• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5237-5242
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• 2016

Background: Cancer screening rates are lower in Japan than those in western countries. Health professionals publish procancer screening messages on the internet to encourage audiences to undergo cancer screening. However, the information provided is often difficult to read for lay persons. Further, anti-cancer screening activists warn against cancer screening with messages on the Internet. We aimed to assess and compare the readability of pro- and anti-cancer screening online messages in Japan using a measure of readability. Methods: We conducted web searches at the beginning of September 2016 using two major Japanese search engines (Google.jp and Yahoo!.jp). The included websites were classified as "anti", "pro", or "neutral" depending on the claims, and "health professional" or "non-health professional" depending on the writers. Readability was determined using a validated measure of Japanese readability. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-way ANOVA. Results: In the total 159 websites analyzed, anti-cancer screening online messages were generally easier to read than pro-cancer screening online messages, Messages written by health professionals were more difficult to read than those written by non-health professionals. Claim ${\times}$ writer interaction was not significant. Conclusion: When health professionals prepare pro-cancer screening materials for publication online, we recommend they check for readability using readability assessment tools and improve text for easy comprehension when necessary.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.6171-6172
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• 2015

A direct connection between certain lifestyle factors and an increased risk of cancer has already been established. Despite well-documented associations, controversial messages on causes of cancer often appear without taking into consideration their impact on the general population. While mainstream coverage of cancer research is clearly welcome, consideration must be given to the risk of transmitting provocative messages with serious negative consequences for cancer research and public health. We must avoid becoming a breeding ground for the misinterpretation of scientific information. Polemical results can stimulate scientific research and progress, but controversial messages encourage confusion and impotence in an increasingly disoriented population. The correct communication of health messages is at least as important as research on risk factors.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.27-36
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• 2012

Objectives: Developing efficient health messages is important for improving health behaviors at a societal level. This study attempts to test a few variables that could constitute the elements for measuring readability of health message. The number of subject-verb relationships in a sentence, placement of jargon, i.e., explication before or after each jargon, and the number of less familiar Chinese characters were manipulated to hypothetically differentiate readability. Methods: In a $2{\times}2$ mixed factorial experiment, 152 college students read two health messages regarding side effect of health functional food and energy drink. The participants' perceived readability was asked, and eight questions were developed to measure the participants' recognition of the health information. Results: Those who read messages manipulated to have high readability rated the message significantly higher than those who read messages with low readability. Also, the former answered the questions more correctly than the latter, implying the association between readability and knowledge acquisition regarding health. Conclusions: Readability is suggested as a factor determining the effect of health messages in affecting the public's health risk perception and relevant behaviors. Further studies to sophisticate the measurement itself and to examine the effect of actual public messages with different readabilities are suggested.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1337-1341
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second principal cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, including Malaysia. This study focused on media choice and attempted to determine the communication channels mostly used and preferred by women in seeking information and knowledge about breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out to examine the breast cancer prevention information seeking behavior among 450 students at one private university in Malaysia. Results: The mean age of respondents was $25{\pm}4.3years$. Common interpersonal information sources were doctors, friends, and nurses and common channel information sources were television, brochure, and internet. Overall, 89.9% used cell phones, 46.1% had an interest in receiving cell phone breast cancer prevention messages, 73.9% used text messaging, and 36.7% had an interest in receiving text breast cancer prevention messages. Bivariate analysis revealed significant differences among age, eduation, nationality and use of cell phones. Conclusions: Assessment of health information seeking behavior is important for community health educators to target populations for program development.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.228-235
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• 2023

Background: As the public interest in chemical substances found in daily life has increased, environmental health education content has been developed and related studies have been conducted. However, there is still insufficient research on methodologies for environmental health education. Objectives: This study aimed to explore risk communication strategies by focusing on N-nitrosamines in rubber balloons. Methods: In this study, two different health messages were composed: a gain-framed message emphasizing the advantages of practicing the health behavior and a loss-framed message emphasizing the negative consequences of not practicing the health behavior. The effect of the message containing risk information was evaluated by measuring the health beliefs and health behavior potential for female caregivers. As the Environmental Health Act defines a child as "a person under the age of 13," a total of 131 women with children under the age of 13 were studied. Results: The age, awareness, and interest of the participants in the gain frame group and these in the loss frame group were similar. In terms of message framing effect, the gain-framed message was more effective in terms of health belief and potential health behavior than was the loss-framed message. As a result of an independent t-test, among the six variables of health belief model the message effect was statistically significant at the level of p<0.05 in three variables: perceived severity (t=2.287, df=129, p=0.024), self-efficacy (t=2.123, df=129, p=0.036), and health behavior potential (t=2.094, df=129, p=0.038). Conclusions: This study presented a direction for effective environmental health education by studying the effects of risk communication messages based on scientific evidence. It is necessary to extend the scope of environmental health education research by expanding research into various household products.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.89-94
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• 2018

The study analyzed the characteristics of anti-smoking advertisements in Korea and examined if these characteristics were appropriate in terms of their effects. 68 TV anti-smoking ads were content-analyzed, focusing on ad appeal, message frame, message orientation, communication goal, and ad type. According to research, TV anti-smoking ads in Korea used messages that had the following characteristics: First, physical type messages that emphasize the effects of smoking on health, second negative frame messages that show negative consequences of smoking, third self-oriented messages that emphasize the consequences of smoking on oneself, fourth messages that intend to change attitude toward the smoking, and fifth storytelling techniques. Based on the results of previous ansi-smoking ad effect research, practical implications were discussed to enhance the effectiveness of the nation's anti-smoking advertisements.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.76-86
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of information searches from media as communication cues for health behavior, specifically smoking, drinking liquor, cancer examinations, and regular exercise. Methods: Data were collected through a web survey with a sample size of 600 and analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results: The results show that the newspaper as a communication cue has an effect on health behavior such as regular exercise and smoking, whereas television only affects regular exercise. Conclusion: The results indicate that there are differences between media as communication cues to improve health behavior and that messages related to health information should be exposed with cautious consideration to media choice so as to increase the effects of message. Managerial implications of the study results are suggested.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2017

This study conducted to analyze the difference of perceived benefits, psychological well-being, exercise application attachment, and perceived exercise achievement according to the message frame provided in the mobile fitness game. Repeated Measure Design and Playtest methodologies were used for this research. As a result, when gain messages were shown, all factors were higher than the case of showing loss message. The results of this study emphasize that when persuasion messages need to be presented through a health functional game, gain messages can be more effectively delivered to the users of health functional game than loss messages.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.15-21
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• 1990

It is evidenced that the mass media can play an important role in communicating information to the public. Although some campaigns have failed to achieve success, application of mass communication principles should increase the likelihood of effectiveness. Specifically, campaign strategies should attempt to select message sources that are perceived as credible by the audience. In designing and disseminating messages, the quality of content should be emphasiged as well as the quantity of presencation. The context of message reception should be carefully considered. Selection of channels depends on the configuration of source, superior for most purposes. The crucial role of precampaign audience analysis should not be overlooked.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.44
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• pp.223-247
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to explore the anti-smoking message effects and smoking status on smoking belief attributes. Based on the health behavior theories such as theory of reasoned action, health belief model, and social cognitive theory, three factors are selected to investigate the effects of anti-smoking campaign messages. The balance of benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, and social pressure are selected as independent variables. Three two-way ANOVA were conducted. Results showed that the main effect of social pressure were found with the social smoking attributes. Interaction effects were found on the nonsmoker-social pressure group and the non-smoker-two sided message group. It is found that nonsmokers accepted these two anti-smoking messages easily as compared to smoker groups. No main smoking status was found in this study; it is believed that smoking is a habitual that is not changed easily because attitude formation takes time. Results revealed that the two-sided message video releases and the social pressure video releases were favored by both smokers and nonsmokers. This study contributes the theoretical framework that can be transferred to the practices of anti-smoking campaign. Also, the researcher produced the televised stimuli which is not common in health message studies. By using the televised message material, the research tried to solve the validity problem which is common in experimental design.