<p>Abstract</p><p>Purpose/Aim: This essay deals with The Swedish Red Cross Society and their work concerning strategical information and communication about HIV and AIDS in the Swedish context. In a broader sense the relation between the global and the local will be investigated and a discussion about what it means to work in an organization operating on a global arena will be held.</p><p>Material/Method: This essay is based on relevant theories about culture and health communication which I have studied, selected and put together, with purpose to analyse The Swedish Red Cross Society and their informational work with HIV and AIDS- prevention. Furthermore I have interviewed four of the organizations co- workers to collect data about their experiences in working in the Red Cross organization with this specific mission. Moreover I and my colleague Hillevi Good attended at seminars and lectures to observe activities held by the organization and to get inside information about what people working with HIV and AIDS are discussing and considering as critical issues. The study holds a qualitative approach focusing on understanding this typical case rather then generalizing facts in a larger sense.</p><p>Main results: The Swedish National Society of The Red Cross has a difficult mission in their work to inform the public about HIV and AIDS, although it is the perfect organization when it comes to communication due to their well-known profile and a huge geographical spread. Foremost this is due to the fact that the problem in Sweden concerns attitudes rather than medical supplies, access to information and other more practical issues.</p><p>The Swedish citizen is individualistic and the HIV- problem does not exist in his/hers reality in the same way as in a high- endemic country, a fact that complicates information and communication. The organization is well aware of the situation and has a good informational approach with networking and education as examples among others, but this is not enough. Changing behaviour and attitudes takes a long time and a lot of resources that does not exist because of HIV and AIDS low priority in Sweden. Although we have an envied situation when it comes to the number of HIV- positive the situation is critical when it comes to knowledge and empathy among the population.</p><p>Keywords: HIV and AIDS, The Swedish National Society of The Red Cross, Stiftelsen Noaks Ark- Röda Korset, Culture, Structure of Society, Health communication, Behavioural Change, Knowledge and Information</p>

Abstract Purpose/Aim: This essay deals with The Swedish Red Cross Society and their work concerning strategical information and communication about HIV and AIDS in the Swedish context. In a broader sense the relation between the global and the local will be investigated and a discussion about what it means to work in an organization operating on a global arena will be held. Material/Method: This essay is based on relevant theories about culture and health communication which I have studied, selected and put together, with purpose to analyse The Swedish Red Cross Society and their informational work with HIV and AIDS- prevention. Furthermore I have interviewed four of the organizations co- workers to collect data about their experiences in working in the Red Cross organization with this specific mission. Moreover I and my colleague Hillevi Good attended at seminars and lectures to observe activities held by the organization and to get inside information about what people working with HIV and AIDS are discussing and considering as critical issues. The study holds a qualitative approach focusing on understanding this typical case rather then generalizing facts in a larger sense. Main results: The Swedish National Society of The Red Cross has a difficult mission in their work to inform the public about HIV and AIDS, although it is the perfect organization when it comes to communication due to their well-known profile and a huge geographical spread. Foremost this is due to the fact that the problem in Sweden concerns attitudes rather than medical supplies, access to information and other more practical issues. The Swedish citizen is individualistic and the HIV- problem does not exist in his/hers reality in the same way as in a high- endemic country, a fact that complicates information and communication. The organization is well aware of the situation and has a good informational approach with networking and education as examples among others, but this is not enough. Changing behaviour and attitudes takes a long time and a lot of resources that does not exist because of HIV and AIDS low priority in Sweden. Although we have an envied situation when it comes to the number of HIV- positive the situation is critical when it comes to knowledge and empathy among the population. Keywords: HIV and AIDS, The Swedish National Society of The Red Cross, Stiftelsen Noaks Ark- Röda Korset, Culture, Structure of Society, Health communication, Behavioural Change, Knowledge and Information

El estudio examinó la posible influencia del lenguaje y lugar de origen de un lector en la comprensión de mensajes de comunicación en salud y en la formación de actitud e intención hacia la realización de una conducta preventiva. Un instrumento de medición con escala de comprensión de lectura, actitud e intención fue suministrado a un grupo de puertorriqueños y dominicanos N=40) residentes en San Juan, Puerto Rico. La escala de comprensión tenía dos textos en diversos niveles de dificultad (bastante fácil y medio) de acuerdo con la Fórmula de Legibilidad para el idioma español de Francisco Szigriszt Pazos. Se encontró que no hubo diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p>.05) entre la muestra en el nivel de dificultad bastante fácil, no obstante en el nivel de dificultad medio sí hubo diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p<.05). Los análisis reflejaron que la comprensión y actitud en conjunto no predicen de manera significativa el grado de intención para la adopción de una conducta preventiva de salud. / This study examines the possible influence of a reader's place of origin on the comprehension of health communication messages and on the formation of attitudes and intentions of preventive behavior. A measurement instrument with a reading comprehension, attitude and intention scale was administered to a group of individuals of Puerto Rican and Dominican origin (N=40) living in San Juan, Puerto Rico.The reading comprehension scale used two texts with different levels of difficulty (relatively easy and intermediate) in accordance with the Readability Formula for Spanish of Francisco Szigriszt Pazos. There was no statistically significant difference (p>.05) among the samplefor the relatively easy level of the reading test; however, for the intermediate level, there was a statistically significant difference (p<.05). Analyses showed that comprehension and attitude together do not significantly predict the degree of intention to adopt healthy preventive behavior.

HIV/AIDS is widely spread in Zambia. Numerous organizations work to disseminate information about how individuals can prevent themselves and others from infection. Youth Vision Zambia (YVZ) is a non- governmental organization that works from Lusaka, Zambia to increase knowledge about sexual reproductive health and rights among young people aged 10-24. This qualitative case study explores which means of communication strategies YVZ uses to reach and inform their target group about Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) by interviewing staff working for the organization. A qualitative survey was also conducted where 29 respondents belonging to the target group answered questions regarding the information about SRHR they have received from YVZ, how they were reached and if they find the work of YVZ of importance. In order to also get a perception about the interpersonal communication channels YVZ use I attended four meetings arranged for young people where the purpose was to discuss sexual health related issues conducting participant observations. In addition, YVZ put an extensive effort on providing an SMS-short code system which allows people to send questions related to SRHR and in turn get answers from a YVZ councilor. The aim was to seek answers to whether the users had found the SMS service useful or not. The results show a variety of different communication tools that YVZ uses in their daily work and in the light of previous research on communication for development and social change and health communication an analysis was carried out. / HIV/AIDS har stor spridning I Zambia. Ett flertal organisationer jobbar med att sprida information om hur individer kan förhindra sig själva och andra att bli smittade. Youth Vision Zambia (YVZ) är en icke- statlig organisation som verkar i Lusaka, Zambia och jobbar för att öka kunskapen om sexuell reproduktiv hälsa och rättigheter (SRHR) bland unga människor i åldrarna 10-24 år. Denna kvalitativa fallstudie utforskar vilka typer av kommunikationsstrategier YVZ använder sig av för att nå ut till samt informera deras målgrupp om dessa områden. För att göra detta intervjuades personal som jobbar på organisationen. Studien ämnar också undersöka hur ungdomar som tagit del av YVZ’s information uppfattar den, om de anser den värdefull samt hur de fick kännedom om deras arbete, detta gjordes genom att utforma en kvalitativ enkät. 29 enkäter var det som i slutändan användes till sammanställningen av resultat och genomförandet av analys. YVZ jobbar även till stor grad med interaktiv kommunikation i deras arbete i att informera och engagera ungdomar vilket styrde intresset till att även genomföra deltagarobservationer. Vid fyra tillfällen blev således dessa observationer genomförda. Vidare lägger YVZ stor vikt vid att kommunicera via mobiltelefoni vilket visar sig genom deras short message system (SMS) där de erbjuder tjänsten att genom att skicka ett SMS till ett kortnummer innehållande frågor rörande SRHR och genom att göra det få svar och råd från personal från YVZ. Detta resulterade i att en SMS-enkät skickades ut innehållande endast en fråga med syfte att ta reda på om användare av tjänsten har funnit den värdefull eller ej. Resultaten som framkommit genom att tillämpa dessa metoder visar på en variation av kommunikationskanaler som YVZ använder sig av i deras dagliga arbete och i ljuset av litteratur som belyser kommunikation för utveckling och social förändring and hälsokommunikation så lägger denna studie fram en analys angående dessa.

The purpose of this research project was to develop a reliable and valid scale to assess the perceived message sensation value (PMSV) of print messages. The goal of this project was accomplished by conducting two studies. Study one involved collecting 397 undergraduate students’ responses to one high and one low sensation value anti-smoking message, while for study two, 284 undergraduate students’ responses to one high and one low sensation value anti-crystal meth message were collected. The results of the studies highlighted that the PMSV of a print message can be assessed using three dimensions (emotional arousal, novelty, and dramatic impact) and 12 items. Additionally, the newly developed PMSV scale for print messages remained stable across sensation-seeking levels and two different sets of anti-drug messages. Analysis of the data collected also provided support for the convergent, divergent, and predictive validity of the PMSV scale for print messages. Furthermore, from the data it can be inferred that PMSV is an important element that contributes to perceived message effectiveness and attitude towards the ad. The findings associated with this research project also suggest that both high and low sensation seekers preferred high over low sensation value print messages. Lastly, the implications of the PMSV scale for print messages were addressed.

Vaccination is an important public health measure that can help reduce disease at the population level. Substantial evidence exists that vaccines are safe and effective at reducing the incidence of diseases like pertussis, measles and cervical cancer. However, on Internet parenting forums, parents discuss whether or not vaccination is the right choice for their children. In this thesis, I highlight the historical context of the anti-vaccine movement in mid 19th century to early 20th century Victorian Britain in the era of compulsory smallpox vaccination. Vaccination in this time was a very different and more overtly dangerous process, and preexisting dissenting movements took up anti-vaccination as a cause. Today, the rhetoric on Internet parenting forums has grown to include arguments of safety, efficacy and necessity of vaccination. I gathered much of the information from the mothering.com and mumsnet.com parenting forums, and other websites like Sanevax.org.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 10, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-305).

Thesis (M.T.S.C.)--Miami University, Dept. of English, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31).

Nurses are often the first members of the health care team with whom patients interact. The initial impression of the nurses’ receptiveness to the patients’ needs influences the patients’ views of their overall care. Researchers have suggested that understanding communication between individuals can provide the human link, or social element, to the successful implementation and use of electronic health records, including documentation (Lanham, Leykum, & McDaniel, 2012). Zadvinskis, Chipps, and Yen (2014) identified that the helpful features of bedside documentation systems were offset by the mismatch between the system and nurse’s workflow. The purpose of this micro-ethnography study was to explore the culture of nurse-patient interaction associated with electronic documentation at the bedside. Data were collected through passive participant observation, audio-taping of the nurse-patient interactions, and informal and semi-structured interviews with the nurses. A total of twenty-six observations were conducted on three nursing units at an urban healthcare facility in New England. These three units were occupied by similar patient populations and all patients required cardiac monitoring. Three themes consistently emerged from qualitative data analysis: the nurses paused during verbal communication, the nurses played a game of tag between the patient and the computer, and the nurses performed automatic or machine-like actions. The participants described these themes in the informal and semi-structured interviews. The nurses’ actions were observed during passive participant observation, and the audio-taped interactions supported these themes. Understanding the adaptation of caregiving necessitated by bedside electronic documentation will have a positive impact on developing systems that interface seamlessly with the nurses’ workflow and encourage patients’ active participation in their care.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:30:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquimedes Pessoni.pdf: 1087049 bytes, checksum: 7ce96b4efffc970dce768e109cf6ef24 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-12-13 / The present work research dues to a historical rescue, focusing the birth and development of research lines in Health Communication, mapping its academic area in the USA, Brazil and Latin America. We do show the main research groups in Brazil, in both spaces Communication and Health and make an analysis of papers which contributed to Brazilian Conference in Communication for Health, willing for research lines consolidation, making a comparative analysis in between all works, papers and authors showed on - all this compared to all that has been produced under the form of thesis, papers, essays, in other Brazilian universities, so as well in north american literature. It was used the exploratory, documentary and analysis of content for the accomplishment of the thesis that pointed the diffusion of innovations as root of the line of research in Health Communication. / O trabalho busca resgatar historicamente o surgimento e desenvolvimento da linha de pesquisa da Comunicação para a Saúde e fazer o mapeamento dos estudos dessa área nos Estados Unidos, América Latina e Brasil. Procura-se apresentar os principais grupos de pesquisa no Brasil em ambos os espaços Comunicação e Saúde e analisar as contribuições as sete edições da Conferência Brasileira de Comunicação para a Saúde (COMSAÚDE) para a consolidação da linha de pesquisa no Brasil, fazendo uma análise comparativa entre os trabalhos apresentados, autores e obras, com o que está sendo produzido em forma de teses e dissertações em outras universidades brasileiras, bem como na literatura americana. Utilizou-se o estudo exploratório, documental e análise de conteúdo para a realização do trabalho que apontou a difusão de inovações como raiz da linha de pesquisa em Comunicação para a Saúde.