Showing papers by "Thomas Hove published in 2012"
TL;DR: The extent to which adolescents' levels of eHealth literacy can be improved by known determinants such as social cognitive factors and perceived social influences, either independently or jointly is examined.
Abstract: While adolescents are increasingly using the Internet for health information, little research has been done to assess and improve their "eHealth literacy"-the abilities to find, evaluate, and apply online health information. This study examines the extent to which adolescents' levels of eHealth literacy can be improved by known determinants such as social cognitive factors and perceived social influences, either independently or jointly. Among 182 middle-schoolers, an eHealth literacy intervention was carried out. It involved qualitative and quantitative baseline research, three online training sessions, and a postintervention survey. According to hierarchical regression model results, social cognitive factors of outcome expectations and involvement, but not health motivation, significantly improved eHealth literacy, and all the perceived social influence variables significantly improved eHealth literacy. However, no joint effect of social cognitive factors and perceived social influences was found. In light of these findings, educators need to make eHealth literacy programs personally relevant to adolescents and reinforce local social norms about the importance of seeking health information online.
63 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed US and South Korean news coverage of the H1N1 pandemic to examine cross-cultural variations in attention cycle patterns, cited sources, and news frames.
Abstract: This study analyzes US and South Korean news coverage of the H1N1 pandemic to examine cross-cultural variations in attention cycle patterns, cited sources, and news frames. A content analysis was conducted on 630 articles from US and Korean newspapers during the period of April to October 2009. It found that attention cycle patterns, news frames, and sources varied across the two countries according to professional norms, cultural values, social ideologies, and occurrences of relevant events. While US news coverage showed two phases of waxing and waning attention, Korean news coverage showed five phases. The frames used in US news stories placed more emphasis on attribution of responsibility, action, and reassurance. Other framing variations were found as news attention in each country rose and fell. Regarding sources used, Korean news stories relied more on governmental sources, while US news stories used a greater diversity of sources. This study advances research on variations in the attention cycle fo...
47 citations
TL;DR: This study explicates mechanisms of media campaign effectiveness in the context of children's physical activity and suggests that integrating normative mechanisms with the theory of planned behavior can improve efforts to predict and explain a health behavior.
Abstract: This study explicates mechanisms of media campaign effectiveness in the context of children's physical activity. The authors' model expands the theory of planned behavior by integrating injunctive and descriptive norms into its normative mechanism. Analysis of a 3-wave nationally representative evaluation survey among 1,623 tweens indicates that campaign exposure is significantly related, but only indirectly, to both physical activity intention and physical activity behavior. Instead, campaign exposure seems more strongly related to perceived behavioral control and attitudes toward physical activity. By contrast, perceived behavioral control and descriptive norms are strongly related to behavioral intention. The findings suggest that integrating normative mechanisms with the theory of planned behavior can improve efforts to predict and explain a health behavior.
22 citations
TL;DR: Analysis of nationally representative secondary survey data among 5,472 underage students reveals that alcohol marketing seems to be the most formidable risk factor for underage drinking, followed by perceived drinking norms (injunctive norm) and lax policy enforcement.
Abstract: Guided by the assumptions of the social ecological model and the social marketing approach, this study provides a simultaneous and comprehensive assessment of 4 major alcohol reduction strategies for college campuses: school education programs, social norms campaigns, alcohol counter-marketing, and alcohol control policies. Analysis of nationally representative secondary survey data among 5,472 underage students reveals that alcohol marketing seems to be the most formidable risk factor for underage drinking, followed by perceived drinking norms (injunctive norm) and lax policy enforcement. This analysis suggests that, to make social norms campaigns and alcohol control policies more effective, alcohol reduction strategies should be developed to counter the powerful influence of alcohol marketing and promotions.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study was conducted among 355 participants who evaluated two child abuse prevention public service announcements (PSAs) and found that the average American parent judged the PSAs more favorably than their close peer or themselves.
Abstract: Perceived effectiveness (PE) has been studied as an important antecedent of persuasion. But judgments of PE may vary its persuasive impact depending on whom people think about as message referents. This study explores PE judgment for both self and different others as well as their independent roles in the persuasion process. Theoretical rationales are drawn from the third-person effect and its contingent concepts regarding perceived media effects. A study was conducted among 355 participants who evaluated two child abuse prevention public service announcements (PSAs). They estimated that the average American parent judged the PSAs more favorably than their close peer or themselves. Structural equation models indicate that self's and close-peer's PE judgment led to persuasion for one PSA (“Wonders”), while the target's PE judgment affected persuasion for another PSA (“Awareness”). These results suggest a potential moderating role of message characteristics in self–other PE judgments and their consequences.
17 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the sociologist Andrew Abbott has developed a framework to illustrate how social scientific claims are continually mapped and remapped onto rival moral perspectives, defined by the relative emphasis that they place on freedom and determinism, agency and structure.
Abstract: Consumer culture researchers need to acknowledge theoretical problems that can arise when ethical assumptions inform social scientific claims To identify the origins of these problems, the sociologist Andrew Abbott has developed a framework to illustrate how social scientific claims are continually mapped and remapped onto rival moral perspectives These perspectives are defined by the relative emphasis that they place on freedom and determinism, agency and structure When consumer culture researchers attempt to diagnose or influence people’s political and consumer choices, they emphasize either one side of these dichotomies or the other This article adapts Abbott’s framework to show how these differing emphases lead to different conclusions about the techniques that educators, social scientists, activists, marketers, and policy-makers should use to improve people’s political and consumer choices
6 citations