Can you elaborate on that? Addressing participants' need for cognition in computer-tailored health behavior interventions

Computer-tailored interventions, which deliver health messages adjusted based on characteristics of the message recipient, can effectively improve a range of health behaviours. Typically, the content of the message is tailored to user demographics, health behaviours and social cognitive factors (e.g., intentions, attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived social support) to increase message relevance, and thus the extent to which the message is read, considered and translated into attitude and behaviour change. Some researchers have suggested that the efficacy of computer-tailored interventions may be further enhanced by adapting messages to suit recipients' need for cognition (NFC) - a personality trait describing how individuals tend to process information. However, the likely impact of doing so, especially when tailored in conjunction with other variables, requires further consideration. It is possible that intervention effects may be reduced in some circumstances due to interactions with other variables (e.g., perceived relevance) that also influence information processing. From a practical point of view, it is also necessary to consider how to optimally operationalise and measure NFC if it is to be a useful tailoring variable. This paper aims to facilitate further research in this area by critically examining these issues based on relevant theories and existing evidence.

How midwives tailor health information used in antenatal care

OBJECTIVE

to examine the informal approaches taken by midwives and other antenatal staff to adapt health communication to the needs of their patients, as well as their perception of the barriers faced when trying to provide tailored health promotion.

DESIGN

qualitative research methods (participant observation, individual and group interviews) were utilised to gain an understanding of how media and communication resources were used in practice within the study hospital.

SETTING

a major metropolitan teaching hospital located in the Northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

individual semi-structured interviews with antenatal staff (n=8) were combined with group interviews (n=2; total number of staff=13), and observational research.

FINDINGS

midwives and other antenatal staff use a range of strategies to meet the perceived health literacy level of their patients. However, their attempts to tailor health information to individual needs are frequently based on incomplete information about patients' health literacy, may be inconsistent in delivery and content and are seldom assessed to determine whether communication has been understood or led to patient behaviour change.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

midwives fully recognise the need to adapt standard printed materials to meet the diverse health literacy needs of patients but lack the resources required to evaluate whether these adaptations have positive effect.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

midwives' commitment to improving health communication provides a latent resource that institutions can build on to improve health outcomes for patients with low health literacy. This requires improvements in health communication training, willingness to use a range of validated instruments for measuring health literacy, and commitment to use of innovative approaches to health promotion where these have been shown to have a positive impact on health behaviours.

Pregnant women’s use of information and communications technologies to access pregnancy-related health information in South Australia

This paper examines how pregnant women living in South Australia use information and communication technologies (ICTs), principally Internet and mobile phones, to access pregnancy-related information. It draws on 35 semistructured interviews conducted as part of the ‘Health-e Baby’ project, a qualitative study designed to assess the information needs and ICT preferences of pregnant women cared for at a South Australian metropolitan teaching hospital. Our research shows that although ICTs offer exciting possibilities for health promotion and the potential for new forms of communication, networking and connection, we cannot assume the effectiveness of communicating through such channels, despite near universal levels of ICT access. In turn, this highlights that if e-mediated health promotion is to be effective, health promoters and practitioners need to better understand ICT access, usage and content preferences of their clients.