Oral

Health Communication is an important component of behavior change interventions. This session contains presentations describing the results of studies utilizing health communication techniques as one component of the intervention. Presentations including a study testing the effects of receiving stage-based tailored print health communications targeting healthy eating and physical activity, as well as testing the effects of using vaccine promotion messages that emphasize these types of other-oriented benefits, compared to messages about the self. One presentation depicts a study analyzing stigma, which is a communication phenomenon involving labeling, manifests itself in altered interpersonal relationships, and its relationship to health behavior (providing social support, reducing risk, seeking diagnosis/treatment) in a community with widespread exposure to highly toxic asbestiforms. In addition, a study examining the impact of patient education using realistic, incremental goal setting to achieve increased self-confidence and subsequent improvements in patient lifestyle and management techniques will also be presented.

Session Objectives: At the end of each session, the participant will be able to: (1) understand challenges to creating successful health behavior change interventions; (2) describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of health behavior change programs; (3) Describe the main effects of framing messages in terms of other-oriented benefits

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing