Health Communication Inquiry and Theoretical Development

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Health Communication Inquiry and Theoretical
Development

• Investigating the Relevance of Theory to Health
  Communication as an
• Applied Communication Context
• Derek R. Lane, Ph.D.
• Enid S. Waldhart, Ph.D.
• April 21, 2005

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• He sic. who loves practice without theory is
  like the sailor who boards the ship without a
  rudder and compass and never knows where he may
  cast.
• Leonardo da Vinci

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Navigating Health Communication

• Theories connect the dots just as
  constellations reveal patterns in the stars.
  Good theories make sense of diverse information
  and help us get our bearings. They help us know,
  in advance, where we are headed and what paths
  are available to us.

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The Nature of Health Communication Theory

• Consciously elaborated understandings
• Sense-making of processes and practices
• Health communication is meaningless if it does
  not influence practices related to health and
  illness (Babrow Mattson, 2003, p. 37)

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Health Communication Inquiry and Theoretical
Development Investigating the Relevance of
Theory to Health Communication

• Health Communication Overview
• duPres (2005) Communicating about Health
• Enhanced Definitions
• Handout
• Atheoretical Critique
• Theory Development
• Theory of Activation Exposure
• Need for Sensation
• Elaboration Likelihood Model
• Need for Cognition

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Health Communication Overview

• Health Communication Defined
• Medical Models (Biomedical vs. Biopsychosocial)
• Importance of Health Communication
• Facilitates successful health care encounters
• Personal source of confidence coping ability
• Effective Communication Saves Time and Money
• Efficient and Effective Operation of Health Care
  Organizations
• Accurate Information Dissemination
• Career Opportunities
• Current Issues in Health Communication
• Medical Cost-Cutting
• Prevention
• Patient Empowerment
• Changing Populations

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Definitions

• Communication is the process of understanding
  and sharing meaning (Pearson Nelson, 1991).
• Health communication is the way we seek,
  process, and share health information. (Kreps
  Thornton, 1992).

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Enhanced Definition Communication

• The field of communication focuses on how people
  use messages to generate meanings within and
  across various contexts, cultures, channels, and
  media. The discipline promotes the effective and
  ethical practice of human communication.
• People Messages Channels Contexts
• Communication is the management of messages for
  the purpose of creating meaning.

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Enhanced Definition Health Communication

• The study of communication within the health
  care system. Researchers are interested in how
  patients talk about their illnesses,
  communication between physicians and patients,
  message flow within health care organizations,
  and health care public campaigns.

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THEORY Review

• Functions of Theory
• Axioms
• There is nothing so practical as a good theory
• There is nothing so theoretical as a good
  application.
• Theory Defined

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THEORY Defined

• A generalization about a phenomenon that
  explains how or why the phenomenon occurs.
  (Frey, Botan, Friedman, Kreps)
• A system of generalizable statements that are
  logically linked together to understand or
  predict human phenomena. (Kim)

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THEORY Defined

• A theory is a set of interrelated constructs
  (concepts), definitions, and propositions that
  present a systematic view of phenomena by
  specifying relations among the variables, with
  the purpose of explaining and (or) predicting the
  phenomena. (Kerlinger, 1986)

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Transdisciplinary Approach

• Emergence of behavioral science method to study
  health communication
• Interdisciplinary / Transdisciplinary
• Coordinated effort of attacking problems of
  mutual interest (Applied Communication Research)
• Borrow theory freely
• Atheoretical?

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Handout

• Levels of Health Communication Analysis
• Criticisms
• Theorizing about Health Communication

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Health Communication Critique

• Critics have expressed concern about a lack of
  strong theoretical underpinnings and an
  atheoretical focus in too many communication
  studies (Berger, 1991 Burgoon, 1992 Kreps,
  2001).

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Theoretical Development

• A primary goal of good communication
  scholarship is the intimate connection of theory
  and research . . . data gathering efforts are
  best guided by theory and should also help in
  testing and refining theory
• (Kreps, 2001 Frey, Botan, Kreps, 2000).

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Theoretical Development

• The circular relationship between research
  and theory is generally a very good standard for
  guiding health communication (and other forms of
  applied communication) research.
• (Kreps, 2001 Kreps, Frey, OHair, 1991)

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Theoretical Development

• A major criterion for conducting meaningful
  applied communication research is to use relevant
  theory to articulate research questions and
  hypotheses, as well as to explain research
  findings.
• (Kreps, 2001 Kreps, Frey, OHair, 1991)

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Theoretical Development

• Strong health communication inquiry should
  fully utilize theory in the conceptualization and
  design of research, as well as use data-gathering
  efforts to contribute to the development and
  refinement of theories to increase our
  understanding of complex communication phenomena
  (Kreps, 2001).

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Theory Development

• Donohew Palmgreen
• Activation Model of Information Exposure
• Elaboration Likelihood Model
• Need for Sensation vs. Need for Cognition
• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY Research
• http//www.uky.edu/drlane/research/progress.htm

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Health Communication Inquiry and Theoretical
Development Investigating the Relevance of
Theory to Health Communication

• Health Communication Summary
• duPres (2005) Introduction
• Enhanced Definitions
• Atheoretical Critique
• Theory Development
• Theory of Activation Exposure
• Need for Sensation
• Elaboration Likelihood Model
• Need for Cognition

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BOTTOM LINE

• Health communication scholars should take
  advantage of the opportunities they have for
  testing and refining theory in their research
  efforts (Kreps, 2001).