Kellie E. Carlyle

On pins and needles: how vaccines are portrayed on Pinterest.

Vaccination is an effective public health tool for reducing morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases. However, increasing numbers of parents question the safety of vaccines or refuse to vaccinate their children outright. The Internet is playing a significant role in the growing voice of the anti-vaccination movement as a growing number of people use the Internet to obtain health information, including information about vaccines. Given the role the Internet plays in providing vaccination-related communication, coupled with limited research in this area, this study focused on the social media platform Pinterest, analyzing 800 vaccine-related pins through a quantitative content analysis. The majority of the pins were anti-vaccine, and most were original posts as opposed to repins. Concerns about vaccine safety and side effects were oft-repeated themes, as was the concept of conspiracy theory. Pro-vaccine pins elicited consistently more engagement than anti-vaccine pins. Health educators and public health organizations should be aware of these dynamics, since a successful health communication campaign should start with an understanding of what and how publics communicate about the topic at hand.

Media Portrayals of Female Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

Preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health priority. An important component of designing prevention programs is developing an understanding of how media portrayals of health issues influence public opinion and policy. To better understand the ways in which media images may be informing our understanding of IPV, this study content analyzed portrayals of IPV in news media articles. Stratified media outlets were used to obtain a representative sample of daily newspapers based on their designated market areas. Researchers created constructed months using weeks from each season across a 2-year period. The first part of the study investigated quantitative differences in the coverage of female and male perpetrators (n = 395) and identified several areas where coverage differed. The second part of the study qualitatively examined coverage of female perpetrators (n = 61) to provide a richer description of such coverage. This study contributes to our understanding of female perpetrators and how these portrayals may contribute to the larger gender symmetry debate surrounding female aggressors. Implications for public health policy and research are discussed.

“Maybe She Was Provoked” Exploring Gender Stereotypes About Male and Female Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

The current study is concerned with the different types of gender stereotypes that participants may draw upon when exposed to news stories about intimate partner violence (IPV). We qualitatively analyzed open-ended responses examining four types of gender stereotypes—aggression, emotional, power and control, and acceptability of violence. We offer theoretical implications that extend past research on intimate terrorism and situational couple violence, the gender symmetry debate, and how stereotypes are formed. We also discuss practical implications for journalists who write stories about IPV and individuals who provide services to victims and perpetrators.

Adding the patient’s voice to our understanding of collaborative goal setting: How do patients with diabetes define collaborative goal setting?

Background Patient reports of collaborative goal setting have repeatedly been associated with improved health outcomes, and the American Diabetes Association specifically encourages collaborative goal setting as a component of high quality care. Current limitations in our understanding of what needs to transpire for patients to denote goal setting as “collaborative”, remain a barrier to fostering collaborative goal setting in practice. Methods Four focus groups were conducted among 19 patients with diabetes. A semi-structured focus group guide was used to explore patient perceptions of collaborative goal setting and what needed to happen for goals to be considered collaboratively set. Focus group transcripts were coded using thematic analysis. Results Collaborative goal setting was described by patients as occurring within the context of a caring relationship where patients and health care providers: (1) listen and learn from each other; (2) share ideas; (3) agree on a measurable objective; and (4) support goal achievement. Patients also articulated clear responsibilities for themselves and clinicians and described collaborative goal setting as a process that occurs over time. Conclusions Patients perceived collaborative goal setting as a multidimensional process that occurs over time within the context of a caring relationship and encompasses distinct patient and clinician responsibilities.

Factors Distinguishing Positive Deviance Among Low-Income African American Women: A Qualitative Study on Infant Feeding

Background: Positive deviant individuals practice beneficial behaviors in spite of having qualities characterizing them as high risk for unhealthy behaviors. Objective: This study aimed to identify and understand factors distinguishing low-income African American women who breastfeed the longest (positive deviants) from those who breastfeed for a shorter duration or do not breastfeed. Methods: Seven mini-focus groups on infant-feeding attitudes and experiences were conducted with 25 low-income African American women, grouped by infant-feeding practice. Positive deviants, who had breastfed for 4 months or more, were compared with formula-feeding participants who had only formula fed their babies and short-term breastfeeding participants who had breastfed for 3 months or less. Results: Positive deviant women had more schooling, higher income, breastfeeding intention, positive breastfeeding and unfavorable formula-feeding attitudes, higher self-efficacy, positive hospital and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children experiences, more exclusive breastfeeding, and greater comfort breastfeeding in public. Short-term breastfeeding women varied in breastfeeding intention and self-efficacy, seemed to receive insufficient professional breastfeeding support, and supplemented breastfeeding with formula. Some showed ambivalence, concern with unhealthy behaviors, and discomfort with breastfeeding in public. Formula-feeding women intended to formula feed, feared breastfeeding, thought their behaviors were incompatible with breastfeeding, were comfortable with and found formula convenient, and received strong support to formula feed. Conclusion: Tapping into the strengths of positive deviants; tailoring interventions to levels of general and breastfeeding self-efficacy; increasing social, institutional, and community supports; and removing inappropriate formula promotion may offer promising strategies to increase breastfeeding among low-income African American women.

News Stories of Intimate Partner Violence: An Experimental Examination of Participant Sex, Perpetrator Sex, and Violence Severity on Seriousness, Sympathy, and Punishment Preferences.

ABSTRACT This study experimentally examines the effects of participant sex, perpetrator sex, and severity of violence on perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV) seriousness, sympathy toward the victim, and punishment preferences for the perpetrator. Participants (N = 449) were randomly assigned to a condition, exposed to a composite news story, and then completed a survey. Ratings of seriousness of IPV for stories with male perpetrators were significantly higher than ratings of seriousness for stories with female perpetrators. Men had significantly higher sympathy for female victims in any condition than for male victims in the weak or strong severity of violence conditions. Men’s sympathy for male victims in the fatal severity of violence condition did not differ from their sympathy for female victims. Women had the least sympathy for female victims in the weak severity condition and men in the weak or strong severity conditions. Women reported significantly higher sympathy for female victims in the strong and fatal severity of violence conditions. Women’s ratings of sympathy for male victims in the fatal severity of violence condition were statistically indistinguishable from any other group. Participants reported stronger punishment preferences for male perpetrators and this effect was magnified among men. Theoretical implications are presented with attention provided to practical considerations about support for public health services.

Suicide conversations on Instagram™: contagion or caring?

ABSTRACT Background: Suicide is a significant public health concern with approximately a million deaths from suicide worldwide each year. There is increasing evidence that media reporting of suicide can lead to imitative suicidal behaviors, and the World Health Organizations (WHO) guidelines for reporting suicides provided a framework of analysis. Given the use and reach of visual social media platforms like Instagram and the paucity of research focusing on the platform, the potential for contagion effects via a social media platform like Instagram should be considered. As such, understanding conversations about suicide on Instagram is of interest to health communicators, public health professionals, and mental health professionals alike. Method: This study examines both the visual and textual components of suicide-themed posts on social media platform Instagram. A random sample of 500 Instagram posts including the hashtags #suicide and/or #suicidal were extracted from a larger sample collected during March-June 2016. Results: Results show that self-harm was present in a majority of Instagram posts, and that posts that mention suicide ideation elicited higher engagement than posts that did not. Public health voices were largely absent from the conversation surrounding suicide on Instagram. Finally, few of the constructive WHO recommendations to prevent media contagion were visible in the study sample. These guidelines should be considered for participation in suicide-related online conversations. Conclusions: Instagram appears to be used frequently for suicide-related communications. Public health and mental health professionals should consider increased involvement on this platform, as well as application of the WHO suicide contagion media guidelines.

Framing and visual type: Effect on future Zika vaccine uptake intent

Introduction The Zika virus is associated with the birth defect microcephaly, and while a vaccine was not available in early- 2017, several were under development. This study’s purpose was to identify effective communication strategies to promote uptake of a new vaccine, particularly among women of reproductive age. Design and methods In order to study the effects of Zika message framing (gain vs. loss) and visual type (photo vs. infographic) on future Zika vaccine uptake intent, a 2×2 between-subjects experiment was performed via an online survey in 2017 among 339 U.S. women of reproductive age (18-49 years). Participants were exposed to one of four messages, all resembling Instagram posts: gain-framed vs. loss-framed infographic, and gain-framed vs. loss-framed photo. These messages were followed by questions about Zika vaccine uptake intent as well as intermediate psychosocial variables that could lead to intent. Results There was no interaction between framing and visual type (P=0.116), and there was no effect for framing (P=0.185) or visual type (P=0.724) on future Zika vaccine uptake intent, which is likely indicative of insufficient dosage of the intervention. However, when focusing on intermediate psychosocial constructs that are known to influence behavior and intent, gain-framed messages were more effective in increasing subjective norms (P=0.005) as related to a future Zika vaccine, as well as perceived benefits (P=0.016) and self-efficacy (P=0.032). Conclusions Gain-framed messages seem to be more effective than loss-framed messages to increase several constructs that could, in turn, affect future Zika vaccine uptake intent. This is a novel finding since, traditionally, loss-framed messages are considered more beneficial in promoting vaccine-related health behaviors. Significance for public health The study described in this paper is significant for the field of public health for several reasons: It takes a proactive approach in studying messaging focused on the Zika vaccine before that vaccine is available, allowing for quick implementation of its limited results. In addition, this study centers on messaging in the form of realistic images consistent with those that could be posted on Instagram, thereby focusing on a relatively new yet immensely popular communications platform that few are focusing on presently.

Welcome or Not: Comparing #Refugee Posts on Instagram and Pinterest:

The Syrian refugee crisis, started in 2011, has resulted in millions of Syrians fleeing their homes: 6.6 million have been internally displaced and more than 4.6 million have fled the country. This flow of refugees has led to both humanitarian efforts to assist refugees and growing views of refugees as a threat to receiving countries’ security and autonomy. Sentiments about the still-growing crisis are increasingly expressed on social media platforms, including visual ones like Instagram and Pinterest. However, little is known about what and how information about refugees is presented on these platforms. The current study addresses this gap by conducting a quantitative content analysis of a random sample of 750 Instagram posts and 750 Pinterest posts to evaluate and compare visual and textual messaging surrounding this crisis. Results show that Pinterest messages more frequently depict security-concern sentiment and include more unique visual components than Instagram. Across platforms, security-concern posts were more likely to be framed thematically; whereas most humanitarian-concern posts were framed episodically. The study concludes with a discussion of implications for communication scholars and practitioners that may inform the development of visual-based social-mediated messaging.

The role of social media in promoting understanding of violence as a public health issue

Preventable forms of violence such as sexual violence (SV), intimate partner violence (IPV), youth violence, and suicide claim thousands of lives each year. Survivors of these forms of violence experience myriad physical, psychological and social consequences, making violence prevention a public health priority [1–5]. Violence as a public health issue is unique in both its relative youth – it was first recognized as a priority area in the Surgeon General’s Healthy People report in 1979 – and its duality as a criminal justice issue [6–8]. Accordingly, support for public health-oriented approaches to violence prevention is evolving alongside public understandings of violence as a health issue. A public health approach to violence prevention includes identifying risk and protective factors and developing and implementing prevention strategies [9]. Many forms of violence share common risk and protective factors – including intersecting problematic social norms about violence, race, and gender – and the most efficient way to reduce violence is to target these shared factors [10]. The media has longed played a role in shaping public understanding and social norms surrounding health issues and in providing information about social problems, their causes, and consequences [11–14]. This essay explores the current state of research on the role of communication in promoting a public health understanding of, and response to, violence on the ubiquitous medium of social media.