Thesis
The effects of societal editorials on perceptions and behavioral intentions related to heart disease in women
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2010
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102894
Abstract
Objective: Chronic disease is a major health concern in the United States, and heart disease is one of the most common chronic diseases. Media advocacy offers a distinct strategy to address the issue of heart disease and particularly heart disease in women. Beyond encouraging women to eat healthy and exercise, media advocates can tackle the important societal factors related to the issue. The purpose of this study is to compare editorials on heart disease in women with a societal frame to those with an individual frame and a control group on the following areas: perceptions of heart disease as a societal-level health problem, perceptions of the importance and usefulness of organizational efforts to prevent heart disease, and behavioral intentions to prevent heart disease in self and others. Methods: 397 participants completed a pretest posttest quasi-experiment with three conditions. Participants were emailed a link to a pretest survey. A week later, participants who completed the pretest were emailed another link. Participants were asked to read three editorials that differed by condition before completing the posttest survey. The treatment conditions included editorials about heart disease in women from a societal frame, and heart disease in women from an individual frame. The control condition included editorials about the economy and unemployment. Results: The condition had a main effect on all four outcome variables. Furthermore, participants who read the societal editorials were more likely than those who read the individual and control editorials to perceive the importance of general and specific organizational activities. The individuals who read the societal editorials were more likely than those who read the control editorials to perceive heart disease in women as a societal issue, and they were more likely to report intentions to prevent heart disease in themselves and others. However, when looking at the same outcomes, the societal condition did not differ significantly from the individual condition. Conclusions: Overall, this study found that societal editorials can be used effectively in media advocacy campaigns, but they may not be significantly better than individual editorials.
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Details
- Title
- The effects of societal editorials on perceptions and behavioral intentions related to heart disease in women
- Creators
- Cassie M. Norman
- Contributors
- Stacey J. T. Hust (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525069701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis