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Innovative health communication for vulnerable populations
Author(s) -
Peterson Lisa
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.678.14
Subject(s) - interpreter , interpersonal communication , population , medical education , health literacy , psychology , agency (philosophy) , medicine , gerontology , health care , applied psychology , social psychology , computer science , sociology , environmental health , social science , economics , programming language , economic growth
Chronic diseases like diabetes and risk factors such as obesity are on the rise in immigrant populations. Studies indicate that bilingual, multimedia tools that are culturally responsive and literacy appropriate help communities learn how to maintain and improve health. Change can be effected at various levels of influence –individual, interpersonal and community level. Three community‐based, learner‐centered video projects grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Kreuter's model of health communication have tested the usefulness of multimedia. The videos include (1) a video for Hmong parents providing practical strategies for healthy eating and physical activity, (2) a training video for nutrition paraprofessionals delivering a calcium health curriculum for Latino families, and (3) a video accompanying a diabetes training module for Hmong healthcare interpreters. Testing involved a series of small groups and individual interviews with the target audience, Hmong paraprofessional and agency staff serving the Hmong population. Informal evaluation survey results indicated that the majority of the target population consistently identified primary messages and thought the videos were useful. These projects demonstrated the efficacy of the audiovisual format and address the urgent need to support innovative methods that decrease the impact of chronic disease for those most vulnerable.