Radio Public Service Announcements Research Articles

A Radio-Based Approach to Promoting Gun Safety: Process and Outcome Evaluation Implications and Insights

Three radio public service announcements (PSA) were created to increase knowledge of 10 gun-safety practices in a mid-Michigan county. Concurrently, a direct-mail coupon highlighting the same gun-safety practices was disseminated to over 70,000 households in the same county. Results of a telephone survey indicate that, compared to unexposed individuals, those who were exposed to the PSA were able to name significantly more gun-safety practices. Specifically, significant differences between those exposed to the PSA versus those not exposed were found for 5 gun-safety practices, as well as for a 4-item index measuring gun locking and storage behaviors, and a 9-item index that included all gun-safety practices.

Recruiting Anxious Older Adults for a Psychotherapy Outcome Study

Although anxiety is a serious problem among the elderly, very little research has been conducted with anxious older adults. One reason is that although anxiety disorders overall are more common than depression in older community samples, many specific anxiety disorders are relatively rare. Furthermore, anxious older adults often do not seek treatment or otherwise come to the attention of mental health researchers. This paper describes the first year of recruitment efforts for a treatment outcome study of psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder in adults at least 55 years old. Successful methods included collaborations with hospital-based health education programs and senior centers, as well as notices in local and senior newspapers. Less successful methods included radio public service announcements and mailings to residential facilities, churches and synagogues, and physicians. Recommendations for recruitment of anxious older adults into research projects are discussed.

The Firearm Injury Reduction Education (Fire) Program: Formative Evaluation Insights and Implications

The Firearm Injury Reduction Education (FIRE) Program is a comprehensive community-based initiative aimed primarily at reducing the number of unintentional firearm injuries and deaths in Michigan. The FIRE Program is a multifaceted intervention that includes the following components: (1) videotaped testimonials; (2) radio public service announcements (PSAs); and (3) pamphlet distribution. In all cases, target audience members have an opportunity to receive a free gun trigger-lock. Several aspects of the social marketing model will be adopted by the FIRE Program. Pre-production formative evaluation is one important part of social marketing. The information reported here contains results of formative evaluation conducted to obtain feedback to develop and improve program components. Specifically, focus groups ( N = 6) were conducted with adults and children who owned firearms and/or were members of an at-risk population. Individual in- depth interviews were also conducted ( N = 11) with law enforcement officers and gun shop owners and/or operators. Results suggest that one can learn a reasonable amount of information from a limited number of focus groups and interviews. Injuries and deaths from guns represent a pervasive problem in American society. Firearms are the second-leading cause of fatal injuries in this country (Kellermann, 1994), and have surpassed automobile accidents in many states to become the leading cause of fatal injuries (Marwick, 1995). In 1994, firearms were involved in 17,866 homicides, there were 1,356 deaths due to unintentional gun injuries and 18,765 individuals prematurely ended their lives through suicide with a firearm (Singh, Kochanek, & MacDorman, 1996). Though fewer individuals died from unintentional shootings, estimates suggest that for every unintentional gun- related death, there are 13 unintentional gun-related injuries (Annest, Mercy, Gibson, & Ryan, 1995). Overall, for every gun-related death, estimates indicate that approximately seven people are injured by guns (Kellermann, 1994). The availability of a gun in a home is cited as a major contributing factor in each of these cases (Michigan Task Force on Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Reduction, 1994; Cook, 1979; Zimring, 1968; McDowall, 1991; Brent et al., 1991; Kellermann et al., 1992; Cotton, 1992), especially when the gun is stored loaded but not locked (Wintemut, Teret, Kraus, Wright, & Bradfield, 1987). Funding for this program was provided by the Michigan Department of Community Health to the Michigan Public Health Institute. Gun-related injuries and deaths carry a heavy price tag in terms of years-of-life lost and money spent to treat victims. National estimates indicate that annual costs related to firearm injuries and deaths average $14 billion (Voelker, 1995). Additionally, the life lost is often a young one, losing the potential for many years as a productive citizen. With regard to intentional firearm deaths, 20- to 24-year-olds have the highest death rate (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 1993). Unintentional gun injuries are the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds and the fourth leading cause of death for 5- to 14-year-olds in the United States (Kellermann, Lee, Mercy, & Banton, 1991). The populations at greatest risk for gun-related suicide include males 10- to 34-years-old and those 70 and older (Rosenberg, 1993). These statistics illustrate the seriousness of firearm injuries and deaths. Treating this issue as a public health concern has been growing in popularity as a realistic option to reduce gun violence. Firearm injuries and deaths are increasingly being referred to as an “epidemic” (Mason & Proctor, 1992; Novello, Shosky, & Froehlke, 1992; Randall, 1990), “a public health emergency” (Novello et al., 1992), and one of “the most critical health problems this country faces” (Randall, 1990).