Lalatendu Acharya

Deconstructing the portrayals of HIV/AIDS among campaign planners targeting tribal populations in Koraput, India: a culture-centered interrogation.

This article deconstructs the portrayal of HIV/AIDS in the tribal dominated district of Koraput, India, among program planners, service delivery personnel, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), etc. who plan, implement, and evaluate HIV/AIDS interventions targeting tribal communities in the region. Drawing upon postcolonial and subaltern studies approaches, we critically examine the ideological assumptions that circulate in the dominant discursive spaces among campaign planners and implementers who target HIV/AIDS among the tribal population in Koraput, India. Based on our critical examination, we suggest guidelines for engaging with program planners and implementers through health communication pedagogy informed by the culture-centered approach.

Social desirability bias in reporting of holiday season healthfulness

Respondents participating in survey or interview based research often tend to give answers that put themselves in a favorable light, displaying social desirability bias (SDB). Understanding the susceptibility of individuals to underreport their perceived unhealthy holiday behaviors or over report holiday behaviors they perceive as healthy has important implications for health promotion and health policy surrounding the holiday season. This study examines SDB specific to the reporting of holiday food consumption and health-related behaviors. An online survey of 620 U.S. consumers was utilized to collect data in which SDB was accounted for via indirect questioning. The online survey was conducted by Purdue University from November 17–19, 2014. Up to 64% of respondents displayed SDB for the eight holiday health statements studied. Respondents over the age of 45 and without children more frequently displayed social desirability bias. Respondents who displayed SDB with respect to acceptable health related holiday food consumption behaviors may be more susceptible to social pressures surrounding other consumption decision making. Understanding SDB in health and behavior reporting, in particular for the traditionally challenging, in terms of health outcomes, holiday season is critical for health practitioners as they seek to promote healthy behaviors.

Cultural Beliefs Underlying Medication Adherence in People of Chinese Descent in the United States

ABSTRACT This article examines the meanings, practices, and cultural beliefs underlying medication adherence in people of Chinese descent living in the United States. The narratives were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology, resulting in the following themes that influenced the communication and behaviors around medication adherence of the participants: (a) cultural concepts of yin yang balance and “qi,” (b) understandings of Western and Chinese medicine’s efficacy profiles, (c) importance of family and social support, and (d) level of acculturation. This article discusses the influence of these themes on medication adherence and proposes that health communication campaigns, interventions, and doctor–patient communication about increasing medication adherence with people of Chinese descent should engage these understandings.

Exploring preferences beyond the (cereal) box: ready-to-eat breakfast cereal buying behaviors

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals vary widely in terms of nutrition and price. The diversity in cereal offerings makes it ideal for the study of preferences for individual nutrients and the potential impact that providing nutritional information may have on consumer purchasing behavior. Using a survey of 1,265 Midwestern residents, a random parameters logit model was employed to estimate the willingness to pay for nutritional elements of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Household demographic data, including household food security status, were collected. Agricultural and food businesses may seek to provide product information, including nutritional information, to their customers. In addition, national and local policies may seek to empower consumers’ decision making through education. Nutritional information may not have the intended impact of influencing healthier choices. Responses from those shown educational material on nutrition were tested and found not different from respondents not shown the information.

Self-reported healthcare provider utilization across United States Midwestern households

Understanding the relationships between health care provider usage and demographics of patients is necessary for the development of educational materials, outreach information, and programs targeting individuals who may benefit from services. This analysis identified relationships between health care provider usage and individuals demographics. A sample of Midwestern U.S. respondents (n = 1265) was obtained through the use of an online survey distributed February 12–26, 2016 and was targeted to be representative of the population of the Midwestern states sampled in terms of sex, age, income, and state of residence. Specific factors identified as significant in contributing to provider usage (in the past five years) differed across the eleven provider types studied. In the most commonly used practitioners (the general or primary physician), relationships between provider usage and age, income, health insurance coverage status, and having children in the household were identified. Furthermore, significant (and positive) correlations were identified between the usage of various practitioners; reporting the use of one type of practitioner studied was correlated positively with reporting the use of another type of health care provider studied in this analysis. This analysis provides insight into the relationships between health care provider usage and demographics of individuals, which can aid in the development of educational materials, outreach programs, and policy development.

The intersection of food insecure populations in the Midwest U.S. and rates of chronic health conditions

BackgroundFood insecurity is the state of having insufficient access to adequate food in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to limited economic resources. This study expands upon the annual survey conducted by the USDA ERS, while providing evidence that additional factors, notably, medical or health-related issues play vital roles in the relationship between households and food security.MethodsThe data for this study were generated by surveying Midwestern residents. The sample of respondents was targeted to be representative of the Midwest in terms of sex, age, and income and was completed by 1265 respondents. The survey included the CPS Food Security Supplement to assess the food security of respondents. All respondents were asked the 10 household focused food security questions and respondents who indicated having children were asked the additional 8 child focused questions. Additionally, respondents were asked demographic, food security, and health status questions.ResultsOf the sample, 25% were considered food insecure. Being male, middle aged, having children, having household diabetes, having a household eating disorder, and having household depression/anxiety are significant determinants of decreased food security.ConclusionsEstablishing clear relationships between health and food can help to inform legislation. This analysis suggests the inclusion of chronic illness and health information to improve metrics and inform food security legislation.

The Relative Importance of Household Budget Categories: A Best-Worst Analysis

Headlines regularly report on the changing or unmet needs of households and are often focused on costs of healthcare swamping household resources or childcare costs, forcing families to make tradeoffs that negatively influence children or society. Development of impactful educational programming and public policy necessitates an understanding of various households’ allocations of resources, specially the poor, food insecure households. In order to explore households’ relative prioritization of expenditures, a survey was conducted in this manuscript with a sample of Midwest residents (n = 1263), with the objective of evaluating the relationship between household demographics and budgeting prioritization of six expenditure categories. Individual respondent’s relative prioritization for budgeting categories was estimated using a best-worst experiment for six expenditure categories. Housing was the most important expenditure category identified for the sample. Housing also received the largest share of relative importance for two of four latent classes identified. For both low and the very low food secure households a significant and positive relationship was found between their food security status and the relative importance placed on childcare and transportation. Identification of segments of respondents with specific priorities (e.g., childcare expenditures) may aid in the development of impactful policies, particularly for at-risk populations (e.g., food insecure households).