Effects of message framing and evidence type on health information behavior: the case of promoting HPV vaccination

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-79
Author(s):  
Xiaoting Xu ◽  
Mengqing Yang ◽  
Yuxiang Chris Zhao ◽  
Qinghua Zhu

PurposeBased on the examination of the roles of message framing and evidence type, this study made an analysis of the promotion methods of intention and information need towards HPV vaccination.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted a 2 (gain-framed messages vs loss-framed messages) × 2 (statistical evidence vs narrative evidence) quasi-experimental design built upon theories of message framing and evidence type. This experiment recruited college students who were not vaccinated against HPV as participants. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and the independent sample T-test were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results (N = 300) indicate that (1) Loss-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than gain-framed messages. (2) Statistical evidence will lead to a more explicit information need than narrative evidence. (3) Message framing and evidence type will interact and (a) for statistical evidence, loss-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than gain-framed messages and (b) for narrative evidence, gain-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than loss-framed messages. (4) Message framing and evidence type will interact and (a) for loss-framed messages, statistical evidence will stimulate more explicit information need of HPV vaccination than narrative evidence and (b) for gain-framed messages, narrative evidence will stimulate more explicit information need of HPV vaccination than statistical evidence.Originality/valueThis paper can help to further understand the important roles of message framing and evidence type in health behavior promotion. The study contributes to the literature on how health information can be well organized to serve the public health communication and further enhance the health information service.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Valadi-khorram ◽  
Mohammad Reza Amiri ◽  
Mohammad Karim Saberi

PurposeConsidering the important role of public libraries in providing health information service as well as user feedback in improving the quality of health information services, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of health information service in public libraries of Hamadan, Iran, on the basis of the modified LibQUAL modelDesign/methodology/approachThis practical research was conducted in an analytic-survey method. The statistical population consists of all members of public libraries of Hamadan over 18 years old (12,237 people), and the sample size is calculated to be 373 people. The stratified sampling method was used, and within each class, a convenience sampling method was used. The modified LibQUAL questionnaire was used to gather data. For checking normality of data distribution, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and for analyzing date, descriptive statistics and also Chi-square and Wilcoxon tests were applied using SPSS 25.FindingsThe users' minimum level of public libraries in all three dimensions is an average level. The users' desired level of “information control” is higher than other dimensions. The users' perceived level in dimensions of “human resources” and “information control” is high level, while users' perceived level in “educational service” is an “average” level. There is a superiority gap between desired and perceived level in all dimensions, but the adequacy gap was seen only in the dimension of “educational service.”Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, the quality of health information services provided in public libraries is evaluated by the LibQUAL model.Practical implicationsThe results of this research can help managers and librarians of public libraries in measuring the quality of health information services and improving the quality of services provided by libraries. Besides, they can take a more accurate planning and pathologic approach, to eliminate the gap between minimum and desired expectations of users and libraries’ real services.Originality/valueIn this study, the quality of health information services provided in public libraries is evaluated by LibQUAL tool.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Meng ◽  
Li Dong ◽  
Rui Guan ◽  
Yan Zhang

PurposeThe study aims to find out the university students' health information service needs in post-COVID-19 age and then consider how to do the health information services well and promote it in further work.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses Kano model to design a questionnaire about university students' health information service needs from academic library and investigates 243 students from seven universities in China. The data generated were analyzed using a statistical tool and presented in tables.FindingsThe results show the students' different requirements level of health information services from academic library as must-be requirements, one-dimensional requirements, attractive quality attributes and indifferent quality in post-COVID-19 age.Research limitations/implicationsThe questionnaire design and the scale of respondents have limitation, such as only focus on Chinese university, have not characteristically research on different group of students. It could optimize to cover more worldwide university students and refer to different groups of students' needs in further research.Originality/valueThe paper expands and deepens the theory about university library health information service and provides a practical reference and proposes some suggestions for academic libraries on how to carry out health information services and give the social health institutions inspiration on how to promote the health services, especially in post-COVID-19 age.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Ke ◽  
Jia Tina Du ◽  
Lu Ji

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how the contextual factors of health crisis information needs are different from a general health context and how these factors work together to shape human information needs.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected the COVID-19-related questions posted on a Chinese social Q&A website for a period of 90 days since the pandemic outbreak in China. A qualitative thematic approach was applied to analyze the 1,681 valid questions using an open coding process.FindingsA taxonomy of information need topics for a health crisis context that identifies 8 main categories and 33 subcategories was developed, from which four overarching themes were extracted. These include understanding, clarification and preparation; affection expression of worries and confidence; coping with a challenging situation and resuming normal life; and social roles in the pandemic. The authors discussed the differences between a health crisis and a normal health context shaping information needs. Finally, a conceptual framework was developed to illustrate the typology, nature and triggers of health crisis information needs.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, only the Baidu Zhidao platform was investigated, and caution is advised before assuming the generalizability of the results, as the questioners of Baidu Zhidao are not representative of the whole population. Furthermore, since at the time of writing the COVID-19 is still in an emerging and evolving situation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020), the collected data included only a relatively small sample size compared to the post-pandemic period, and this might have impact on the interpretation of the study’s findings.Practical implicationsThe study’s taxonomy of information needs provides a reference for indexing and organizing related information during a disaster.Social implicationsThe study helps authoritative organizations track and send information in social media and to inform about policies related to the pandemic (e.g., quarantine and traffic control policies in our study) to the right people in the right regions and settings when the next disaster emerges.Originality/valueThe taxonomy of information need topics for a health crisis context can be used to index and organize related information during a disaster and support many information agents to enhance their information service practices. It also deepens the understanding of the formation mechanism of information needs during a global health crisis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-189
Author(s):  
Steven Buchanan ◽  
Emma Nicol

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance our understanding of the challenges of health information literacy (IL) education in disadvantaged and disengaged at-risk populations; and from the perspective of professionals out with information professions occupying everyday support roles.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative in-depth case study. The participants were a team of UK Family Nurses providing outreach support to young expectant mothers from areas of multiple deprivations, and the mothers themselves. The data collection methods were observation, survey, interviews and focus groups.FindingsInformation needs of mothers are multiple, and not always recognised as information problems, or revealed. Several felt overwhelmed, and actively avoided health information. There is low awareness and/or use of state sources of online health information. Family nurses provide an important information intermediary role, but are unfamiliar with IL concepts and models; consequently, there is limited evidence of client transitions to independent information seeking, or underpinning pedagogical practices to achieve such goals.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is required into appropriate pedagogical approaches to IL education adaptable to semi-structured everyday situations. Recognition of information need requires particular attention, including methods of elicitation and specification in the problematic context.Practical implicationsIn an era of digital transitions and public service reforms, the authors raise important questions regarding the true reach of public health policy.Originality/valueThe paper holistically examines nurse–client information behaviours, and extends the discussion of low IL in nurses beyond issues of evidence-based practice to issues of developing healthcare self-efficacy in at-risk clients.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Misun Won ◽  
Stephen L. Shapiro

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine consumer behaviors toward a bundle of tickets and lodging using two different message framing: (1) scarcity framing for a high demand event, the All-Star Game, and (2) discount framing for a lower demand event, an MLB mid-week game.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through two online surveys of 836 sport consumers in total on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and were analyzed using a mix of analysis of variances (ANOVAs) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).FindingsConsumers are likely to buy products separately in a scarce situation. When discounts are offered as benefits of choosing a bundle, consumers with high willingness to pay (WTP) have higher purchase intentions (PI) and perceived value toward cumulative discounts.Originality/valueThis is the one of few studies that investigate (1) price bundling of products from two disparate industries where consumer demands fluctuate, (2) the effects of scarcity in a bundle, and (3) all possible discount messaging in a bundle.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 375-388
Author(s):  
Salome W. Mathangani ◽  
Japheth Otike

Purpose Copyright law supposedly brings a balance between copyright owners and information users as a way of creating a harmonious relationship. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Kenya’s Copyright Act and the provision of information services in public university libraries in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach The study was informed by both the organization theory and the social systems theory which, respectively, provided a base for discussion on the library and its basic functions, and an interdisciplinary approach that accommodate library services and law. Data were collected from a sample of 77 librarians from public universities libraries, and analyzed using the qualitative method. Findings The study established that librarians were reasonably aware of the copyright Act. However, they were apprehensive and uncertain about copyright effect on the library. Evidence from the study showed that librarians needed to extend their knowledge and understanding of the copyright law for the effective provision of information services. The paper concludes that there is scope for librarians, using their wealth of knowledge and expertise, to make relevant and useful suggestions on copyright. Such contribution would assist in bringing harmony in the use of copyrighted materials. Originality/value These findings are original and will be useful in giving general direction on copyright. The study highlights the important issue of universities as parent institutions providing needed leadership in the copyright area.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farnoush Bayatmakou ◽  
Azadeh Mohebi ◽  
Abbas Ahmadi

Purpose Query-based summarization approaches might not be able to provide summaries compatible with the user’s information need, as they mostly rely on a limited source of information, usually represented as a single query by the user. This issue becomes even more challenging when dealing with scientific documents, as they contain more specific subject-related terms, while the user may not be able to express his/her specific information need in a query with limited terms. This study aims to propose an interactive multi-document text summarization approach that generates an eligible summary that is more compatible with the user’s information need. This approach allows the user to interactively specify the composition of a multi-document summary. Design/methodology/approach This approach exploits the user’s opinion in two stages. The initial query is refined by user-selected keywords/keyphrases and complete sentences extracted from the set of retrieved documents. It is followed by a novel method for sentence expansion using the genetic algorithm, and ranking the final set of sentences using the maximal marginal relevance method. Basically, for implementation, the Web of Science data set in the artificial intelligence (AI) category is considered. Findings The proposed approach receives feedback from the user in terms of favorable keywords and sentences. The feedback eventually improves the summary as the end. To assess the performance of the proposed system, this paper has asked 45 users who were graduate students in the field of AI to fill out a questionnaire. The quality of the final summary has been also evaluated from the user’s perspective and information redundancy. It has been investigated that the proposed approach leads to higher degrees of user satisfaction compared to the ones with no or only one step of the interaction. Originality/value The interactive summarization approach goes beyond the initial user’s query, while it includes the user’s preferred keywords/keyphrases and sentences through a systematic interaction. With respect to these interactions, the system gives the user a more clear idea of the information he/she is looking for and consequently adjusting the final result to the ultimate information need. Such interaction allows the summarization system to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the user’s information needs while expanding context-based knowledge and guiding the user toward his/her information journey.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiao-Chieh Chen ◽  
Yu-Ping Chiu

PurposeSocial media have become famous platform to search and share the COVID-19-related information. The objective of this research is to bridge the gap by proposing the effects of network cluster and transmitter activity on information sharing process.Design/methodology/approachData were collected by using Facebook application, which was available for 14 days (May 1–14) in 2020. These data were analyzed to determine the influence of the network cluster and transmitter activity.FindingsThe results showed that network cluster is positively related to transmitter activity on social media. In addition, transmitter activity partially mediated the effect of network cluster on the extent of information liked and shared. That is, transmitter activity can affect COVID-19-related information sharing on Facebook, and the activity effect is plausible and should become stronger as social network become denser.Originality/valueThis study has contributed to the knowledge of health information sharing in social media and has generated new opportunities for research into the role of network cluster. As social media is firmly entrenched in society, researches that improve the experience or quality for users is potentially impactful.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document