Salience Of Messages Research Articles

Social Semiotic Analysis of a Pet Protection Post on Instagram

This study applies Kress and Van Leeuwen's Visual Grammar framework to analyze an Instagram post advocating pet protection. The research focuses on representational, interactive, and compositional metafunctions to understand how visual and textual elements combine to convey urgency and empathy. The representational analysis highlights the dog's isolated portrayal and the use of the pronoun "me" to foster an emotional connection. The interactive analysis examines indirect gaze, close-up shots, and low angles to engage viewers and emphasize their role in pet protection. The compositional analysis reveals the strategic placement of verbal and visual elements, with bold text and contrasting colors enhancing the message's salience. This multimodal approach demonstrates the synergy between visual and textual elements, creating a cohesive and persuasive narrative. The study's findings align with existing literature on social semiotics and Visual Grammar, emphasizing the importance of integrated visual strategies in social media advocacy. The research offers practical insights for designing effective pet protection campaigns, highlighting the role of Visual Grammar in promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare. Future research should explore the long-term impact of these visual strategies on viewer behavior and the effectiveness of different semiotic modes across various social media platforms.

The "Survival Pending Revolution" COVID-19 vaccination campaign: an example of critical communication theory in action.

We carried out a two-phase, qualitative evaluation of a novel public health campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccination among youth and young adults of color (YOC), called Survival Pending Revolution. The campaign, commissioned by California's Department of Public Health, was created by YOC spoken word artists, under the direction of the organization, Youth Speaks. In phase 1, we describe the communication attributes of the campaign's nine video-poems, coded the content of the pieces, and applied thematic analysis to describe the themes conveyed. In phase 2, we carried out a comparative health communication study to assess the content's potential value. We exposed a sample of the target audience (YOC) to the content of Survival Pending Revolution and a widely viewed comparator campaign (The Conversation). Using a focus group, we solicited participants' views using a semi-structured approach. Using thematic analysis, we summarized the reactions that arose when participants reflected on the attributes of each campaign. Findings from phase 1 reveal how engaging YOC artists who embrace Youth Speaks' philosophy of harnessing "life as primary text" resulted in content that is aligned with critical communication theory, focusing on structural determinants of health, including themes of overcoming oppressive systems, health and social inequities, and medical discrimination and mistrust. Findings from phase 2 reveal that this arts-based campaign based on such critical communication theory, when compared to a more traditional campaign, promotes message salience, fosters emotional engagement, and provides a form of validation among historically oppressed groups such that they may be more open to, and potentially act on, the COVID-19 vaccination communications to which they are exposed. As an example of critical communication, the Survival Pending Revolution campaign encourages health-promoting behavioral decisions while calling out the structural determinants of health that shape risks of exposure and constrain free choice. Engaging uniquely gifted members of marginalized populations as creators and messengers of campaigns lead to content that is aligned with a critical communication approach, whose goal is to aid disparity populations in both resisting and navigating systems that continue to locate them on the margins of society. Our evaluation of this campaign suggests that it represents a promising formative and interventional approach to engendering trust in public health messaging and promoting health equity.

Communicating With Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: A Narrative Review.

Although vaccines are considered one of the most effective medical interventions to prevent vaccine preventable disease and associated morbidity and mortality, a number of recent outbreaks are threatening the gains made by vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy is a key driver of vaccine refusal and has been associated with vaccine preventable outbreaks. While parents seek information from many sources to inform their vaccine decision-making process, they continue to view their child's pediatric provider as a trusted source of vaccine information. The communication that occurs between a provider and parent with regards to vaccination is critical in reducing concerns and nudging parents toward vaccine acceptance. However, vaccine-hesitant parents raise issues in this encounter that many providers feel ill-equipped to answer, due to lack of training on evidence-based communication strategies. We focus on promising approaches related to patient-provider communication within the context of vaccination. We found empirical evidence that the use of a presumptive format to recommend vaccines, motivational interviewing, and tailoring information to increase message salience are approaches that can positively affect vaccine acceptance. As providers continue to serve as important influencers in the vaccine decision-making process, it is evident that there is a need to continue to identify evidence-based, and practically implementable approaches to mitigate parental vaccine hesitancy. Providers play a key role in improving coverage rates, and therefore it is paramount to seek ways to improve how providers communicate about vaccines.

Efficacy of Canadian health warning statements on caffeinated energy drinks: an experimental study among young Canadians.

The current study examined the efficacy of health warnings on caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs). Participants aged 12-24 years (n = 2040) completed an online survey where they were asked to recall any existing warning statements on CED products and were randomized to one of 29 experimental warning conditions. Regression models were fitted to examine differences between conditions in product appeal, perceived safety and message recall. Overall, fewer than 30% of participants were able to accurately describe an existing CED product warning. Experimental findings indicated that exposure to CEDs with warning labels resulted in greater recall. Warnings on the back of CED cans featuring large font, a border, and a 'caution' heading resulted in significantly greater recall (P < 0.05 for all). Front-of-package 'High source of caffeine' labels resulted in greater recall than a quantitative description (P < 0.001); caffeine labels generally elicited lower product appeal (P < 0.001) and perceived safety (P = 0.002) ratings vs. no caffeine labels, and the qualitative caffeine statement elicited lower perceived safety ratings than the quantitative statement (P = 0.02). Existing warning statements in Canada have low levels of awareness. Warnings on CEDs could be enhanced to increase the salience of messages, with greater impact from clear, descriptive, front-of-package 'High source of caffeine' labels.

Cross-channel message consistency in herbal medicine advertising

PurposeFor many developing country citizens, traditional herbal medicines offer affordable alternatives to expensive orthodox options. Consumers learn about them from different sources including the packaging, which by regulatory demands must provide certain information. In countries such as Ghana, many herbal medicine brands combine packaging information with radio presenter mentions (PMs) as the primary modes of advertising. The purpose of this study is to compare radio PMs of herbal medicines to their packaging information to see how consistent they are in providing credible information to consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses comparative qualitative content analysis to compare information about disease indications, directions for use and warnings/cautions as provided on the packaging and in PMs to gauge the extent of their congruence.FindingsFindings show that there are substantial cross-channel message differences. These differences range from under-representation to sometimes, blatant misinformation, suggesting the possibility that audiences will have difficulty relying on them for decisions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only addressed issues with the manifest content of herbal drugs’ packaging and PMs. It does not include any interviews with consumers to gauge the extent of their consciousness of the lapses identified, and how they are affected by such. In addition, the study sample is context-specific. Ghana presents an interesting setting for the study but it is none-the-less only one country, denying us the power to generalize the findings.Practical implicationsThe study points to a need to pay closer attention to message salience and consistency where multiple channels are used in promoting herbal medicinal products. Due to their historically traditional context of consumption in many developing countries, regulatory frameworks on herbal medicine markets are often lax. This study calls attention to a need for better policing on how herbal medicinal products promote themselves, particularly where they use multiple media channels that introduce variations into their messages.Originality/valueThe study calls attention to the credibility of cross-channel messages in supporting consumers of medicinal products. Secondly, because of the predominance of the normative view in medical advertising, channels such as PMs that accommodate message variation and improvisation have eluded critical analysis. By its focus on the presenter mention advertising format, the study also draws attention of health communication scholars to begin to include emerging modes of medical advertising in their analysis.

Smokers' Perceptions of Cigarette Packaging With Audio Warning Messages: A Focus Group Study in Scotland.

The use of audio pack cues or messages is a recent trend in packaging design. There is scope to use audio technology to communicate health and cessation messages via cigarette packaging. We explored how smokers responded to cigarette packs which played audio health messages. Twenty focus groups were conducted in Scotland in 2015 with smokers (n = 120) segmented by age (16-17, 18-24, 25-35, 36-50, >50), gender and social grade. Perceptions of cigarette packs which played audio warnings were explored, with four messages used: (1) a cessation message with a quitline number, (2) mortality message, (3) fertility message, and (4) message about ageing skin. Audio warnings were thought to increase message impact, particularly among younger smokers, as they would be hard to ignore or avoid, and repetition may lead to the messages being memorized. The warnings were considered annoying or embarrassing, and participants suggested they may discard the packs and use alternative storage. Some participants suggested that the audio warnings were off-putting and may alter their smoking behavior, with the mortality message deemed most effective and was considered relatable and felt personal. Older smokers were least likely to believe that audio warnings would affect their smoking behavior, although some thought that they may enhance cessation attempts among smokers seeking to quit, and could deter new or potential smokers, for example, young people. Cigarette packs with audio messaging may have a role to play, now or in the future, as a novel way of communicating health and cessation information. There is a lack of research exploring smokers' perceptions of cigarette packs which play audio health messages. This focus group study provides an understanding of smokers' immediate responses to cigarette packs which played a short health message when opened. Smokers generally viewed them as annoying or embarrassing, and some suggested the use of alternative storage. Audio warnings were thought to increase message salience, memorability, and impact, for younger smokers in particular, and some suggested that they be off-putting for themselves or others.

Who knows what: An exploration of the infant feeding message environment and intracultural differences in Port‐au‐Prince, Haiti

Worldwide, mothers with young children receive many messages about infant feeding. Some messages are generated by health providers and others by the households, communities, and social contexts in which women live. We aimed to determine the scope of infant feeding messages in urban Haiti and to examine intracultural differences in salience of these messages and their alignment with international guidelines. We applied the method of free listing with 13 health workers and 15 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and 15 HIV-uninfected mothers with infants 0-6months old at Groupe Haïtien d'Etude du Sarcome de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Participants listed all messages women receive about infant feeding and specifically about HIV and infant feeding. Message salience was determined by frequency of mention and recall order; messages were coded for key themes. For all groups, the World Health Organization infant feeding recommendations were salient, especially those related to exclusive breastfeeding. Messages across all groups focused on infant health outcomes, with less emphasis on maternal outcomes. Cultural beliefs were also elicited and showed higher salience for mothers than health workers, particularly for consequences of poor maternal nutrition. Health workers' free lists were poorly correlated to those of mothers, whereas those of mothers were highly correlated, regardless of HIV status. Inasmuch as many salient messages were culturally generated, and differences existed between mothers and health workers, we conclude that it is important for health workers to acknowledge the broader infant feeding message environment, and discrepancies within that environment, to address successes and failures in the messages reaching mothers, given potential consequences for mothers' breastfeeding behaviours.

Raising Public Awareness of Clinical Trials: Development of Messages for a National Health Communication Campaign

Clinical trials are essential for developing new and effective treatments and improving patient quality of life; however, many trials cannot answer their primary research questions because they fall short of their recruitment goals. This article reports the results of formative research conducted in two populations, the public and primary care physicians, to identify messages that may raise awareness and increase interest in clinical trials and be used in a national communication campaign. Results suggested that participants were primarily motivated to participate in clinical trials out of a self-interest to help themselves first. Messages illustrated that current treatments were tested via clinical trials, helped normalize trials as routine practices, and reduced concerns over trying something new first. Participants wanted messages that portray trials as state-of-the-art choices that offer some hope, show people like themselves, and are described in a clear, concise manner with actionable steps for them to take. The study revealed some differences in message salience, with healthy audiences exhibiting lower levels of interest. Our results suggest that targeted messages are needed, and that communication with primary health-care providers is an important and necessary component in raising patient awareness of the importance of clinical trials.

Raw and real: an innovative communication approach to smokeless tobacco control messaging in low and middle-income countries

The evidence on the efficacy of tobacco control messages in low and middle-income country (LMIC) settings is limited but growing. Low message salience and disengagement, in the face of tobacco...

What it Takes to Get Passed On: Message Content, Style, and Structure as Predictors of Retransmission in the Boston Marathon Bombing Response.

Message retransmission is a central aspect of information diffusion. In a disaster context, the passing on of official warning messages by members of the public also serves as a behavioral indicator of message salience, suggesting that particular messages are (or are not) perceived by the public to be both noteworthy and valuable enough to share with others. This study provides the first examination of terse message retransmission of official warning messages in response to a domestic terrorist attack, the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Using messages posted from public officials’ Twitter accounts that were active during the period of the Boston Marathon bombing and manhunt, we examine the features of messages that are associated with their retransmission. We focus on message content, style, and structure, as well as the networked relationships of message senders to answer the question: what characteristics of a terse message sent under conditions of imminent threat predict its retransmission among members of the public? We employ a negative binomial model to examine how message characteristics affect message retransmission. We find that, rather than any single effect dominating the process, retransmission of official Tweets during the Boston bombing response was jointly influenced by various message content, style, and sender characteristics. These findings suggest the need for more work that investigates impact of multiple factors on the allocation of attention and on message retransmission during hazard events.

The Message Environment and Salience of Infant and Young Child Feeding Messages for Health Workers, HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected Mothers in Urban Haiti

Worldwide, mothers with young children receive many infant and young child feeding (IYCF) messages. Some of these messages are health provider generated, while others are culturally influenced and community generated. We aimed to determine the scope, content and salience of these messages in urban Haiti. We applied the qualitative method of “free listing” with 13 health workers (HW), and 15 HIV‐infected and 15 uninfected mothers with infants 0‐6 months old at GHESKIO. Participants were asked to list all messages women receive about IYCF, and specifically HIV and IYCF. Message salience was determined by message frequency and rank order using FLAME 1.1, and messages were coded for key themes using NVivo 10. For all groups, WHO IYCF recommendations were highly salient, but community‐based messages were also highly salient for mothers. Maternal‐centered messages were more salient for mothers than for HW, who focused on infant‐centered messages. In addition, HW and HIV‐uninfected women identified a wider range of breastfeeding benefits compared to HIV‐infected women who focused primarily on the health of their infants. As many salient messages are community generated and differences exist between HIV‐infected and uninfected women, we conclude that IYCF messages provided to women should be more sensitive to the broader message environment and the consequences of these messages for mothers' breastfeeding behaviors.

An exploration of decision support for drivers, inside and outside the vehicle

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and future promise of decision support systems (DSS A driving simulator study compared three DSSs: a dynamic road sign, displays on the side mirrors, and a vibrating seat (haptic).) inside the vehicle relative to a particular, well‐tested dynamic road sign external to the vehicle. Independent variables included display placement and modality (visual vs. haptic). Dependent variables included measurements of safe driving behavior and usability. A follow‐on focus group study was conducted to gain further insights into the results and improvement ideas. The vibrating seat yielded significantly better safety margins than the dynamic road sign. Haptic DSSs inside the vehicle may have more safety benefits than visual DSSs inside or outside the vehicle. Further investigation is needed to determine what properties of the haptic interface – reduced interference with visual driving tasks, message salience, simplicity, or some combination – are responsible for the advantage. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Experimental Evidence of the Knowledge Gap: Message Arousal, Motivation, and Time Delay

This study experimentally tested the knowledge gap from an information processing perspective. Specifically, knowledge acquisition was investigated under conditions of medium and low news message arousal, with time delay. Results show the persistence of a knowledge gap, particularly for low arousing messages. In fact, at low levels of message arousal, the gap is larger than at medium levels of arousal. Some existing research suggests that message salience explains the knowledge gap. Findings from this study show that information processing aptitude may also be a significant factor. Measures of several dimensions of participant motivation to cognitively engage with news messages were added as covariates to statistical analyses. These were found not to affect the knowledge gap outcomes in this data set.

Understanding Intervention for (C)APD: As Easy as A-B-C

Understanding Intervention for (C)APD: As Easy as A-B-C

The role of health consciousness in predicting attention to health warning messages.

Guided by information processing theory and the health belief model, this paper considers the relationship between health consciousness among the general population and attention to environmental health warnings about alcohol consumption. Mechanisms of exposure to three dominant types of impersonal alcohol-related health messages in the environment are explored. Cross-sectional survey using telephone interview data. A representative nationwide sample of adults was interviewed in 1993 (n = 1026), with a response rate of 63%. Key variables include exposure to warning labels on alcoholic beverages, to point-of-sale posters, and to advertisements in the media, as well as respondents' alcohol consumption, health problems (indicative of salience of health warnings), and level of health consciousness assessed by items tapping concern with nutrition and seeking information on health topics. In the total sample, over a third had seen a warning label or poster and almost all had seen an advertisement about the risks associated with alcohol consumption in 1993. Survey respondents scored very high on five individual items that make up the health consciousness scale introduced here, with 69% endorsing all items. The scale demonstrated good internal reliability (alpha = .70) and was significantly correlated (p < .01) with not enjoying getting drunk and with usually reading product warning labels, suggesting construct validity. Yet the hypothesized strong relationships between health consciousness and attention to health warnings about drinking were not observed; nor was salience of messages a predictor of recall. Importantly, high proportions of underage drinkers and young adults at elevated risk for drinking problems are reached by container warning label messages. Mechanisms of exposure recall vary based on message source, with "container label recall" associated with heavier drinking, younger age, and purchasing patterns; "poster recall" associated with purchasing and health consciousness; and "advertisement recall" associated with heavy consumption and younger age. These results are contrary to predictions from skeptics of broad-based informational interventions, who argue that only the already-health conscious are attentive to health warnings about the risks of alcohol consumption. These data suggest that the label is reaching intended target audiences, especially younger people, males, and heavier alcohol consumers. Future research in predicting attention to impersonal health warnings in the environment should continue to improve the assessment of constructs such as salience and health consciousness, and should further test the applicability of available theoretical models. Subsequent research should also consider additional measures to tap mechanisms of exposure to impersonal health messages to enable a better understanding of the population that is not being reached by such public health interventions.