Publications (11) View all
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Article: Portrayals of reproductive and sexual health on primetime television
Health Communication. 01/2013; in press. -
Article: Sex Roles in Health Storylines on Prime Time Television: A Content Analysis
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ABSTRACT: This study examined the role of character gender in prime time television health portrayals. A content analysis of 1,291 health-related storylines from three spring seasons (2004–2006) of the ten most popular American television programs measured the frequency of male and female characters in prominent roles and how storylines differed with the sex of the ill or injured character. Our analyses revealed a significantly greater number of male characters. Moreover, storylines with a male ill or injured character were more serious in tone, more likely to take place in a medical setting, and had higher educational value. Proportionally, there were some similarities in storylines across the sexes, however, the absolute differences are striking and may have unfortunate effects on viewers. KeywordsContent analysis-Sex roles-Health storylines-Television-GenderSex Roles 04/2012; 62(11):810-821. · 1.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Involved, Transported, or Emotional? Exploring the Determinants of Change in Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior in Entertainment‐Education
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ABSTRACT: This study examined how 3 constructs—involvement with a specific character, involvement with the narrative (Green and Brock's construct of transportation), and viewers' emotional reaction to the narrative—produce entertainment-education (EE) effects. A pretest/posttest survey of 167 regular viewers measured the effects of exposure to a lymphoma storyline on a television drama, Desperate Housewives. Transportation or involvement with the narrative was the best predictor of change in relevant knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Although involvement with a specific character has been hailed an important direct predictor of EE effects, a structural equation model indicated that character involvement may be more important for its ability to heighten transportation and emotion, which, in turn, produce changes in viewers' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.Involviert, transportiert oder emotional? Eine Untersuchung zu Determinanten der Beeinflussung von Wissen, Einstellungen und Verhalten bei Entertainment-EducationDie Studie untersucht, wie die drei Konstrukte Involvement mit einer spezifischen Medienfigur, Involvement mit der Geschichte (Green und Brocks Konstrukt Transportation) und die emotionale Reaktion des Zuschauers auf die Geschichte zu Entertainment-Education-Wirkungen führen. Mittels Pretest/Posttest-Befragung von 167 Fernsehzuschauern untersuchten wir die Wirkung einer Storyline zum Thema Lymphknotenerkrankung in der Fernsehserie Desperate Housewives. Transportation oder Involvement mit der Geschichte war der beste Prädiktor für relevante Veränderungen auf Wissens-, Einstellungs- und Verhaltensebene. Auch wenn das Involvement mit einer spezifischen Figur bislang als wichtiger direkter Prädiktor für E-E-Effekte gefeiert wurde, deuten Strukturgleichungsmodelle darauf hin, dass das Involvement mit einem spezifischen Charakter eher eine Rolle für die Verstärkung von Transportation und Emotion spielt, was dann wiederum Veränderungen auf Wissens- , Einstellungs- und Verhaltensebene zur Folge hat.Schlüsselbegriffe: Identifikation, Involvement, Transportation, Emotion, Entertainment-Education, Medienwirkungen¿Involucrado, Transportado o Emocional? Explorando los Determinantes de Cambio de Conocimiento, Actitudes y Comportamiento en la Educación de EntretenimientoResumenEste estudio examinó cómo tres constructos – involucramiento con un personaje específico, involucramiento con la narrativa (el constructo de transportación de Green y Brock), y las reacciones de los televidentes hacia la narrativa – produjeron los efectos del entretenimiento educativo. Una encuesta previa y posterior de 167 televidentes regulares midió los efectos de la exposición a una línea sobre linfoma en el drama televisivo, Amas de Casa Desesperadas (Desperate Housewives). La transportación o envolvimiento con la narrativa fue el mejor vaticinador de cambio relevante de conocimiento, actitudes y comportamientos. Aunque el envolvimiento con un carácter específico ha sido aclamado como un vaticinador importante de los efectos de entretenimiento educativo, un modelo de ecuación estructural indicó que el envolvimiento con el carácter puede ser más importante por su habilidad para mejorar la comunicación y la emoción lo cual a su vez, produce cambios en el conocimiento, actitudes y comportamiento de los televidentes.Palabras Claves: identificación, envolvimiento, transportación, emoción, entretenimiento educativo, efectos de los mediosIntérêt, enthousiasme ou émotion? Une exploration des facteurs déterminants du changement dans les connaissances, les attitudes et les comportements dans le divertissement instructifRésuméCette étude a examiné comment trois construits, soit l’intérêt pour un personnage spécifique, l’intérêt pour le narratif (le construit de l’enthousiasme [transportation] de Green & Brock) et la réaction émotive des spectateurs face au narratif, produisent des effets de divertissement instructif. Une enquête prétest/post-test auprès de 167 fidèles spectateurs a mesuré les effets de l’exposition à une intrigue concernant un lymphome dans une série dramatique, Desperate Housewives. L’enthousiasme ou l’intérêt pour le narratif était la meilleure variable explicative de changement des connaissances, des attitudes et des comportements pertinents. Bien que l’intérêt pour un personnage spécifique ait été identifié comme une importante variable explicative directe des effets de divertissement instructif, un modèle par équation structurelle a indiqué que l’intérêt pour un personnage pourrait être plus important parce qu’il augmente l’enthousiasme et l’émotion, éléments qui, à leur tour, produisent des changements dans les connaissances, les attitudes et les comportements des téléspectateurs.Mots-clés : identification, intérêt, enthousiasme, émotion, divertissement instructif, effets médiatiquesJournal of Communication 05/2011; 61(3):407 - 431. · 2.45 Impact Factor -
Article: Entertainment-education in a media-saturated environment: examining the impact of single and multiple exposures to breast cancer storylines on two popular medical dramas.
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ABSTRACT: In the United States, entertainment-education (E-E) initiatives in primetime television that provide public health information are at risk for diminished impact due to the media-saturated environment in which they must compete. One strategy to overcome this limitation is to use multiple primetime TV shows to reinforce similar health messages in multiple storylines. The current study explores such an approach by evaluating the impact of two separate breast cancer genetics storylines featured on two different TV programs as the result of outreach to writers and producers. These storylines aired within approximately 3 weeks of each other on the popular medical dramas, ER (NBC) and Grey's Anatomy (ABC), and included information about the BRCA1 breast cancer gene mutation and the risks it poses to women who test positive for it. The evaluation used data collected from a panel sample of 599 female survey respondents at three points in time. Results show that while the individual storylines had a modest impact on viewers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to breast cancer, combined exposure seemed to be most effective at changing outcomes. Implications of our findings for future E-E interventions and evaluations are discussed.Journal of Health Communication 01/2009; 13(8):808-23. · 1.61 Impact Factor -
Article: Hierarchical messages for introducing multiple HIV prevention options: promise and pitfalls.
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ABSTRACT: In battling HIV, many interventionists advocate the use of hierarchical messages that present multiple prevention options in order of decreasing effectiveness. The purpose of the present study was to determine if hierarchical messages provide women with additional prevention options without reducing the perceived efficacy of and willingness to use the primary method mentioned (in this case, male condoms). African American and Mexican American women between 18 and 32 years of age (n=112) at risk for HIV were randomly assigned to receive either a male-condom-only message (use male condoms) or a hierarchical message (use male condoms; if not, use female condoms; if not, use spermicide). Compared with women in the male-condom-only condition, a significantly smaller percentage of women who received the hierarchical message perceived male condoms as highly effective against HIV. Women currently not using male condoms who received the hierarchical, rather than the male-condom-only, message were less likely to consider using male condoms in the future. Among current male condom users, however, the hierarchical message did not influence intent to use male condoms. These data point to the need for examining both the intended and unintended effects of hierarchical health care messages.AIDS Education and Prevention 01/2005; 16(6):509-25. · 1.59 Impact Factor
