Mary K. Casey

Reconsidering the Organizational Identification Questionnaire.

This study investigates the internal dimensions of the Organizational Identification Questionnaire (OIQ). Results of factorial analytic tests of cross-sectional and longitudinal data indicate that the OIQ is unidimensional across organizations and time, but that only 12 of 25 items contribute meaningfully to the scale. Furthermore, these 12 items essentially constitute an affective measure of organizational commitment, not organizational identification as theorized. A discussion of these results examines the implications of these findings toward the future use of the OIQ scale.

Social Marketing and Diffusion-Based Strategies for Communicating with Unique Populations: HIV Prevention in San Francisco

We conducted a 2-year investigation of the extent to which strategies based on social marketing and diffusion of innovations concepts are used in preventive health communication with unique (highly ostracized) populations. Of the 49 organizations in San Francisco that operate HIV prevention programs (N = 100), programs that most highly targeted unique populations were surveyed. Personal interviews were then conducted with 38 staff leaders who operated the most and least effective programs. Audiotapes and transcripts were content analyzed to identify the strategies used by program staff. Strategies based on social marketing concepts were more prevalent than strategies based on the diffusion of innovations: More effective programs were characterized by emphasis on homophily, audience segmentation, compatibility-based strategies, and interorganizational collaboration.

Communication and Community in a City Under Siege The AIDS Epidemic in San Francisco

The history of urban life has been shaped and directed by the impact of disaster and disease, variables that have not disappeared in the postmodern age. Certainly, a deadly epidemic destroys and alters communication relationships while at the same time creating new communication needs and possibilities. The structure, social institutions, and policies of cities in part determine the impact and response to affliction. The authors analyze how the city of San Francisco was disrupted by the AIDS epidemic and how HIV / AIDS prevention campaigns sought to slow the epidemic. Both the epidemic and the communication response to it altered socially constructed notions about community through changes in personal behavior, interpersonal behavior, and organizational activities in San Francisco.

Bringing order to chaos: Communication and health

An ecological theory of health communication is offered that addresses how communications about health interdependently work together to influence health and/or health‐related behaviors. To explain how a multitude of variables work together in a synergistic manner, the present work borrows heavily from chaos theory. The use of chaos theory concepts represents a significant paradigm shift from previous, more reductionist, health communication perspectives. The present work (a) provides a definition of health communication, (b) offers an overall health communication framework, (c) introduces relevant chaos theory concepts into the health communication literature, and (d) illustrates how chaos theory concepts can be applied to the field of health communication in order to explain health‐related behavior. Specific operationalization procedures are suggested to test the theoretical ideas outlined.

UTILIZING FOCUS GROUPS TO DETERMINE BARRIERS TO PRENATAL CARE ADEQUACY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

ABSTRACT The history of health care delivery systems have not shown satisfactory effectiveness in reducing the gap between proven health care techniques, and their application in the larger community. Effectiveness of communication in healthcare delivery is a major obstacle in the transfer of health care to the high health risk community population, and as that obstacle is diminished, there will be a concomitant decrease in the morbidity measures of the larger community. For example, the initiation of prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy is necessary to aid in the prevention of infant morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, an even greater cause for concern lies with African American adolescents. Although adolescent pregnancy has decreased over the last decade for all Americans, the African American birth rate remains two times greater than that of Caucasians. Since this group is more at risk than those of general population, interventions must be developed to eradicate this disparity.