Showing papers in "Health Marketing Quarterly in 2008"
TL;DR: It is proposed that macro-level disparities in social structures are connected to health disparities through the micro-level conduits of eHealth literacy, motivation, and ability and that structural inequities reinforce themselves and continue to contribute to healthcare disparities.
Abstract: Even despite policy efforts aimed at reducing health-related disparities, evidence mounts that population-level gaps in literacy and healthcare quality are increasing. This widening of disparities in American culture is likely to worsen over the coming years due, in part, to our increasing reliance on Internet-based technologies to disseminate health information and services. The purpose of the current article is to incorporate health literacy into an Integrative Model of eHealth Use. We argue for this theoretical understanding of eHealth literacy and propose that macro-level disparities in social structures are connected to health disparities through the micro-level conduits of eHealth literacy, motivation, and ability. In other words, structural inequities reinforce themselves and continue to contribute to healthcare disparities through the differential distribution of technologies that simultaneously enhance and impede literacy, motivation, and ability of different groups (and individuals) in ...
218 citations
TL;DR: Exposure to the Radio Diaries program did not have a main-effect on stigma, but there was a significant interaction between exposure and efficacy to reduce number of partners such that there was little difference in stigma by Exposure level for those with low efficacy, but a significant difference by exposure level for Those with high efficacy.
Abstract: Relatively little is known about the extent to which health campaigns can play a constructive role in reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma. The Malawi Radio Diaries is a program in which HIV-positive men and women openly discuss day-to-day events in their lives with the goal of reducing stigma in the population. Adopting a social marketing perspective, we analyze the various components of the Radio Diaries program in terms of three of the "Four P's": product (stigma reduction), place (radio), and promotion (the program itself). We first investigated the important dimensions of stigma and then developed a model to test the demographic and psychosocial correlates of these dimensions. A midterm household survey was then used to determine the relationship between exposure to the Radio Diaries program and stigma. In multivariate analyses, lower education and knowledge were associated with stronger beliefs that persons living with HIV should be isolated from others. Exposure to the Radio Diaries program did not have a main-effect on stigma, but there was a significant interaction between exposure and efficacy to reduce number of partners such that there was little difference in stigma by exposure level for those with low efficacy, but a significant difference by exposure level for those with high efficacy. Findings are discussed in terms of social marketing principles.
59 citations
TL;DR: There are significant challenges to communicating relevant cancer prevention and control information to health care consumers due both to the complexities of the health information to be communicated and the complexity of health communication, especially with vulnerable populations.
Abstract: There are significant challenges to communicating relevant cancer prevention and control information to health care consumers due both to the complexities of the health information to be communicated and the complexities of health communication, especially with vulnerable populations. The need for effective communication about cancer risks, early detection, prevention, care, and survivorship is particularly acute, yet also tremendously complex, for reaching vulnerable populations, those groups of people who are most likely to suffer significantly higher levels of morbidity and mortality from cancers than other segments of the population. These vulnerable populations, typically the poorest, lowest educated, and most disenfranchised members of modern society, are heir to serious cancer-related health disparities. Vulnerable populations often have health literacy difficulties, cultural barriers, and economic challenges to accessing and making sense of relevant health information. This paper examines these challenges to communicating relevant information to vulnerable populations and suggests strategies for effectively using different communication media for marketing cancer prevention and control to reduce health disparities and promote public health.
52 citations
TL;DR: The marketing of organ donation for entertainment creates a counter-campaign to organ donation, with greater resources and reach than social marketers have access to, which highlights the issues faced by social marketing campaigns in persuading the public to become potential donors.
Abstract: While great strides have been made in persuading the public to become potential organ donors, actual behavior has not yet caught up with the nearly universally favorable attitudes the public expresses toward donation. This paper explores the issue by situating the social marketing of organ donation against a broader backdrop of entertainment and news media coverage of organ donation. Organ donation storylines are featured on broadcast television in medical and legal dramas, soap operas, and other television serials approximately four times per month (not including most cable networks), and feature storylines that promote myths and fears of the organ donation process. National news and other non-fictionalized coverage of organ donation are even more common, with stories appearing over twenty times a month on average. These stories tend to be one-dimensional and highly sensationalized in their coverage. The marketing of organ donation for entertainment essentially creates a counter-campaign to organ donation, with greater resources and reach than social marketers have access to. Understanding the broader environmental context of organ donation messages highlights the issues faced by social marketing campaigns in persuading the public to become potential donors.
46 citations
TL;DR: Traditional information processing models and theories of interpersonal and mass media access and consumption are reviewed and several theory-based propositions for how traditional information processing and media consumption concepts will function as new media usage continues to increase are made.
Abstract: Market trend data show that the media marketplace continues to rapidly evolve. Recent research shows that substantial portions of the U.S. media population are “new media” users. Today, more than ever before, media consumers are exposed to multiple media at the same point in time, encouraged to participate in media content generation, and challenged to learn, access, and use the new media that are continually entering the market. These media trends have strong implications for how consumers of health information access, process, and retain health-related knowledge. In this article we review traditional information processing models and theories of interpersonal and mass media access and consumption. We make several theory-based propositions for how traditional information processing and media consumption concepts will function as new media usage continues to increase. These propositions are supported by new media usage data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's entry into the new ...
35 citations
TL;DR: Examination of two different healthcare service providers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area offers different views as to the implementation and practice of total quality management techniques and AIDC integration.
Abstract: The limitations, immeasurable, and seemly unquantifiable aspects of the healthcare service industry, make it imperative that quality assurance programs include total quality management (TQM) and automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)-related technologies. Most of standards used in TQM and AIDC require data, to measure improvement and achieve standardization. Major difference between managing a service firm and managing a product-manufacturing firm is the difficulty of achieving consistently high quality. Examination of two different healthcare service providers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area offers different views as to the implementation and practice of total quality management techniques and AIDC integration. Since the healthcare service industry must take into account its high customization needs, there are positive steps to make the hospital structure itself more patient friendly and quality related; hence improving its heath-marketing strategies to the general public.
25 citations
TL;DR: Through the case studies, it was found that not all intangible assets are strategic, and by extension, not all measures of reputation are strategic either.
Abstract: Application of the strategic leverage of Resource Based View of the Firm (RBV) directly advocates that a company's competitive advantage is derived from its ability to assemble and exploit an appropriate combination of resources (both tangible and intangible assets). The three companies that were selected were Pittsburgh-based companies that were within relatively easy access, representing healthcare service-related industries, and can be reviewed for the principles of the RBV. The particular firms represented a variety of establishments and included Baptist Homes (a long-term care facility), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) (a provider of hospital and other health services), and GlaxoSmithKline, Consumer Healthcare, North America (GSK-CHNA) (a global provider of healthcare products and services). Through the case studies, it was found that not all intangible assets are strategic, and by extension, not all measures of reputation are strategic either. For an intangible asset to be co...
24 citations
TL;DR: This research compares the attitudes of two of the most affected participants in the prescriptive sales processes; physicians and pharmaceutical sales representatives and indicates differences between physicians and Pharmaceutical sales representatives regarding the efficacy and ethical considerations of various promotional strategies.
Abstract: A variety of promotional strategies have been used to stimulate sales of pharmaceutical drugs. Traditionally, push techniques have been the predominant means used to encourage physicians to prescri...
16 citations
TL;DR: Findings from initial analyses are integrated with media and purchase data from each audience segment to propose distinct, tailored program suggestions for reinventing social marketing programs focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in each segment.
Abstract: Fruit and vegetable consumption affects the etiology of cardiovascular disease as well as many different types of cancers. Still, Americans' consumption of fruit and vegetables is low. This article builds on initial research that assessed the validity of using a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation in tandem with the theory of planned behavior to explain differences among individuals' consumption of fruit and vegetables. In this article, we integrate the findings from our initial analyses with media and purchase data from each audience segment. We then propose distinct, tailored program suggestions for reinventing social marketing programs focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in each segment. Finally, we discuss the implications of utilizing a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation versus a more traditional readiness-to-change social marketing segmentation. Differences between these two segmentation strategies, such as the ability to access media usage and purchase data, are highlighted and discussed.
13 citations
TL;DR: In the context of the current health care payer system, quality of care standards, financial incentives and consumer choice are not well aligned, yet competition for increased admissions has become a matter of survival.
Abstract: In the context of the current health care payer system, quality of care standards, financial incentives and consumer choice are not well aligned, yet competition for increased admissions has become a matter of survival. Satisfaction and loyalty are two constructs that are the most meaningful measures in the context of sustaining and increas—ing admissions. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) launched an ambitious patient satisfaction improvement initiative in 2001. LVHHN augmented existing patient service excellence programs with an ethnographic study of a representative unit. Interview and obser—vational data were analyzed using NVivo software. These results (four distilled domains of patient experience) can then be used to identify key components of the care environment that made meaningful differences in the perceptions of patients and their satisfaction. A designated interde—partmental task force can then develop interventions from those learnings, track outcomes through the Pre...
13 citations
TL;DR: The purposes of this study were to determine consumers' attitudes toward advertising by physicians and whether city of residence, occupation, age, sex, race, marital status, number of children in household, total family household income, and education of the consumer accounted for any significant difference in attitude toward physicians who advertise.
Abstract: Advertising by physicians is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, most professions prohibited licensed members from engaging in speech activities that proposed a commercial transaction—advertising. However the history of a physician's legal right to advertise is not the main focus of this article. A brief review of the past, present, and possible future of such rights might assist readers in understanding the revolutionary constitutional and commercial speech changes that have occurred over the past three decades. A physician's legal right to advertise has developed as part of the evolutionary interpretation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The purposes of this study were to determine (a) consumers' attitudes toward advertising by physicians and (b) whether city of residence, occupation, age, sex, race, marital status, number of children in household, total family household income, and education of the consumer accounted for any significant difference in attitude toward p...
TL;DR: While a broad range of conditions were associated with health risks inherited from one's family, cancer was most often identified and revealed a number of common features including their tendency to be emotion-laden.
Abstract: The era of genomic health care introduces new realities into decision-making about the prevention and treatment of disease. Despite this reality, relatively little is known about lay audience recollection of images and messages about genes and health, or their perceptions about the role of genetics research for health, and what diseases are inherited. Participants (N=482) responded to three open-ended thought-listing tasks to consider these issues. Results revealed the significance of movies in framing memorable messages for participants, with print sources and television also represented. Both awareness and product commercials also comprised specific memories. Cloning was a frequently recalled message and often the first thought that came to participants' minds. While a broad range of conditions were associated with health risks inherited from one's family, cancer was most often identified. The messages recalled revealed a number of common features including their tendency to be emotion-laden. The theoretic and pragmatic implications of these results are considered.
TL;DR: The findings suggest that health plans can enhance the predictive validity of their satisfaction surveys by including measures of both satisfaction and intentions.
Abstract: Many health plans have tried to increase member retention by improving their scores on customer satisfaction surveys. However, prior research has demonstrated weak relationships between member satisfaction and retention, suggesting that other variables are needed to understand how satisfaction impacts member retention. In a longitudinal study 4,806 health plan members who completed satisfaction surveys were re-assessed three years later; we compared measures of satisfaction, intention, and complaining behavior from voluntary disenrollees and retained members. The relationship between satisfaction and retention was moderated by members' intentions to disenroll. The findings suggest that health plans can enhance the predictive validity of their satisfaction surveys by including measures of both satisfaction and intentions.
TL;DR: The entertainment-heavy media consumption patterns of the uninsured suggests the relevance of developing health marketing strategies that consider entertainment programming as an avenue for reaching out to this underserved segment of the population.
Abstract: According to published scholarship on health services usage, an increasing number of Americans do not have health insurance coverage. The strong relationship between insurance coverage and health services utilization highlights the importance of reaching out to the uninsured via prevention campaigns and communication messages. This article examines the communication choices of the uninsured, documenting that the uninsured are more likely to consume entertainment-based television and are less likely to read, watch, and listen to information-based media. It further documents the positive relationship between interpersonal communication, community participation, and health insurance coverage. The entertainment-heavy media consumption patterns of the uninsured suggests the relevance of developing health marketing strategies that consider entertainment programming as an avenue for reaching out to this underserved segment of the population.
TL;DR: Sources of health-related information accessed by female college students with and without body image distortions are examined, and the believability of those sources is compared.
Abstract: This study examined and compared sources of health-related information accessed by female college students with and without body image distortions, and the believability of those sources. Survey data from the American College Health Association, National College Health Assessment were studied retrospectively (N = 27,648). Body image distorted (BID) and non-BID students' most frequent health information sources were parents (76.1% BID; 77.1% non-BID) and internet (70.3% BID; 69.5% non-BID). Believability was greatest for health educators (90.6% BID; 91.1% non-BID) and lowest for television (14.4% BID; 14.5% non-BID). Health intervention strategies for college women should market to parents and teach recognition of credible internet sources of health information.
TL;DR: Results of this study did not support a general positive price-perceived quality relationship for any of the three procedures, but several significant effects were observed for price negotiation likelihood.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of an experimental study that assessed potential differences in consumer quality perceptions and price negotiation likelihood for three healthcare procedures: a routine physical, rhinoplasty, and a root canal, based on varying levels of price and consumer cost responsibility. Results of this study did not support a general positive price-perceived quality relationship for any of the three procedures. However, several significant effects were observed for price negotiation likelihood. First, price negotiation likelihood was found to be higher for more expensive services (i.e., rhinoplasty) than less expensive services (i.e., routine physical). In addition, consumers were more likely to negotiate price when they were both responsible for the entire cost of an expensive procedure and not accustomed to paying the full cost. Lastly, people who likely perceived a relationship between price and quality were less likely to negotiate pricing at high price levels vis-a-vis l...
TL;DR: This study develops several comparative metrics that enable benchmarking, which, in turn, leads to several inferences and implications for hospital administrators, and suggests for future research.
Abstract: Hospitals are a significant part of the burgeoning healthcare sector in the United States (U.S.) economy. Despite the availability of what some describe as the world's best healthcare, the U.S. suffers from wide discrepancies in healthcare provision across hospitals and regions of the country. Specifically, capacity, utilization, quality, and even financial performance of hospitals vary widely. Based on secondary data from 533 hospitals in the adjoining states of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, this study develops several comparative metrics that enable benchmarking, which, in turn, leads to several inferences and implications for hospital administrators. The paper concludes with implications for hospital administrators and suggestions for future research.
TL;DR: The first of a three-part series examining the way in which Americans evaluate the quality of consumer information as they make decisions on health care products and services, provides an overview of the study.
Abstract: Information is a critical factor in marketing health care services. Consumers evaluate information according to its source. This report is the first of a three-part series examining the way in which Americans evaluate the quality of consumer information as they make decisions on health care products and services. This report provides an overview of the study. The next two installations will focus, respectively, on health plans, hospital and doctors.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply a motivation-driven approach to health magazine readership, arguing that health orientation influences the readership of health magazines and provide guidelines for strategic media planning.
Abstract: Two important trends have drawn the attention of medical practitioners and academics in recent years: the growth of health consciousness within the United States, and the proliferation in the number of health-oriented media outlets. In the face of the growing health care consumerism, accompanied by the proliferation of health-oriented media delivery systems, it is important to explore the audience profile of health magazines so these magazines may be effectively used for media planning. This paper applies a motivation-driven approach to health magazine readership, arguing that health orientation influences the readership of health magazines. Based on an analysis of the Healthstyles data gathered in 1999 and building upon selective exposure theory, the study demonstrates that health orientation positively predicts health magazine readership. The study results provide guidelines for strategic media planning.
TL;DR: The effectiveness of many intervention strategies used to fight the obesity battle over the past twenty years was found wanting whilst a minority of cases studied were sound.
Abstract: Obesity is a significant problem for most industrialised nations and an emerging one for developing nations (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Childhood obesity is of particular concern This paper, using systematic review procedures, has analysed the intervention strategies used to fight the obesity battle over the past twenty years For a number of reasons the effectiveness of many intervention strategies was found wanting whilst a minority of cases studied were sound These cases were analysed and a set of principles developed that could deliver improved processes and outcomes to the problems encountered by planners in the complex obesogenic environment
TL;DR: Using logistical regression, a large sample survey of the demographics of smokers and non-smokers in South African townships finds that smokers tend to be significantly, older males who are less educated, and somewhat surprisingly, with no religious affiliation.
Abstract: Smoking and nicotine addiction are among the major preventable causes of disease and mortality. Being able to target promotional campaigns effectively relies on a good understanding of the demographics of smokers and potential smokers. This study reports on the results of a large sample survey of the demographics of smokers and non-smokers in South African townships. Using logistical regression, it finds that smokers tend to be significantly, older males who are less educated, and somewhat surprisingly, with no religious affiliation. Implications for public health policy are identified, and avenues for future research recognized.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey of healthcare marketing in the 21st century, focusing on the role of health marketing in health-care decision-making process and management.
Abstract: (2006). Healthcare Marketing in the 21st Century. Health Marketing Quarterly: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 1-7.
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TL;DR: A seven-tiered model based on the concepts of structure (having the right people, systems, process, process), process, and outcomes (results) is discussed and the benefits of using the model as a tool for measuring, organizing, tracking, and communicating appropriate information are provided.
Abstract: Pressure on health care marketers to demonstrate effectiveness of their strategies and show their contribution to organizational goals is growing. A seven-tiered model based on the concepts of structure (having the right people, systems), process (doing the right things in the right way), and outcomes (results) is discussed. Examples of measures for each tier are provided and the benefits of using the model as a tool for measuring, organizing, tracking, and communicating appropriate information are provided. The model also provides a framework for helping management understand marketing's value and can serve as a vehicle for demonstrating marketing accountability.