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Effective Health Risk Messages
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Effective Health Risk Messages
A Step-By-Step Guide



April 2001 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Winner of the Distinguished Book Award by the Applied Communication Division of the National Communication Association, 2001

Effective Health Risk Messages provides step-by-step instructions for developing theoretically based campaigns that work. Readers will learn about message development theories, formative and summative evaluation, and even basic research designs for evaluating your campaign. Worksheets are provided at the end of each chapter to provide readers with hands-on, practical experiences in developing effective health risk messages. This book is suitable for practitioners, researchers, and students alike, and can act as a stand-alone text or supplementary text for persuasion, public health, advertising, and marketing classes.


 
1. What Are Health Risk Messages?
Health Risk Messages Defined

 
What's a Theory?

 
The Components of a Fear Appeal

 
Explicit versus Implicit Messages

 
The Use of Culturally Based Colloquialisms

 
Types of Threats

 
Summary

 
 
2. History of Health Risk Messages: Fear Appeal Theories from 1953 to 1991
Fear-as-Acquired Drive Model

 
The Parallel Process Model

 
Protection Motivation Theory

 
Summary

 
Definitions

 
 
3. Putting It All Together
The Overall Model

 
The Depiction of the Model

 
Comparisons with Other Models

 
Research on the EPPM

 
 
4. Useful Concepts from Other Theories
The Health Belief Model

 
The Theory of Reasoned Action

 
Social-Cognitive Theory

 
Elaboration Likelihood Model

 
Stages of Change Model

 
Social Marketing

 
Summary

 
 
5. Starting Out the Right Way: Formative Research
Setting Goals and Objectives: The Campaign Plan

 
Formative Research

 
The Persuasive Health Message (PHM) Framework

 
Putting Transients and Constants Together

 
Gathering Information for the Persuasive Health Message Framework

 
Categorizing Audience Beliefs: A Chart to Guide Message Development

 
Conclusion

 
 
6. The Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale
The Origin of the RBD Scale

 
Theoretical Basis for Expanding the EPPM

 
The RBD Scale

 
Tailored Health Risk Messages

 
Some Additional Guidelines

 
Conclusion

 
 
7. Out of the Tower and Into the Field
Using the RBD at a Campus Health Clinic: Background

 
Conclusion

 
 
8. Data Collection
Types of Evaluation

 
Gathering Data for the Evaluation

 
Data Collection Methods

 
Reliability and Validity

 
Sample Size

 
Summary

 
 
9. Data Analysis
Analyzing Data

 
Conclusion

 
 
10. Getting the Message Out
A Plan of Action

 
Message of Dissemination Issues

 
Specific Channels

 
Summary

 
Conclusion

 
 
Appendix
 
Glossary
 
Worksheets
 
References
 
Suggested Readings
 
Index
 
About the Authors

"While library shelves are spilling over with books and manuals on designing effective campaign messages, few are as theoretically grounded and user friendly (a rare combination) as Effective Health Risk Messages:  A Step-by-Step Guide..."

Arvind Singhal
Professor and Presidential Research Scholar, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives

Old language and references.

Dr Lindsay Welch
School of Nursing & Midwifery, Southampton University
May 7, 2021

This will offer a good tutor workbook, but offers mainly an American perspective on risk and risk messages. Perhaps too clinical for an applied health degree.

Miss Shelly Haslam
Faculty of Health, Edge Hill University
June 19, 2014

Excellant text

Mr Helen Matthews
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, University of West London
May 22, 2014

The text was a bit outdated for the purpose of the course.

Mrs Bethney Wilson
Communication Dept, University of Kentucky
September 16, 2013

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