Influential Source Of Information Research Articles

Physical activity training in US medical schools: Preparing future physicians to engage in primary prevention

Background: Medical professionals serve as influential sources of information and guidance for their patients. Medical school may be an opportune time to provide future physicians with training in physical activity (PA) so that it can be more effectively addressed in clinical practice. Methods: To assess the inclusion and amount of PA training in US medical school curricula, we attempted to conduct structured interviews with the program directors of the 171 accredited US medical education programs in the spring of 2013. Results: Seventy-four schools (allopathic, n = 64; osteopathic, n = 10) completed the structured interviews. Fifty-eight programs (78.4%) reported having PA training included as a part of their curriculum. Thirty-five (61.4%) and 25 (43.9%) programs included instruction on national aerobic and strength training guidelines, respectively. Thirty-one programs (56.4%) felt that they offered a sufficient level of PA-related training for their students to successfully counsel their patients in the future. Over the 4 years of medical school, an average of 8.1 (± 9.8) h of mandatory PA training was offered. Conclusion: Though many medical schools report providing some level of PA content, the time dedicated for this training is still low in comparison to other topics, such as nutrition education, which are featured more prominently. New and innovative ideas are needed for the integration of more, higher quality PA training for our next generation of medical practitioners.

Factors affecting dairy farmers’ attitudes towards antimicrobial medicine usage in cattle in England and Wales

There has been growing concern about bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in the farmed livestock sector. Attention has turned to sub-optimal use of antimicrobials as a driver of resistance. Recent reviews have identified a lack of data on the pattern of antimicrobial use as an impediment to the design of measures to tackle this growing problem. This paper reports on a study that explored use of antibiotics by dairy farmers and factors influencing their decision-making around this usage.We found that respondents had either recently reduced their use of antibiotics, or planned to do so. Advice from their veterinarian was instrumental in this. Over 70% thought reducing antibiotic usage would be a good thing to do. The most influential source of information used was their own veterinarian. Some 50% were unaware of the available guidelines on use in cattle production. However, 97% thought it important to keep treatment records.The Theory of Planned Behaviour was used to identify dairy farmers’ drivers and barriers to reduce use of antibiotics. Intention to reduce usage was weakly correlated with current and past practice of antibiotic use, whilst the strongest driver was respondents’ belief that their social and advisory network would approve of them doing this. The higher the proportion of income from milk production and the greater the chance of remaining in milk production, the significantly higher the likelihood of farmers exhibiting positive intention to reduce antibiotic usage. Such farmers may be more commercially minded than others and thus more cost-conscious or, perhaps, more aware of possible future restrictions.Strong correlation was found between farmers’ perception of their social referents’ beliefs and farmers’ intent to reduce antibiotic use. Policy makers should target these social referents, especially veterinarians, with information on the benefits from, and the means to, achieving reductions in antibiotic usage. Information on sub-optimal use of antibiotics as a driver of resistance in dairy herds and in humans along with advice on best farm practice to minimize risk of disease and ensure animal welfare, complemented with data on potential cost savings from reduced antibiotic use would help improve poor practice.

A Current Assessment of Physical Activity Training within Medical School

Health care professionals serve as influential sources of information and guidance for their patients. Medical education presents an opportune time to train future physicians in providing PA counseling. PURPOSE: To assess current U.S. medical school curricula for the inclusion and level of PA content. METHODS: We reviewed the websites for schools that provided online curricula and attempted to interview 137 allopathic and 34 osteopathic medical education programs in the U.S. RESULTS: Of the 156 programs that had a curriculum listed on their website, only 11 mentioned PA. Of the 74 schools that completed interviews, 58 schools reported including training in PA (78.4%) in their medical curriculum. Of these schools, 35 (61.4%) included instruction on the national PA guidelines, and 31 (56.4%) felt that they taught a sufficient level of PA for their students to successfully counsel their patients in the future. The greatest level of PA training reported, including optional and parallel training, was during the first (mean = 5.41 hrs) and third years (mean = 5.93 hrs) of the medical education program. When the four years of the medical education programs were combined, schools reported requiring an average total of 8.11 hrs of PA training. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a current snapshot of the level of PA content provided in U.S. medical schools. Though many schools report providing some level of PA content, additional research is needed to determine the specific content of PA training. It is vital that we explore new ways of integrating higher quality PA education training into the medical system.

Coverage of Skin Cancer Risk Factors and UV Behaviors in Popular U.S. Magazines from 2000 to 2012.

Mass media is an influential source of skin cancer and tanning information for the public, but we know little about its content or emphasis. The objective of this research was to describe the volume and nature of skin cancer and tanning messages in 20 popular U.S. men's and women's magazines (2000-2012). We used a directed content analysis to determine frequency information about risk factors and ultraviolet (UV) behaviors in 608 articles and 930 images. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests determined coverage differences based on content type (text vs. image) and target audience (women vs. men). UV exposure was the most common risk factor mentioned (37.7%) and sunscreen use the most common behavior encouraged (60.0%); information about other risk factors and protective behaviors was uncommon. Both articles (25.2%) and images (36.9%) promoted the tanned look as attractive. In most cases, images infrequently contained helpful information on skin cancer risk factors and prevention, except for high-SPF sunscreens. Women's magazines published more articles on skin cancer and tanning than men's magazines (456 vs. 159, χ(2) = 143.43, P < .01), and the nature of the messages differed between them. Magazine skin cancer and tanning content may contribute to inaccurate public understanding of risks and prevention. These findings are relevant to cancer educators, who may wish to counter potentially harmful messages and enhance positive ones through cancer education efforts.

Childbirth Education Prior to Pregnancy? Survey Findings of Childbirth Preferences and Attitudes Among Young Women.

The childbirth preferences and attitudes of young women prior to pregnancy (N = 758) were explored in a cross-sectional survey. Sources of influential childbirth information and self-reported childbirth learning needs were described. Young women's attitudes about childbirth, including the degree of confidence in coping with a vaginal birth, whether birth is considered a natural event, and expectations of labor pain were associated with their mode of birth preference. Conversations with friends and family were the most influential source of childbirth information. Gaps in knowledge about pregnancy and birth were identified. An improved understanding of women's preferences and attitudinal profiles can inform the structure and content of educational strategies that aim to help the next generation of maternity care consumers participate in informed decision making.

Sources of Information Referred for Higher Education Institution Selection

In response to the increase in demand on tertiary education, number of higher education institution raised dramatically over the past few decades. The scenario creates competition environment leading to the needs for understanding how students’ decision were made. Recent literature on higher education has been acknowledging the role of marketing in attracting potential students. This paper explores the decision process of selecting higher education institution within the framework of marketing communication. From the perception of students who are successfully accepted in a higher education institution, the analysis was done to investigate what was the source of information being referred. Analysis was also done to identify which source perceived by the students as their most influential source of information in deciding which institution to apply for. The finding suggests that traditional marketing tools such as news paper and magazine advertisement or publication is still effective as compared with other interactive marketing approach such as websites and education fair. The influence of their significant others such as parents, siblings and peers is also discussed.

Word-of-Mouth Segments

Most tourists love to share their holiday experiences with family, friends, and, increasingly, strangers, using the Internet. Such word-of-mouth represents a highly influential information source for potential tourists and is therefore of great interest to tourism marketing managers. This study aims to understand patterns among tourists when sharing holiday experiences, both in terms of the communication channel they use and the kind of content they share. The findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of word-of-mouth behavior by empirically showing that word-of-mouth is not a homogeneous activity. Rather, results show that distinct segments of word-of-mouth behavior exist. Segments differ with regard to content shared (visual/verbal) and channel used (offline/online). Two out of the five segments use only offline channels to share their experiences, and the extent of visual content shared varies across segments. The article illustrates how these findings could be translated into proactive marketing action aimed at instigating word-of-mouth behavior.

Online Reviews

Online reviews have become one of the most influential information sources for consumer decision making. The current research aims to contribute to our understanding of the following question: When consumers are faced with multiple online reviews with mixed information, do they turn to various peripheral factors in order to form their prepurchase evaluations? This study focuses on two types of peripheral factors: motivational state and incidental cue. Results from two experimental studies suggest that information load has a dual function in influencing the effectiveness of peripheral cues, depending on which peripheral cue is used in hand. Findings of this study have important implications for social media marketers. Given distinct levels of information load (high vs. low), different types of peripheral cues should be incorporated strategically in an effort to influence consumers’ purchase intentions.

North American Magazine Coverage of Skin Cancer and Recreational Tanning Before and After the WHO/IARC 2009 Classification of Indoor Tanning Devices as Carcinogenic.

The mass media is an influential source of skin cancer information for the public. In 2009, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified UV radiation from tanning devices as carcinogenic. Our objective was to determine if media coverage of skin cancer and recreational tanning increased in volume or changed in nature after this classification. We conducted a directed content analysis on 29 North American popular magazines (2007-2012) to investigate the overall volume of articles on skin cancer and recreational tanning and, more specifically, the presence of skin cancer risk factors, UV behaviors, and early detection information in article text (n = 410) and images (n = 714). The volume of coverage on skin cancer and recreational tanning did not increase significantly after the 2009 classification of tanning beds as carcinogenic. Key-related messages, including that UV exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer and that indoor tanning should be avoided, were not reported more frequently after the classification, but the promotion of the tanned look as attractive was conveyed more often in images afterwards (p < .01). Content promoting high-SPF sunscreen use increased after the classification (p < .01), but there were no significant positive changes in the frequency of coverage of skin cancer risk factors, other UV behaviors, or early detection information over time. The classification of indoor tanning beds as carcinogenic had no significant impact on the volume or nature of skin cancer and recreational tanning coverage in magazines.

'Taking control of cancer': understanding women's choice for mastectomy.

Rates of both unilateral (UM) and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) for unilateral early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) have been increasing since 2003. Recent studies suggest that this increase may be due to women choosing UM and CPM because of fear. We conducted an in-depth qualitative study to identify those factors influencing a woman's choice for more extensive surgery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with breast cancer patients to examine the experiences, decision making, and choice of UM±CPM for the treatment of ESBC. Purposive sampling identified suitable candidates for breast-conserving therapy (BCT) who underwent UM±CPM. Interviews were guided by grounded theory methodology, and constant comparative analysis identified key concepts and themes. Data saturation was achieved after 29 interviews. 'Taking control of cancer' was the dominant theme. Fear of breast cancer was expressed at diagnosis and remained throughout decision making. Personal experiences of family or friends 'living with cancer' were the most influential source of information during the decision-making process. Fear translated into an overestimated risk of recurrence, contralateral breast cancer (CBC), and death. Despite surgeons discussing equivalent survival with BCT, UM±CPM patients believed that by choosing UM±CPM they would eliminate recurrence, CBC and live longer. By choosing more extensive surgery, women were actively trying to control cancer outcomesas more surgery was believed to offer greater survival. Women seek UM and CPM to take control of cancer and manage their fear. It is important for surgeons to understand how personal experiences shape women's choice for UM±CPM to facilitate informed decision making.

The Role of Information Exposure in Female University Students’ Evaluation and Selection of Eco-Friendly Apparel in the South African Emerging Economy

Increasing consumption in the South African emerging economy necessitates stringent effort toward developing environmental information campaigns that stimulate preferences for eco-friendly alternatives. This qualitative study explores the role of exposure to information about the environmental impact of the apparel supply chain in female students' evaluation and selection of apparel. Based on the outcome of garment selection exercises and focus group discussions, participants were not swayed by exposure to hang tags, audio-visual or printed information sources to prioritize eco-friendly features in their choice of product, nor were they willing to compromise on attributes such as price for the sake of the environment. Participants' recommendations include standardized eco-labels to facilitate identification of eco-friendly alternatives and message content that is short, precise and factual. Interpersonal communication could represent an influential source of information and merits further investigation into the relevance of normative social influence on pro-environmental apparel behavior in the South African emerging economy.

Majority of women are influenced by nonprofessional information sources when deciding to consult a complementary and alternative medicine practitioner during pregnancy.

Up to 87% of women are using some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) during their pregnancy, and this study was conducted to investigate the information sources that these women find influential in relation to such use. The study sample was obtained via the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. This article is based on a substudy of 1835 pregnant women who were surveyed in 2010. The women answered questions about CAM use, pregnancy-related health concerns, and influential information sources in relation to CAM use. Logistic regression models were used to determine the information sources that women reported as influential in their decision making regarding CAM use. Of the respondents (n=1835, 79.2% response rate), 48.1% (n=623) of the pregnant women consulted a CAM practitioner and 91.7% (n=1485) used a CAM product during pregnancy. The results show that, of the women who used CAM, nearly half (48%, n=493) were influenced by their own personal experience of CAM and 43% (n=423) by family and friends. Other popular sources of information were general practitioners 27% (n=263), the media (television, radio, books, magazines, newspapers) 22% (n=220), obstetricians 21% (n=208) and midwives 19% (n=190). Numerous statistically significant associations between influential information sources and pregnancy-related health conditions were identified. Women utilize a wide variety of information sources regarding their CAM use during pregnancy. Nonprofessional sources of information were found to be particularly influential, and maternity health care professionals need to have a nonjudgmental and open discussion with women about their CAM use during pregnancy in order to ensure safe and effective maternal outcomes.

Health care reform: understanding individuals' attitudes and information sources.

Since passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by President Barrack Obama, little is known about state-level perceptions of residents on the ACA. Perceptions about the act could potentially affect implementation of the law to the fullest extent. This 3-year survey study explored attitudes about the ACA, the types of information sources that individuals rely on when creating those attitudes, and the predictors of these attitudes among state of Indiana residents. The respondents were split between favorable and unfavorable views of the ACA, yet the majority of respondents strongly supported individual components of the act. National TV news, websites, family members, and individuals' own reading of the ACA legislation were identified as the most influential information sources. After controlling for potential confounders, the respondent's political affiliation, age, sex, and obtaining ACA information from watching national television news were the most important predictors of attitudes about the ACA and its components. These results mirror national-level findings. Implications for implementing health care reform at the state-level are discussed.

Thematic Discrepancy Analysis: A Method to Gain Insights into Lurkers and Test for Non-Response Bias

Word of mouth (WOM), long recognized as a highly influential source of information, has taken on new importance with the proliferation of online WOM. Research in online environments has focused on individuals who actively participate in generating WOM. However, over 90% of those that read WOM are non-participants, commonly called “lurkers.” This paper develops and tests a thematic discrepancy analysis (TDA) approach that combines commonly available information on Views and Replies with content analysis to provide new insights into differences between WOM participants and lurkers. TDA provides managers with market-sensing information to identify hidden opportunities and threats, as well as to test for non-response bias. Given the lack of approaches to address non-response bias due to lurkers, TDA represents a significant contribution to research methodology. We demonstrate the efficacy of TDA by applying it to a large scale WOM dataset containing over 80,000 messages from a brand-specific online forum.

How do patients with end-stage ankle arthritis decide between two surgical treatments? A qualitative study

ObjectiveTo examine how patients decide between ankle fusion and ankle replacement in end-stage ankle arthritis.DesignPurposive patient selection, semistructured interviews, thematic analysis.SettingRoyal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, UK.Participants14 patients diagnosed with end-stage...

Backpacking in the Internet Age: Contextualizing the Use of Lonely Planet Guidebooks

The aim of this paper is to explore how influential Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks are to backpackers. Findings revealed LP to be of moderate influence, acting in a supplementary role to word of mouth information. The most important information source was word of mouth information amongst backpackers, followed by word of mouth information from locals, LP guidebooks and the Internet. Due to the difficulties of isolating LP guidebook use from these other information sources, systems thinking was applied in which these four most influential sources of information were conceptualized as subsystems which combined to comprise a larger backpacker information system. LP was then used as the starting point for a wider exploration of information usage amongst backpackers, incorporating the influence of the Internet and word of mouth information. Recent studies reveal that Internet usage amongst tourists has substantially increased during the past few years, demonstrating the speed with which the guidebook industry and backpacking is changing.

Characteristics of information diffusion in blogs, in relation to information source type

A novel method is presented to analyze the dynamics of social media, i.e., information diffusion properties, for information recommendation and ranking. In social media such as blogs, various information diffuses over time. As a result, a network structure is constructed. In an information diffusion network, each influential information source has an affected subnetwork whose nodes are reachable from it. We define three information diffusion properties of the subnetwork using the numbers of three types of directed two-edge connected subgraphs, which are basic structures in a directed acyclic graph such as an information diffusion network. Each basic structure type is related to information scattering, information gathering, or information transmission. We visualized and analyzed the structure of information diffusion networks extracted for various topics. Furthermore, we characterized the information diffusion properties by using the rank correlation coefficient, precision, and mean reciprocal rank and mean average precision of three types of information sources: official sites, news articles, and consumer generated media pages. We found that the three information diffusion properties have different characteristics and give priority to different types of information sources.

A Dynamic Model of the Effect of Online Communications on Firm Sales

Interpersonal communications have long been recognized as an influential source of information for consumers. Internet-based media have facilitated information exchange among firms and consumers, as well as observability and measurement of such exchanges. However, much of the research addressing online communication focuses on ratings collected from online forums. In this paper, we look beyond ratings to a more comprehensive view of online communications. We consider the sales effect of the volume of positive, negative, and neutral online communications captured by Web crawler technology and classified by automated sentiment analysis. Our modeling approach captures two key features of our data, dynamics and endogeneity. In terms of dynamics, we model daily measures of online communications about a firm and its products as contributing to a latent demand-generating stock variable. To account for the endogeneity, we extend the latent instrumental variable technique to account for dynamic endogenous regressors. Our results demonstrate a significant effect of positive, negative, and neutral online communications on daily sales performance. Failure to account for endogeneity results in a severe attenuation of the estimated effects. From a managerial perspective, we demonstrate the importance of accounting for communication valence as well as the impact of shocks to positive, negative, and neutral online communications.

Treatment decision-making for localized prostate cancer: what younger men choose and why

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The literature lacks knowledge about information preferences and decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. This study provides insight into information sources consulted and factors dictating treatment decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. METHODS Subjects were identified from pathology consult service of a National Center of Excellence. Questionnaires were mailed to 986 men, under 50 years of age, diagnosed with Gleason score 6 prostate cancer between 2001 and 2005. RESULTS Four hundred ninety-three men responded. The most common primary therapies were surgery 397 (81.4%), radiation 52 (10.7%), and active surveillance (AS) 26 (5.3%). Participants with at least some college education (P = 0.003) or annual income >$100,000 (P = 0.003) were more likely to consult three or more doctors. Amongst all treatments, “doctor's recommendation” was the most influential information source, although relatively less important in the AS group. Internet was the second most frequent information source. Participants with higher education (P = 0.0003) and higher income (P = 0.002) considered sexual function more important while making a treatment choice. Only 2% of the men preferred a passive role in the decision-making. Informed decision-making was preferred more by patients who chose radiation and AS while shared decision-making was preferred more by surgery patients (P < 0.05). The majority (89%) of the respondents did not regret their decision. No difference in satisfaction levels was found between different treatment modalities. CONCLUSIONS This study provides insight into information sources consulted, such as the greater internet use, and various factors dictating treatment decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. There was an overall very high satisfaction rate regardless of the therapy chosen. Prostate 72:58–64, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Treatment decision‐making for localized prostate cancer: What younger men choose and why

The literature lacks knowledge about information preferences and decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. This study provides insight into information sources consulted and factors dictating treatment decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. Subjects were identified from pathology consult service of a National Center of Excellence. Questionnaires were mailed to 986 men, under 50 years of age, diagnosed with Gleason score 6 prostate cancer between 2001 and 2005. Four hundred ninety-three men responded. The most common primary therapies were surgery 397 (81.4%), radiation 52 (10.7%), and active surveillance (AS) 26 (5.3%). Participants with at least some college education (P = 0.003) or annual income >$100,000 (P = 0.003) were more likely to consult three or more doctors. Amongst all treatments, "doctor's recommendation" was the most influential information source, although relatively less important in the AS group. Internet was the second most frequent information source. Participants with higher education (P = 0.0003) and higher income (P = 0.002) considered sexual function more important while making a treatment choice. Only 2% of the men preferred a passive role in the decision-making. Informed decision-making was preferred more by patients who chose radiation and AS while shared decision-making was preferred more by surgery patients (P < 0.05). The majority (89%) of the respondents did not regret their decision. No difference in satisfaction levels was found between different treatment modalities. This study provides insight into information sources consulted, such as the greater internet use, and various factors dictating treatment decision-making in young prostate cancer patients. There was an overall very high satisfaction rate regardless of the therapy chosen.