The ability to effectively and efficiently communicate about health and risk-related issues is becoming increasingly important. Hospitals, government agencies, health departments, news media organizations and public relations and other communication practitioners need to know how best to reach diverse audiences with timely and relevant messages, and the new Grady Center for Health and Risk Communication (CHRC) is an important interdisciplinary center of expertise.
Abstract: A virtual pet was developed based on the framework of the youth physical activity promotion model and tested as a vehicle for promoting physical activity in children. Children in the treatment group interacted with the virtual pet for three days, setting physical activity goals and teaching tricks to the virtual pet when their goals […]
Read MoreAbstract: Do consumers avoid viewing over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical advertisements? And, if so, why? The authors of the current study tested their proposed “Ad Avoidance Model” by surveying a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults about their reactions to advertisements for OTC drugs (specifically analgesics). The researchers focused on how four advertising-reaction factors—two cognitive (perceived utility and skepticism) […]
Read MoreAbstract: We introduce the notion of a virtual STEM buddy (VSB), a visitor-tailored, virtually embodied agent that serves as both a co-learner and a mentor. Like a virtual museum guide, the VSB will be able to engage with child-visitors and their families through a social interface. However, unlike existing approaches, we propose for VSBs to […]
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