• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.192-204
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• 2014

Gist-based message design is essential in the Internet in which a lot of health messages are created and shared constantly. This study intended to identify the characteristics of health messages in a webzine and explore a way to design gist-based health messages. A total of 72 webzine articles published in Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety were selected, and text and visual messages of the articles were analyzed in terms of content types, the frequency and position of gists, and intuitive expression. The articles were also categorized regarding the characteristics of health messages through cluster analyses. This study found that most texts of the health articles consisted of facts and methods, while most visual messages represented concepts. In addition, both text and visual messages had limitations in presenting a gist effectively. It was also necessary to explore an effective way to improve an intuitive understanding of jargon and quantitative information in health messages. Based on these findings, this study provided suggestions for the design of gist-based health messages in the Internet.