Karyn Ogata Jones

Effects of Mass and Interpersonal Communication on Breast Cancer Screening: Advancing Agenda-Setting Theory in Health Contexts This article is drawn from data gathered for the doctoral dissertation of Karyn Ogata Jones at the University of Georgia in 2003. An earlier version of this article was presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Health Communication Division, November 2005.

Drawing on components of agenda-setting theory and the two-step flow of information from mass media to news audiences, this study examines the effects of mass and interpersonal communication on breast cancer screening practices among college- and middle-aged women (n = 284). We theorized that screening behaviors among younger women would be influenced more by interpersonal sources of information while screening among middle-aged women would be more influenced by exposure to mass-mediated information. Findings supported anticipated patterns, revealing important and varying roles for both mass and interpersonal communication in the health behaviors of women. Implications for health practitioners and campaign planners, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.

Communicating about Youth’s Sun Exposure Risk to Soccer Coaches and Parents: A Pilot Study in Georgia

Efforts to increase the sun-protective behaviors of children were extended to outdoor recreational sports and youth soccer settings in this study. The pretest results of a pilot survey of coaches (n= 12), parents (n= 50), and youths (n= 61) on eight soccer teams in south Georgia were used to guide the development of a health education program for coaches. In the pilot program, half the coaches were trained to be involved in soccer-playing youths’ sun protection by acting as positive role models and promoting sun protection to youths and their parents. The pilot demonstrated coaches’ willingness to participate in sun protection promotion to youth: Youths indicated that coaches and parents were more likely to tell youths to wear sunscreen after the training than before, and coaches perceived getting youths to wear sunscreen to be less difficult than before.

Differing Effects of Mass and Interpersonal Communication on Breast Cancer Risk Estimates: An Exploratory Study of College Students and Their Mothers

Research has demonstrated that women tend to overestimate the percentage of all breast cancers that result from genetic predispositions, and this article examines the knowledge of college students, as well as their mothers, on this subject, applying uncertainty management (Brashers, 2001) as the theoretical framework. The authors build on the literature by studying (a) the types of media outlets college students and their mothers use for securing information, and (b) the types of articles and programs within those outlets that may affect risk perceptions. The authors also address associations between these mass communication measures and interpersonal sources of information in the context of risk estimation. Respondents exposed to media reports about the role of genetics in breast cancer, in addition to study participants who had discussed this role within the family, tended to overestimate measures of genetic risk. Conversely, those who had attended to media reports about screening practices tended to offer lower risk estimates, indicating that such reports may have positioned genetics as just one factor in the overall equation of breast cancer risk. The authors discuss the implications of these and other findings for communication scholars and health practitioners.

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use as a Complicating Factor in the Female Athlete Triad: Behavioral Implications for Sport Psychology

In 1992, recognizing a ubiquitous pattern of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis among young women participating in competitive sports, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) initiated a dialogue about the Female Athlete Triad. Since then, members of ACSM and other professional societies have offered theoretical models for reducing problem behaviors, but few have conceptualized how the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) might exacerbate symptoms of the Triad, and by extension, complicate the work of sport psychology consultants in applied settings. The current article offers such a conceptualization, proposing strategies for behavior change grounded in appeals to self-efficacy and task performance, as opposed to emotion-based testimonials and threats of imminent maladies.

The “Ground War” of Political Campaigns: Nonpaid Activities in U.S. State Legislative Races

A national survey of candidates for state legislative offices examined the impact of nonpaid campaign activities on percentage of vote obtained, and assesses them in the contexts of different levels of funding, levels of competitiveness, and incumbency advantage. From a representative sample of 527 candidates, several insights emerge. First, while incumbency is a powerful force, a wide array of nonpaid campaign activities can substantially influence election outcome. Second, while some forms of free media coverage are quite risky, endorsements from community leaders and in newspaper editorials are consistently beneficial at this level. Finally, traditional campaigning, like door-to-door canvassing, is very much alive and well in state legislative races.

A Review of: “Parrott, R. (2009). Talking About Health: Why Communication Matters.”

In a creative approach to teaching us about health communication, Roxanne Parrott uses her own stories as well as those of family members and friends to explain six questions people tend to ask when talking about health. These six questions, as well as a proposed agenda for health communication in the future, are used as a method for defining, organizing, and reinforcing important health communication definitions, concepts, issues, and terms. In posing and discussing possible answers to the questions, Parrott effectively identifies the roles of interpersonal, family, organizational, public, religious, cultural, and political communication as they relate to health. In the first chapter, Parrott explains the purpose of the book as she outlines the reasons ‘‘Why communicating about health matters.’’ She suggests that health communication (1) acts as a guide for what to do and how to do it, (2) reinforces the match between our life stage and our mental and physical status, and (3) should allow us to focus our attention on the many other things that matter to us in our lives. Parrott closes the chapter with a story from her childhood that illustrates the effects of persuasion, politics, science, and identity on health decisions and health communication, a story she uses to briefly preview the remainder of the book. In Chapter Two, Parrott addresses the primary question people seek to answer: ‘‘How normal am I?’’ She notes that ‘‘we all generally remember when we or a loved one have been told we’re ‘normal’ or not based on what a doctor says or some lab test results, or even in comparison to a news report.’’ As the mother of a disabled child, I could immediately relate on a personal level with Parrott’s discussion of how health care professionals and others define us as ‘‘normal’’ or not depending on our health status, and the effects of those definitions. I clearly remember my son’s pediatrician informing me repeatedly in our early well-child visits that my son was ‘‘not normal.’’ These are the kinds of things one never forgets, and if we are not careful, they can define us as human beings. Parrott’s ability to zero in on this most basic, primary element of our health status—‘‘normal’’ or not—underscores her thoughtfulness and insight as a health communication scholar. In the remainder of the chapter, she goes on to describe the various ways we come to understand and compare ourselves with ‘‘normal’’ and identifies costs that can be associated with approaching health with the goal of normalcy in mind. Ultimately, communication that normalizes unhealthy behaviors can maintain or exacerbate situations that contribute to poor health. In Chapter Three, ‘‘What are my ‘risk’ factors,’’ Parrott talks about how we interpret and respond to messages intended to inform us of our health risks. Journal of Health Communication, 15:464–466, 2010 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1081-0730 print=1087-0415 online DOI: 10.1080/10810731003786307