A. Claudio Bosio

Using ambient communication to reduce drink-driving: Public health andshocking images in public spaces

Brand communication specialists are paying increasing attention to new unconventional methods of communicating messages. One such method is ambient communication; a complex form of communication that uses elements of public spaces to convey messages designed to increase customer engagement in corporate objectives. Health communication experts agree that these methods are potentially capable of increasing both an individuals engagement with health communication and the chances that preventive information become part of peers’ discourses. However little research has been done to assess the condition under which these new, alternative methods can effectively communicate health promotion messages. This article is based on the preliminary results of a qualitative study aimed at assessing the effectiveness conditions of ambient communication to prevent unsafe practices. The study considers an ambient initiative recently promoted in Brescia (Italy) by the public institutions to reduce drink-driving by young people. It is important to study the influence of the actual risk context on the effectiveness of a health preventive message. Although the findings of the study indicate the potential ability of ambient communication to sensitise young people towards safe conducts. However, the communication actually had little impact on perceptions of the dangers of drink-driving. To be more effective preventive ambient communication needs to be both part of a more complex and articulated communication mix and designed according to a deep and ecological understanding of real social contexts especially the ways in which young people use public spaces.

Fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem to innovate healthcare: Toward the first Italian Consensus conference on patient engagement

Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide “system” inertia—really difficult to be overcome—and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of “fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem”: an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient “disengagement” is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper.

Esplorando il sentiment del cittadino-consumatore: alla ricerca di una nuova regolazione - privata e pubblica - del consumo

The study explores citizen/consumers sentiment in Italy for the years 2006-2007. The data were obtained from a quantitative/qualitative tracking survey conducted on social and consumer climates in Italy (source: GfK Eurisko). The results indicate that the upswing in sentiment that was seen up to mid-2007 was followed by a sharp downturn in the second half of the year. Economic forecasts/perceptions for the near future (2008) of Italy have been severely affected by this downturn. The reasons for the decline are ascribed by interviewees to two main issues: a) a perceived marked increase in consumer prices (especially food, petrol, utilities); b) a heightened sense of insecurity about Italy, motivated mainly by economic concerns (jobs, taxes, salaries/pensions). Despite the problems presented by the ongoing situation, a strongly reactive and proactive trend has been observed in the population at large. This trend emerges in two distinct ways: one points to a personal, private approach based on subjective searching for the best possible way to adapt to the situation, essentially by applying a flexible/pragmatic attitude to spending strategies and identifying the most beneficial trade-off; the other - of a social/public nature - is based on the search for partners (political and business players) with whom to build shared prospects for the future. The implications of the studys results are discussed with reference to marketing and to opportunities for developing further researches that can integrate the two sides of the sentiment spectrum, i.e. referred to both citizens and consumers.

Articolo bersaglio : psicologi : quale formazione per quale professione?

I rapporti fra formazione accademica e professioni psicologiche sono qui considerati alla luce di una recente (2012/13) indagine condotta in Italia su un campione rappresentativo (n = 1500) di psicologi iscritti all’ordine professionale. Ragioni interne alla psicologia (anzitutto, la crescita dimensionale della community) e di contesto sostengono l’esigenza di un piu stretto raccordo fra formazione e professione per la psicologia italiana. A fronte di questa esigenza, i risultati della ricerca mostrano un gap evidente fra attese e realta nella formazione accademica: sia di secondo livello (laurea magistrale) sia di terzo livello (scuole di specializzazione, master, dottorati di ricerca) sia relativa alle pratiche di accompagnamento dalla formazione alla professione (tirocini). Indicazioni per un’agenda finalizzata a creare maggiore sinergia fra professione e formazione in psicologia sono proposte in conclusione.

How confi dent can we be about confidence? Update on consumer and business sentiment in Italy

This paper proposes an analysis of consumer and business sentiment in Italy. The analysis is based on two continuous surveys (Climi Sociali e di Consumo, Climi Aziendali) conducted by Gfk Eurisko since 2001. During the past year (2009) a clear mismatch occurred between macroeconomic trends (negative) and sentiment trends (positive). This divide is discussed and an explanation proposed for the growth in sentiment (due to more stable prices and improvements over the year in some key variables including the security of Italy, job security and income levels). The higher sentiment levels will undoubtedly bolster expectations of an upturn, albeit weak and uncertain, in the economy and consumption in 2010. Looking further ahead, consumers continue to be somewhat unsure about future prospects, a fact which is stifling consumption. The causes of this insecurity are discussed at the end of the paper, in connection with attempts by consumers to develop a new model based on revising how much they consume, as well as the associated symbolic meanings and social models of reference.

Ma, cos'è questa crisi? Aggiornamenti sul sentiment dei consumatori e delle imprese in Italia

This paper proposes an analysis of consumer and business sentiment in Italy in the period 2002-2008. The analysis is based on Cati quantitative surveys conducted every three months on representative samples of the two populations (Italian consumers and businesses). This analysis shows that consumer and business sentiment reached a record low at the end of 2008. In the case of consumers this fall does not seem attributable to the credit crunch (September 2008). On the contrary, since the fall dates back to at least one year before, it appears linked to uncertainty regarding job security, economic fundamentals (i.e. salaries, taxes and business growth) and rising prices. However, consumers and businesses appear able to cope with these contextual constraints and they show a certain degree of renewed willingness to consume and invest in the immediate future. The paper discusses the results from both a short- and long-term economic perspective.

Analisi socioculturale del consumo di soft drink: fra polarizzazione e integrazione dei modelli di riferimento

Bere un soft drink: un comportamento di consumo usuale per molti milioni di italiani, come vedremo piu avanti, aproblematico nella sua quotidianita, ma non banale e di non semplice decifrazione. Polarizzato da sempre fra riconosciute (a volte mitizzate) valenze edonistiche e perplessita/dubbi sul versante salutistico, il “bere dolce e gassato” interroga ed e interrogate: alla ricerca di una costruzione di senso complessa, ove nessuna forma di sapere scientifico — scienze mediche comprese, come ben sottolinea il contribute in questo libro di Marco Trabucchi — puo avanzare la pretesa di una comprensione egemonica del fenomeno.