Future directions in communication research: individual health behaviors and the influence of family communication

Breaking the cycle: Memorable messages of "grin n' bear it" and silence in menarche narrative recall

To better understand adolescent experiences of menstruation, the CODE Red project was initiated to examine period poverty and menstruation stigma. As part of the project, a survey was posted online through Qualtrics, and the link was posted to social media sites. One hundred and eighty-seven individuals completed the open-ended questionnaire between January and August 2022. The individuals are based in the United States, with most coming from northeastern Indiana. Using an iterative analysis, the data were analyzed using the theory of memorable messages. Three themes emerged supporting memorable messages: the negative cycle of self, talk silence breeds silence, and my mom wasn't there. The study concludes that grin n' bear it and silence are the predominant types of memorable messages first-time menstruators' experience Moreover, first-time menstruators experience self-silencing and other-silencing. Implications include that silence negatively impacts the mother-daughter relationship and that attention should be paid to the importance of communication before menarche.

Talking About Prescription Opioid Misuse: The Effect of Family Communication Patterns and Messages Advocating Direct and Indirect Communication

Families play an important role in addressing substance misuse and addiction. Extant literature suggests patterns of communication within families influence the ways in which they engage loved ones who may be misusing substances like prescription opioids. However, little is known regarding how strategic health messages about family communication influence individuals' intentions to engage in conversations about substance misuse. Applying a normative approach, we conducted a (2 × 2) between-participants experiment examining whether messages advocating indirect (versus direct) communication are more effective for individuals (n = 613) who describe their family as having a low (versus high) conversation orientation. Univariate analysis of variance tests show match effects for message attitudes and message elaboration. For intentions to talk with a loved one about the risks of OUD, there was only evidence of a matching effect between the message advocating indirect communication with low conversation audiences. Both message types were equally effective at influencing intentions for high conversation participants. These findings suggest message designers should consider the kinds of communication behaviors and actions advocated in appeals targeting family members. Messages that are inclusive of the conversation dynamics of particular audiences may have greater effect. In particular, for low conversation audiences, messages advocating an indirect approach may be more effective at motivating intentions to engage someone who is misusing opioids.

Family Communication Patterns and Parents' Intentions to Vaccinate Their Child Against COVID-19

This study explored how family communication patterns relate to parental knowledge about COVID-19, vaccine confidence, and intentions to vaccinate their children. Parents from 4 states (Ohio, New York, Georgia, and Texas; n = 702) completed an online survey in March 2021. Results revealed that conversation orientation was positively associated with both COVID-19 knowledge and overall vaccine confidence, which were both positively associated with intentions to vaccinate one's child. The relationships between the 4 subscales of conformity and the outcome variables were mixed. We discuss the potential benefits of applying family communication patterns theory to complicated situations where parents are making health decisions for both themselves and their children.

A descriptive literature review of early research on COVID-19 and close relationships

This in-depth critical review investigates the impact of COVID-19 on personal relationships from the start of the pandemic in early 2020 to September 2021. Research examining six themes are identified and described in detail: the impact of COVID-19 on (1) family and intimate relationships; (2) LGBTQ+ relationships; (3) how COVID-19 is linked to technologically mediated communication and personal relationships; (4) potential shifts in sexual behaviors and desire; (5) potential shifts in relational conflict and intimate partner violence; and (6) constructive aspects of personal relationships, which is a broad theme that includes outcomes such as resilience, relational quality, coping, and social support. Findings for overarching patterns are offered to highlight implications for current research and identify future directions to consider when continuing to study personal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar future crises.

Family and Cultural Perceptions About Meat Consumption among Hispanic/Latino and White Adults in the United States

The study examines the extent to which Hispanic/Latino Americans and non-Hispanic White Americans report that meat is an important aspect of their cultural beliefs and practices. An online national survey was completed using quota sampling to recruit approximately equal groups of U.S. Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic White Americans (n = 512). A path model predicting willingness to reduce meat consumption was estimated. Hispanic/Latino Americans viewed meat as a more integral aspect of their cultural food practices, and reported that meat dishes comprise a higher percentage of their culture's traditional foods. Cultural beliefs were associated with meat consumption and willingness to reduce meat consumption.

The Mediating Role of Family and Cultural Food Beliefs on the Relationship between Family Communication Patterns and Diet and Health Issues across Racial/Ethnic Groups

Consumption of red meat has been linked to a variety of health issues, yet Americans are resistant to reducing their meat consumption. Family communication environments shape beliefs about food and meat consumption, and therefore are locations for potential interventions to change the way people think about food. Families are embedded in cultures, and both family and cultural norms shape beliefs about what people should eat. This study (N = 773) is interested in understanding how family communication is associated with food beliefs, meat consumption, and health issues across three racial/ethnic groups: Black/African American (n = 256), Hispanic (n = 260), non-Hispanic White (n = 257). Structural equation modeling results showed that conversation orientation was consistently associated with stronger endorsement of family cultural food beliefs across race/ethnicity groups. Family food beliefs were associated with either more health issues or more meat consumption depending on race/ethnicity and mediated the association between conversation orientation and health issues/meat consumption. Conversation orientation moderated the association between conformity orientation and food beliefs for Hispanic and non-Hispanic White participants. Implications for family communication patterns theory and health scholars are discussed along with recommendations for culturally tailored family-focused health interventions.

The Influence of Everyday Interpersonal Communication on the Medical Encounter: An Extension of Street's Ecological Model

Street's ecological model has shaped the research-examining communication during medical encounters for over a decade. Although the model accounts for the variety of contexts that shape the conversations in which patients and health-care providers engage, the model does not adequately address the way that everyday conversations about health carry over into patient-provider interactions. In this essay, we propose an extension of Street's model that adds the context of everyday communication about health as a contributing factor in the medical encounter. We support the need for this extension by discussing research that points to the ways these conversations with our social network influence communication during the medical encounter and propose new areas for research based on this extension.

Surrogate health information seeking in Europe: Influence of source type and social network variables

OBJECTIVES

Health information seeking on behalf of others is an important form of social support by which laypeople provide important sources of information for patients. Based on social network theory, we analyze whether this phenomenon also occurs in offline sources. We also seek to learn more about the type of relationships between information seekers and patients, as research to date indicates that surrogate seeking mostly occurs in close relationships between the seeker and the patient.

METHODS

Using a large-scale representative survey from the 28 member states of the European Union (N=26,566), our data comprise all respondents who reported seeking health information online or offline (n=18,750; 70.6%).

RESULTS

Within the past year, 61.0% of the online health information seekers and 61.1% of the offline health information seekers had searched on behalf of someone else. Independent of the information channel, surrogate seekers primarily searched for health information for family members (online: 89.8%; offline: 92.8%); they were significantly less likely to search for information on behalf of someone with whom they had weaker ties, such as colleagues (online: 25.1%; offline: 24.4%). In a multilevel generalized linear model, living together with someone was by far the most relevant determinant for surrogate seeking, with differences between countries or Internet activity being less important.

CONCLUSION

These results support the assumptions of social network theory. Implications are discussed, especially with regard to the provision of adequate health information.

Food Habits, Lifestyle Factors, and Risk of Prostate Cancer in Central Argentina: A Case Control Study Involving Self-Motivated Health Behavior Modifications after Diagnosis

Cancer is the second most important non-communicable disease worldwide and disproportionately impacts low- to middle-income countries. Diet in combination with other lifestyle habits seems to modify the risk for some cancers but little is known about South Americans. Food habits of Argentinean men pre- and post-diagnosis of prostate cancer (n = 326) were assessed along with other lifestyle factors. We studied whether any of the behaviors and risk factors for prostate cancer were found in men with other cancers (n = 394), compared with control subjects (n = 629). Before diagnosis, both cases reported a greater mean consumption of meats and fats and lower intakes of fruits, green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains than the controls (all p < 0.001). After diagnosis, cases significantly reduced the intake of meats and fats, and reported other dietary modifications with increased consumption of fish, fruits (including red fruits in prostate cancer), cruciferous vegetables, legumes, nuts, and black tea (all p < 0.001). Additional lifestyle aspects significantly predominant in cases included a reduced quality of sleep, emotional stress, low physical activity, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, living in rural areas, and being exposed to environmental contaminants. Argentinian men were predisposed to modify their unhealthy dietary habits and other lifestyle factors after cancer diagnosis.