Erin Willis

Online Health Communities and Chronic Disease Self-Management

ABSTRACT This research uses content analysis (N = 1,960) to examine the computer-mediated communication within online health communities for evidence of chronic disease self-management behaviors, including the perceived benefits and perceived barriers to participating in such behaviors. Online health communities act as informal self-management programs led by peers with the same chronic disease through the exchange of health information. Online health communities provide opportunities for health behavior change messages to educate and persuade regarding chronic disease self-management behaviors.

Up in Vapor: Exploring the Health Messages of E-Cigarette Advertisements

ABSTRACT Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have gained popularity in the United States, and marketers are using advertising to recruit new users to their products. Despite outright bans on traditional cigarette advertisements, e-cigarettes have no specific regulations. This study uses framing theory to explore the themes in e-cigarette advertisements. Also, practical implications are discussed.

Supporting self-efficacy through interactive discussion in online communities of weight loss:

By conducting a content analysis of online communities connected by the Weight Watchers’ online message boards, this study examined the relationship between conversational interactivity and consumer-generated content about consumer health information, self-efficacious content, and experiences with dieting and physical activities. The results showed that discussion about successful experiences with weight loss tended to be more interactive. Discussion about consumer health information tended to be non-interactive. The findings suggest that online communities generate social support through interactive discussion about successful experiences, and the interactive discussion, in return, sustains active participation in the community.

Characterizing the (Perceived) Newsworthiness of Health Science Articles: A Data-Driven Approach

Background Health science findings are primarily disseminated through manuscript publications. Information subsidies are used to communicate newsworthy findings to journalists in an effort to earn mass media coverage and further disseminate health science research to mass audiences. Journal editors and news journalists then select which news stories receive coverage and thus public attention. Objective This study aims to identify attributes of published health science articles that correlate with (1) journal editor issuance of press releases and (2) mainstream media coverage. Methods We constructed four novel datasets to identify factors that correlate with press release issuance and media coverage. These corpora include thousands of published articles, subsets of which received press release or mainstream media coverage. We used statistical machine learning methods to identify correlations between words in the science abstracts and press release issuance and media coverage. Further, we used a topic modeling-based machine learning approach to uncover latent topics predictive of the perceived newsworthiness of science articles. Results Both press release issuance for, and media coverage of, health science articles are predictable from corresponding journal article content. For the former task, we achieved average areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.666 (SD 0.019) and 0.882 (SD 0.018) on two separate datasets, comprising 3024 and 10,760 articles, respectively. For the latter task, models realized mean AUCs of 0.591 (SD 0.044) and 0.783 (SD 0.022) on two datasets—in this case containing 422 and 28,910 pairs, respectively. We reported most-predictive words and topics for press release or news coverage. Conclusions We have presented a novel data-driven characterization of content that renders health science “newsworthy.” The analysis provides new insights into the news coverage selection process. For example, it appears epidemiological papers concerning common behaviors (eg, alcohol consumption) tend to receive media attention.

Direct-to-consumer advertising and the role of hope

Advertising branded pharmaceuticals to consumers with chronic illness is big business; half of all direct-to-consumer advertising money is for drugs to treat chronic diseases. This research investi...

Visual elements in direct-to-consumer advertising: Messages communicated to patients with arthritis

ABSTRACT Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising saturates popular health magazines, communicating persuasive messages to readers that may influence attitudes and behaviors. This research used a two-prong approach to investigate the visual elements used in DTC advertising and their influence on consumers’ understanding of a disease and its treatment options. An analysis was conducted of DTC advertisements (N = 62) from a population sample of Arthritis Today magazine, 2000–2010. Three panels of people with arthritis were used to validate the findings and discuss implications for health literacy. Pharmaceutical companies have an opportunity to communicate tailored messages to readers of niche publications and improve disease management.

The Power of Peers: Applying User-Generated Content to Health Behaviors “Off-Line”:

Many patients seek and share information online regarding health, especially those diagnosed with chronic disease. The social cognitive theory is used as the theoretical framework for analyzing how members learn within online health communities. This study conducted in-depth interviews with members from online health communities related to arthritis to understand their motivation for participating in the community and how the content exchanged therein is applied to managing their disease. Four themes were identified: processing disease diagnosis, collaborating to solve problem, recognizing personal limitations, and appreciating that health is variable. Topical communication within the online communities was often tailored to members’ situational needs with the ultimate goal being better self-management. The findings demonstrate the online health community is an environment that invites members who share common characteristics to engage with one another and with the shared content for the purpose of learning arthritis self-management strategies. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Applying the Health Belief Model to Medication Adherence: The Role of Online Health Communities and Peer Reviews

Millions of Americans are living with at least one chronic disease, and while the majority has been prescribed medication to control symptoms—medication adherence is a widespread problem. Medication nonadherence varies by chronic disease, patient characteristics, and insurance coverage, and previous research has identified non-financial barriers including disease-related knowledge, health literacy and polypharmacy. However, given the increasing popularity of online health communities, little research examines the influence of user-generated content on health behaviors. Many patients use the internet to seek and share information related to prescription medications. The current study examines patients’ attitudes and behavioral intentions formed (in part) by the user-generated content exchanged within online health communities. Specifically, the Health Belief Model’s perceived barriers and perceived benefits are explored here. Twenty members from online health communities related to arthritis are interviewed to understand how peer-to-peer communication is used in regards to medication adherence. Three themes emerged from the data, including striving for pain relief, negotiating potential side effects, and finding the new normal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Effects of Twitter Users’ Gender and Weight on Viral Behavioral Intentions Toward Obesity-Related News

In this study, male and female participants were exposed to identical news stories covering obesity topics paired with tweets from Twitter users. Our study aimed at understanding how obesity-related news combined with user-generated social media posts (i.e., tweets) affect consumers’ evaluations of online content and viral behavioral intentions (the intentions to like, share, and comment). An experiment (N = 316) explored how gender and weight of a Twitter user (tweeter) affect participants’ evaluations and viral behavioral intentions toward news stories. Participants differed in their evaluations of and viral behavioral intentions for news stories as a function of Twitter users’ gender and weight, as well as participants’ gender. While participants expressed more favorable attitudes toward news stories paired with tweets by overweight than healthy females (with the opposite true for tweets by male users), participants expressed greater viral behavioral intentions for news stories paired with tweets by healthy weight than overweight user. These effects were more pronounced among male than female participants. Findings are discussed within the context of social media posts and their persuasive effects in relation to attitude and behavior changes.

The Needle and the Damage Done: Framing the Heroin Epidemic in the Cincinnati Enquirer

ABSTRACT This case study focuses on the Cincinnati Enquirer’s coverage of the heroin epidemic. The Enquirer started the first heroin beat in January 2016, and it could serve as a model for other news organizations. Reporters used combinations of episodic, thematic, public health, and crime and law enforcement frames in their coverage. These news frames are discussed in terms of how individualism–collectivism, geographic location, available resources, and social determinants inform journalistic and societal discussions of the heroin epidemic in terms of solutions instead of responsibility or blame.