Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2025.2581731
Timothy L Sellnow, Amy Maciel
In this study, normatively responsible advocacy is proposed as a primary objective of instructional risk and crisis communication during health-related crises and high-risk events. The World Health Organization's learning interventions provided to communities and countries during the COVID-19 pandemic serve as a case study. The case study emphasized phronesis in assessing the capacity for normatively responsible advocacy in instructional risk and crisis communication to promote social justice. The case study revealed the recommendations provided in the World Health Organization's, WHO implementation guidance on emergencies capacity-building: Approaches for just-in-time learning response to health emergencies, are fitting with the four tenets of normatively responsible advocacy in instructional risk and crisis communication: (1) balancing cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning; (2) improvisation in designing instructional content; (3) agility in distribution of instructional content; and (4) meeting the normative needs and expectations of diverse audiences.
{"title":"The World Health Organization's Guidance for Just-in-Time Learning as a Framework for Normatively Responsible Advocacy in Instructional Risk and Crisis Communication.","authors":"Timothy L Sellnow, Amy Maciel","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2581731","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2581731","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, normatively responsible advocacy is proposed as a primary objective of instructional risk and crisis communication during health-related crises and high-risk events. The World Health Organization's learning interventions provided to communities and countries during the COVID-19 pandemic serve as a case study. The case study emphasized phronesis in assessing the capacity for normatively responsible advocacy in instructional risk and crisis communication to promote social justice. The case study revealed the recommendations provided in the World Health Organization's, <i>WHO implementation guidance on emergencies capacity-building: Approaches for just-in-time learning response to health emergencies</i>, are fitting with the four tenets of normatively responsible advocacy in instructional risk and crisis communication: (1) balancing cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning; (2) improvisation in designing instructional content; (3) agility in distribution of instructional content; and (4) meeting the normative needs and expectations of diverse audiences.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":"41 3","pages":"496-504"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146165047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2025.2563665
Rita Tang, Leticia Bode, Emily K Vraga
Declining trust in public health organizations has (not coincidentally) coincided with a rise in health misinformation on social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) strategically employed corrective communications to counter common misinformation as an important aspect of its risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) efforts. Whereas past research focuses mainly on the ability of corrections to reduce misperceptions, we turn attention to the broader question of whether and how they affect perceptions of the WHO. We analyze an online survey experiment (N = 1343) with a 2 × 2 design: correction approach (preemptive vs. responsive) × source (WHO vs. user) as compared to a control condition. Results suggest that the corrective infographic significantly improved public approval of the WHO's communication efforts and its credibility, but only when it was shared by a WHO information bot in direct response to a misinformation post. Interestingly, these same benefits did not accrue to the WHO when a social media user shared the WHO's graphics. Moreover, individuals initially critical of the WHO's performance increased their ratings of the WHO's credibility after seeing the corrective infographic from the WHO. The findings inform WHO's future RCCE efforts during a crisis and also highlight the potential of AI-driven bots affiliated with expert organizations to support corrective efforts.
{"title":"Corrections as Risk Communication and Community Engagement on Social Media: How Observing Corrections of Misinformation from the WHO Increases Support for the WHO.","authors":"Rita Tang, Leticia Bode, Emily K Vraga","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2563665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2563665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Declining trust in public health organizations has (not coincidentally) coincided with a rise in health misinformation on social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) strategically employed corrective communications to counter common misinformation as an important aspect of its risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) efforts. Whereas past research focuses mainly on the ability of corrections to reduce misperceptions, we turn attention to the broader question of whether and how they affect perceptions of the WHO. We analyze an online survey experiment (<i>N</i> = 1343) with a 2 × 2 design: correction approach (preemptive vs. responsive) × source (WHO vs. user) as compared to a control condition. Results suggest that the corrective infographic significantly improved public approval of the WHO's communication efforts and its credibility, but only when it was shared by a WHO information bot in direct response to a misinformation post. Interestingly, these same benefits did not accrue to the WHO when a social media user shared the WHO's graphics. Moreover, individuals initially critical of the WHO's performance increased their ratings of the WHO's credibility after seeing the corrective infographic from the WHO. The findings inform WHO's future RCCE efforts during a crisis and also highlight the potential of AI-driven bots affiliated with expert organizations to support corrective efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":"41 3","pages":"485-495"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146165387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rumors and misinformation can escalate to the level of an infodemic and significantly complicate public health efforts to disseminate accurate information and promote understanding. Like other parts of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO South-East Asia Region had its share of this challenge. This paper reports on the joint WHO South-East Asia and AMARC Asia Pacific program titled, Building resilient communities against COVID-19: Responding to fake news and misinformation through community radios in Asia Pacific, or simply, the Community Radio Project. This initiative involved examining the landscape of rumors and misinformation circulating in the Region and designing a corresponding online training for community radio journalists, with the aim to strengthen their capacities in managing infodemics. The project also included the rollout of a short mentorship program, as well as the building of an online bank of resources where various tools had been made available to support community radio practitioners in tackling rumors and misinformation. Mixed-method assessment was used to examine the online training component of the Community Radio Project 2 years after its implementation. A majority of the respondents confirmed that the 2022 training contents had helped them and that their respective radio stations had been taking action to help address misinformation spreading in the localities. Additional capacity building, strengthening networks and resources, and research will enhance community radio's ability to address infodemics.
{"title":"Local Solutions for Local Problems: Assessing the Pilot Implementation of the First Community Radio Engagement for Infodemic Management in the WHO South-East Asia Region.","authors":"Reuben Samuel, Abigail Generalia, Supriya Bezbaruah, Suman Basnet","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2485299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2485299","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rumors and misinformation can escalate to the level of an infodemic and significantly complicate public health efforts to disseminate accurate information and promote understanding. Like other parts of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO South-East Asia Region had its share of this challenge. This paper reports on the joint WHO South-East Asia and AMARC Asia Pacific program titled, Building resilient communities against COVID-19: Responding to fake news and misinformation through community radios in Asia Pacific, or simply, the Community Radio Project. This initiative involved examining the landscape of rumors and misinformation circulating in the Region and designing a corresponding online training for community radio journalists, with the aim to strengthen their capacities in managing infodemics. The project also included the rollout of a short mentorship program, as well as the building of an online bank of resources where various tools had been made available to support community radio practitioners in tackling rumors and misinformation. Mixed-method assessment was used to examine the online training component of the Community Radio Project 2 years after its implementation. A majority of the respondents confirmed that the 2022 training contents had helped them and that their respective radio stations had been taking action to help address misinformation spreading in the localities. Additional capacity building, strengthening networks and resources, and research will enhance community radio's ability to address infodemics.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":"41 3","pages":"416-425"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146165431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-20DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2626853
Elliott M Hoey, Ruth H Parry
Often, occupational and physiotherapeutic assessment consultations involve patients discussing their problems in activities of daily living (ADL) and therapists trying to find suitable solutions. These conversations can present challenges since patients frequently reject therapists' recommendations, which can jeopardize shared decision-making, bring interactional and relational tensions, and can mean patients can lose out on potential benefit. This study, in a palliative care setting, is aimed at improving our understanding of how therapists handle these communicative challenges. Based on audio/video-recordings of assessment consultations at an English hospice, we used conversation analysis to examine specialist therapists' recurrent practices for introducing recommendations and responding to patient resistance, and whether/how these enacted shared decision-making. We identified seven practices through which therapists introduced interventions, each did so cautiously, in ways that seemed to head-off or mitigate potential rejection. And we identified seven practices through which therapists responded to resistance, for example, by accepting it or moving on, or by working to sustain the potential intervention as a live matter and potentially beneficial in the future. While a subset of these practices seem restricted to the palliative care setting-namely, those which implicate future deterioration-we suggest that most are applicable across settings in which ADL recommendations are given. These findings fill a gap in practical guidance regarding ADL recommendations in this therapeutic environment, and more generally contribute to our understanding of resistance to advice and suggestions in clinical settings.
{"title":"Managing Communication Challenges in Recommending Aids and Adaptations to Activities of Daily Living in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Assessment Consultations: A Study in a Palliative Care Setting.","authors":"Elliott M Hoey, Ruth H Parry","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2626853","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2626853","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Often, occupational and physiotherapeutic assessment consultations involve patients discussing their problems in activities of daily living (ADL) and therapists trying to find suitable solutions. These conversations can present challenges since patients frequently reject therapists' recommendations, which can jeopardize shared decision-making, bring interactional and relational tensions, and can mean patients can lose out on potential benefit. This study, in a palliative care setting, is aimed at improving our understanding of how therapists handle these communicative challenges. Based on audio/video-recordings of assessment consultations at an English hospice, we used conversation analysis to examine specialist therapists' recurrent practices for introducing recommendations and responding to patient resistance, and whether/how these enacted shared decision-making. We identified seven practices through which therapists introduced interventions, each did so cautiously, in ways that seemed to head-off or mitigate potential rejection. And we identified seven practices through which therapists responded to resistance, for example, by accepting it or moving on, or by working to sustain the potential intervention as a live matter and potentially beneficial in the future. While a subset of these practices seem restricted to the palliative care setting-namely, those which implicate future deterioration-we suggest that most are applicable across settings in which ADL recommendations are given. These findings fill a gap in practical guidance regarding ADL recommendations in this therapeutic environment, and more generally contribute to our understanding of resistance to advice and suggestions in clinical settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146226540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-19DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2631654
Kristen E Pecanac, Blair P Golden, Isabelle J Weber
Clinicians are called to elicit patient values, goals, and preferences, particularly during surrogate decision making, when surrogates (often relatives or friends) make decisions on the patient's behalf. It is currently unknown which clinician questions work best to initiate a discussion with surrogates about the patient's values, goals, and preferences to guide treatment decision making. We audio recorded 27 clinician-surrogate conversations and used conversation analysis to determine how clinicians elicited patient values, goals, and preferences and how surrogates responded in naturally occurring treatment decision-making conversations. No clinician asked directly what the patient valued or what their goals were. Instead, clinicians asked multiple questions to invite the patient's voice into the conversation. When clinicians asked surrogates what the patient said or would say, surrogates responded by implicitly communicating the patient's values. When clinicians asked broad questions about who the patient was or what they enjoyed doing, surrogate responses rarely were values that were used to inform decision-making about a treatment. Conversely, when specific treatment decisions were asked about for what the patient would want or find acceptable, surrogates at times shared narratives and accounts that conveyed patient values. To incorporate the patient's voice into the conversation, it is likely useful for clinicians to ask multiple questions about what the patient has said, what they would say, and what the patient would find acceptable. In addition, connecting stated values to the treatment decision is essential to ensure that patients receive the care that they would choose for themselves.
{"title":"Discussing Patient Values, Goals, and Preferences During Surrogate Decision Making.","authors":"Kristen E Pecanac, Blair P Golden, Isabelle J Weber","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2631654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2631654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clinicians are called to elicit patient values, goals, and preferences, particularly during surrogate decision making, when surrogates (often relatives or friends) make decisions on the patient's behalf. It is currently unknown which clinician questions work best to initiate a discussion with surrogates about the patient's values, goals, and preferences to guide treatment decision making. We audio recorded 27 clinician-surrogate conversations and used conversation analysis to determine how clinicians elicited patient values, goals, and preferences and how surrogates responded in naturally occurring treatment decision-making conversations. No clinician asked directly what the patient valued or what their goals were. Instead, clinicians asked multiple questions to invite the patient's voice into the conversation. When clinicians asked surrogates what the patient said or would say, surrogates responded by implicitly communicating the patient's values. When clinicians asked broad questions about who the patient was or what they enjoyed doing, surrogate responses rarely were values that were used to inform decision-making about a treatment. Conversely, when specific treatment decisions were asked about for what the patient would want or find acceptable, surrogates at times shared narratives and accounts that conveyed patient values. To incorporate the patient's voice into the conversation, it is likely useful for clinicians to ask multiple questions about what the patient has said, what they would say, and what the patient would find acceptable. In addition, connecting stated values to the treatment decision is essential to ensure that patients receive the care that they would choose for themselves.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146226533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-18DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2633562
Qiwei Luna Wu, Grace Ellen Brannon
As telehealth becomes increasingly central to cancer care, many patients still report low confidence navigating digital communication with providers. Grounded in self-determination theory, this study investigates how patient-centered communication (PCC) in clinical settings can foster patient activation, thereby enhancing patients' efficacy in using telehealth tools. Using a sample of 495 Chinese cancer patients with telehealth experience, we conducted path analysis to examine how six PCC functions relate to four progressive stages of patient activation (role importance, confidence, action, and endurance), and how these, in turn, predict telehealth efficacy. PCC functions such as shared decision-making and support for self-management significantly predicted higher levels of patient activation. Activation stages, particularly role importance and action, were associated with stronger telehealth efficacy. PCC effects on efficacy were fully mediated by activation stages, suggesting an internalization pathway where clinical communication transforms into patients' self-confidence and competence in telehealth contexts. By linking PCC to telehealth efficacy through motivation dynamics, this study advances both theoretical and practical understandings of telehealth care. To support confident use of telehealth among cancer patients, providers should adapt communication strategies that go beyond information delivery to build patients' autonomy and competence, especially among vulnerable populations with low digital confidence.
{"title":"Internalizing Patient-Centered Communication: Pathways to Telehealth Efficacy in Cancer Care.","authors":"Qiwei Luna Wu, Grace Ellen Brannon","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2633562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2633562","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As telehealth becomes increasingly central to cancer care, many patients still report low confidence navigating digital communication with providers. Grounded in self-determination theory, this study investigates how patient-centered communication (PCC) in clinical settings can foster patient activation, thereby enhancing patients' efficacy in using telehealth tools. Using a sample of 495 Chinese cancer patients with telehealth experience, we conducted path analysis to examine how six PCC functions relate to four progressive stages of patient activation (role importance, confidence, action, and endurance), and how these, in turn, predict telehealth efficacy. PCC functions such as shared decision-making and support for self-management significantly predicted higher levels of patient activation. Activation stages, particularly role importance and action, were associated with stronger telehealth efficacy. PCC effects on efficacy were fully mediated by activation stages, suggesting an internalization pathway where clinical communication transforms into patients' self-confidence and competence in telehealth contexts. By linking PCC to telehealth efficacy through motivation dynamics, this study advances both theoretical and practical understandings of telehealth care. To support confident use of telehealth among cancer patients, providers should adapt communication strategies that go beyond information delivery to build patients' autonomy and competence, especially among vulnerable populations with low digital confidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146212955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-17DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2632762
Miriam Capasso, Marcella Bianchi, Anna Rosa Donizzetti, Daniela Caso
Promoting adherence to cancer screenings through effective communication campaigns is critical for the prevention and early detection of cancer, significantly enhancing patients' health outcomes. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of tailored messaging interventions in promoting screenings for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer. Randomized controlled trials conducted between January 2000 and August 2025, which personalized the intervention content based on at least one tailored psychological variable and measured screening intention or behavior as outcome variables, were included. Data were extracted from the PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus databases, resulting in the final identification of 42 studies that met the inclusion criteria. These studies were narratively synthesized and critically analyzed. Findings revealed a mixed but promising landscape: tailored interventions were consistently effective when compared to passive control groups (e.g. usual care), but showed more variable success against active, non-tailored message conditions. This superiority was more pronounced for female cancer screenings than for colorectal cancer screening. Successful interventions were consistently grounded in behavioral theories, and a key feature was the use of multiple communication formats, with the vast majority enhancing text with visual or audio components. This suggests that tailored messaging can positively influence cancer screening behaviors, but its value lies in strategic application. Therefore, a promising direction for future research is to explore the conditions under which different communication strategies are most effective. Future studies could develop and test stratified intervention models to investigate for which subgroups a resource-intensive tailored approach provides a clear advantage over simpler, more cost-effective strategies.
{"title":"The Effectiveness of Tailored Messaging Interventions to Promote Cancer Screening Adherence: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Miriam Capasso, Marcella Bianchi, Anna Rosa Donizzetti, Daniela Caso","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2632762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2632762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Promoting adherence to cancer screenings through effective communication campaigns is critical for the prevention and early detection of cancer, significantly enhancing patients' health outcomes. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of tailored messaging interventions in promoting screenings for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer. Randomized controlled trials conducted between January 2000 and August 2025, which personalized the intervention content based on at least one tailored psychological variable and measured screening intention or behavior as outcome variables, were included. Data were extracted from the PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus databases, resulting in the final identification of 42 studies that met the inclusion criteria. These studies were narratively synthesized and critically analyzed. Findings revealed a mixed but promising landscape: tailored interventions were consistently effective when compared to passive control groups (e.g. usual care), but showed more variable success against active, non-tailored message conditions. This superiority was more pronounced for female cancer screenings than for colorectal cancer screening. Successful interventions were consistently grounded in behavioral theories, and a key feature was the use of multiple communication formats, with the vast majority enhancing text with visual or audio components. This suggests that tailored messaging can positively influence cancer screening behaviors, but its value lies in strategic application. Therefore, a promising direction for future research is to explore the conditions under which different communication strategies are most effective. Future studies could develop and test stratified intervention models to investigate for which subgroups a resource-intensive tailored approach provides a clear advantage over simpler, more cost-effective strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146212940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-16DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2628161
Yuanyuan Wu, Ozan Kuru
Due to well-being movements and the COVID-19 pandemic, the exclusive use of alternative health (AH) treatments has been increasing even for serious and life-threatening conditions. This phenomenon raises critical questions about why and how people avoid conventional medicine for serious illnesses, giving us a unique empirical context to investigate relative risk perceptions in health communication. While previous research has explored factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health beliefs, and personal experiences, limited attention has been given to the role of health information exposure in an increasingly complex media exposure environment. This study addresses this gap by examining AH media as a key source of health information and its role in shaping medical decision-making through a survey of N = 1,020 individuals in Singapore, a country where AH is widely used. Drawing from the orientation-stimulus-reasoning-orientation-response model, we investigated 1) the mechanism in the relationship between AH media usage and willingness to use AH versus conventional treatments by probing the (serial) mediating roles of risk-benefit perceptions of AH versus conventional treatments and belief in AH-related misinformation, and 2) the moderating role of individuals' critical consuming literacy (CCL) on this relationship. Our findings revealed serial mediation pathways linking AH media use to increased willingness to use AH treatments but reduced willingness to use conventional treatments in serious illness contexts. CCL moderated the relationship between AH media usage and risk perceptions of both AH and conventional health treatments. Theoretical and practical implications for the communicative dynamics of medical decision-making under relative risk scenarios are discussed.
{"title":"Medical Decision Making in Relative Risk Scenarios: Understanding the Challenges of Communicating Alternative Health.","authors":"Yuanyuan Wu, Ozan Kuru","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2628161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2628161","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Due to well-being movements and the COVID-19 pandemic, the exclusive use of alternative health (AH) treatments has been increasing even for serious and life-threatening conditions. This phenomenon raises critical questions about why and how people avoid conventional medicine for serious illnesses, giving us a unique empirical context to investigate relative risk perceptions in health communication. While previous research has explored factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health beliefs, and personal experiences, limited attention has been given to the role of health information exposure in an increasingly complex media exposure environment. This study addresses this gap by examining AH media as a key source of health information and its role in shaping medical decision-making through a survey of <i>N</i> = 1,020 individuals in Singapore, a country where AH is widely used. Drawing from the orientation-stimulus-reasoning-orientation-response model, we investigated 1) the mechanism in the relationship between AH media usage and willingness to use AH versus conventional treatments by probing the (serial) mediating roles of risk-benefit perceptions of AH versus conventional treatments and belief in AH-related misinformation, and 2) the moderating role of individuals' critical consuming literacy (CCL) on this relationship. Our findings revealed serial mediation pathways linking AH media use to increased willingness to use AH treatments but reduced willingness to use conventional treatments in serious illness contexts. CCL moderated the relationship between AH media usage and risk perceptions of both AH and conventional health treatments. Theoretical and practical implications for the communicative dynamics of medical decision-making under relative risk scenarios are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146201400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-16DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2632760
Zikun Liu, Wenxue Zou
Cervical erosion has historically been perceived as a severe gynecological condition in China, with its evocative nomenclature conjuring images of decay and moral transgression. Despite recent terminological revisions, the condition remains deeply stigmatized and is frequently exploited within a profit-driven healthcare market. This study employed a critical approach to analyze illness narratives related to cervical erosion as expressed on Sina Weibo, China's preeminent microblogging platform. Our findings extended Frank's illness narrative typology by uncovering a spectrum of narratives, including compliance, shame, resentment, and awakening. While compliance and shame narratives tended to reinforce biomedical authority and perpetuate structural inequities, the emergence of resentment and awakening narratives exposed instances of structural gaslighting and nascent embodied resistance among women. Ultimately, this study illuminates how traditional Chinese cultural values and neoliberal medicalization jointly shape women's health experiences, offering critical insights for fostering more transparent and culturally responsive healthcare practices.
{"title":"Compliance, Shame, Resentment, and Awakening: A Critical Examination of Women's Illness Narratives About Cervical Erosion.","authors":"Zikun Liu, Wenxue Zou","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2632760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2632760","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cervical erosion has historically been perceived as a severe gynecological condition in China, with its evocative nomenclature conjuring images of decay and moral transgression. Despite recent terminological revisions, the condition remains deeply stigmatized and is frequently exploited within a profit-driven healthcare market. This study employed a critical approach to analyze illness narratives related to cervical erosion as expressed on Sina Weibo, China's preeminent microblogging platform. Our findings extended Frank's illness narrative typology by uncovering a spectrum of narratives, including compliance, shame, resentment, and awakening. While compliance and shame narratives tended to reinforce biomedical authority and perpetuate structural inequities, the emergence of resentment and awakening narratives exposed instances of structural gaslighting and nascent embodied resistance among women. Ultimately, this study illuminates how traditional Chinese cultural values and neoliberal medicalization jointly shape women's health experiences, offering critical insights for fostering more transparent and culturally responsive healthcare practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146201441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-16DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2026.2630214
Xuanlin Hu, Li Zhou
Based on Affection exchange theory (AET), this study developed an "Exchange-Perception-Behavior" model of affectionate communication, explored how Chinese children's perceived father involvement affects their behavior problems, and verified the applicability of AET to the father-child relationship in rural China. By analyzing survey data from 635 rural children in seven provinces in China, the study found that perceived father involvement influences children's behavior problems through a series of mediating variables. The results of the path analysis showed that perceived father involvement indirectly influenced children's behavior problems through two mediating variables, peer acceptance, and mood disorders, and there was also a significant negative correlation between the two mediating variables, peer acceptance and mood disorders. The findings and discussion enhance our understanding of the communication of interpersonal emotions between fathers and children and its effects in traditional Chinese rural societies and provide new empirical support for the application of AET in rural East Asia.
{"title":"Bidirectional Associations Between Peer Acceptance and Mood Disorders, and Their Mediating Role in Perceived Father Involvement with Rural Children Behavior Problems in China.","authors":"Xuanlin Hu, Li Zhou","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2026.2630214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2630214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Based on Affection exchange theory (AET), this study developed an \"Exchange-Perception-Behavior\" model of affectionate communication, explored how Chinese children's perceived father involvement affects their behavior problems, and verified the applicability of AET to the father-child relationship in rural China. By analyzing survey data from 635 rural children in seven provinces in China, the study found that perceived father involvement influences children's behavior problems through a series of mediating variables. The results of the path analysis showed that perceived father involvement indirectly influenced children's behavior problems through two mediating variables, peer acceptance, and mood disorders, and there was also a significant negative correlation between the two mediating variables, peer acceptance and mood disorders. The findings and discussion enhance our understanding of the communication of interpersonal emotions between fathers and children and its effects in traditional Chinese rural societies and provide new empirical support for the application of AET in rural East Asia.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146206945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}