecemeal adoption of “open science” practices in communication to reduce selectivity in analysis, reporting, and publication of research. Calls for further adoption of such practices have, in turn, been met with criticisms and concerns about the negative consequences of their adoption. Amidst disparate perspectives regarding solutions to replicability and reproducibility issues in communication science, difficulties building consensus and caution about negative outcomes are understandable, but they also present the risk of a status quo bias that could stall the improvement of the replicability and reproducibility of communication research. The urgency of the replication crisis for communication and the cost of inaction are presented here along three exemplifying dimensions perhaps of particular importance in communication research: (a) responsibility to the public, (b) stewardship of resources, and (c) membership in a community of scholars. While debate over solutions will continue, we would do well to keep in mind that problems with replicability and reproducibility in communication research are indeed a crisis needing immediate attention.

Shifting Paradigms

Shifting Paradigms

Science communication objectives and actual practices of science news websites as a showcase for gaps between theory and practice

This study contributes to the growing body of science communication research showing gaps between theory and practice objectives, focusing on one particular understudied and emerging science communication innovation.The objectives and practices of four Israeli science news websites were analyzed considering three science communication models: “Dissemination”, “Dialogue”, and “Participation.” Using concurrent parallel mixed methods, we examined the perspectives of website administrators (n=8) and readers (n=20) through interviews, a content analysis of news items (n=298), discussion threads (n=507), and reader questionnaires (n=89). Findings indicate limited adoption of two-way communication about how science is applied in society. The scant implementation of the dialogue model suggests its promises are not concretized in practice on these science news websites.

The Pursuit of Positive Impacts: Translating Longitudinal Cancer Studies into Successful Health Communication Interventions

ABSTRACT Over a decade ago, in the 100th issue of Health Communication (Volume 25, issues 6–7); 2010), 30 “impact” articles addressed how our collective research findings had been translated to make a positive difference for persons across diverse communities. It is laudable to develop projects helping others to enhance their awareness about healthy living, refine practical communication skills to promote behavioral change, and rely on findings to enact important practices and policies giving priority to how well and long we live in contemporary society. As a preview, however, an article entitled “Why is it so difficult to talk about impact?” raised a series of inherent challenges faced whenever we conduct our research to advance basic knowledge by pursuing meaningful translation opportunities. These efforts are constrained in various ways: A lack of motivation, ability, and training to envision and implement protocols beneficial for the public good; the need to procure adequate resources (e.g., time and money) for sustaining longitudinal investigations; dealing with misconceptions that “applied” communication research has less value than “basic” studies; and creating and managing cross-disciplinary collaborations necessary to achieve project goals. When designing interventions to change others’ lives in meaningful ways, attention must also be given to balancing community outreach while avoiding unnecessary self-promotion and imposition of social scientific priorities.

Non-Verbal Communication in Ancient Rome: Eyebrow Gestures

This article analyses the communicative power of eyebrows in ancient Rome within the framework of broader research into gestures from the same period. Our research uses the corpus of Latin literature to describe evidence of gestures in said texts. It then identifies the expressions used by the authors to refer to them and describes how they were performed. Moreover, by analysing the context, it explains the meanings the authors attribute to them. Although the texts do not describe these gestures with the precision required by non-verbal communication research today, our analysis of the selected extracts has enabled us to identify four free eyebrow gestures—contracting, raising, relaxing, and lowering—and associate a meaning to them. In this regard, we have uncovered that Roman writers introduce eyebrow gestures in their work to communicate emotions such as arrogance and humility, and anger or seriousness, and even to identify certain characters. In turn, these gestures are also used to express disapproval and assent in place of speech.

Achieving Public Health Impact: Health Communication Research to Inform Tobacco Regulatory Science

ABSTRACT Health communication research applies communication science to develop generalizable knowledge capable of improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities. But to what extent does the knowledge generated by the health communication field actually achieve public health impact? To answer this question, we discuss the application of health communication science and research within a tobacco regulatory science framework. We describe three areas in which health communication research funded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) contributed to 1) youth tobacco prevention campaigns, 2) cigarette health warnings, and 3) regulation of labeling, advertising, and marketing claims. These examples demonstrate how communication regulatory science achieves public health impact in the real world by informing national policies, regulatory actions, and public health practice.

Research Progress of High-Speed Data Transmission Technology for Lightweight and Small-Sized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platforms

With the continuous development of science and technology, UAV technology has been widely used in various fields. As an essential part, light and small UAV platforms have the advantages of being small, lightweight, and easy to operate and thus have been widely used in aerial photography, monitoring, rescue, and other fields. However, the traditional data transmission method can no longer meet the demand for the data transmission speed and stability of small and light UAV platforms. Wireless optical communication has the advantages of being high-speed and license-free, as well as having a large bandwidth strong anti-interference ability, and good confidentiality. Therefore, this paper aims to study high-speed data transmission technology for light and small UAV platforms to improve their transmission speed and stability. In this paper, the characteristics and advantages of UAV airborne laser communication are first elaborated to illustrate the advancements and importance of data transmission technology based on light and small UAV platforms. Then, the composition of a UAV airborne laser communication system is clarified to illustrate the feasibility of conducting airborne laser communication research. Then, the current domestic and international research status of people on light and small UAV airborne laser communication high-speed data transmission systems is reviewed, and its key technical features are analyzed. Finally, the prospects for its application and development trend are investigated.

Political Leaders' Communication Strategies during COVID-19 in Highly Infected Countries: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review maps communication strategies employed by political leaders in countries that experienced high infection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework, this study systematically explored the literature from 2019 to October 2023. The process involved identifying and selecting relevant studies, charting them, and summarizing the data from the 40 articles that met the inclusion criteria. This review identified a diverse array of communication strategies, which highlight the complex nature of crisis communication. These strategies featured the use of social media, science-based policy communication, strategic narrative control, empathy, ideological influences, and storytelling. These six approaches underscore the importance of adaptability and context-specific strategies in political leadership during a health crisis. The findings demonstrate that political communication during the pandemic varied significantly and was influenced by factors such as media platform, political ideology, gender, and non-verbal cues. This review enriches our understanding of crisis communication in political contexts. It emphasizes the necessity of combining traditional and digital media and considering various sociopolitical factors. The insights gained are crucial for enhancing crisis management and public trust, and they set the stage for further research and practical application in crisis communication.