Focus: Health and Risk Communication

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.

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Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Vaccine Hesitant Parents Using Psychological Inoculation Nathaniel J. Evans

Nathaniel Evans has been awarded OIBR seed funding ($5020) through the Grantsmanship Development Program (GDP) for his proposed project titled, “Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Vaccine Hesitant Parents Using Psychological Inoculation.” Abract: The objective of the proposed research is to augment vaccine acceptance and coverage by developing and testing intervention strategies that inoculate vaccine hesitant […]

Leading transitions in a traumatically changing working environment: Communication professionals adapt to COVID-19 impacts Juan Meng, Bryan H. Reber, Tong Xie & JeongHyun (Janice) Lee

Abstract: The paper presents findings from an international survey of communication professionals on change leadership in communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the strong impact brought by the pandemic, communication professionals adapt quickly in change management by using COVID-19 information to build knowledge, enhance trust, develop strategies and guide actions.

Assessing COVID-19 pandemic communication in China: What we know about the communication channels, sources of information, and key message retention Juan Meng and Tong Xie

Abstract: This research presents the findings from a large-scale national online survey of Chinese citizens (N = 1,713) about their general knowledge of COVID-19 and the key communication channels that they used both during and after the pandemic. The perceived impact of COVID-19, personal safety concern, and information retention during the times of lockdown and […]

Better obesity knowledge, healthier food choice? Examining the moderating role of HNR claims in food advertisements Juan Meng

Abstract: A conditional process model for the impact of obesity knowledge on healthy food choice was proposed to examine how consumers’ obesity knowledge and online search for nutritional information (OSNI) in food products jointly influenced their healthy food choice (HFC) and whether consumers’ attitude toward health and nutrition-related (HNR) claims in food advertisement directly or […]

Trusted sources of information, perceived quality in communication, and health knowledge retention: A national study of COVID-19 pandemic in China Juan Meng

Abstract: This research presents the findings from a large-scale national online survey of citizens in Mainland China about the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the time of lockdown and post-pandemic. The study sheds light on the relationship between the trusted sources of COVID-19 information and the perceived quality in communication by jointly […]

Book Contract Juan Meng

Tench, R., Meng, J., & Moreno, A. (eds.) (2022). Strategic Communication in a Global Crisis: National and International Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic. London: Routledge.

Harnessing technology to prevent sexual assault on college campuses Glenna Read

Abstract: The current global pandemic has presented an opportunity to rethink how universities implement sexual assault prevention programs. The advantages and capabilities presented by technology such as digital gaming have not been fully utilized in sexual assault prevention programming. A user-centered design approach gives developers the opportunity to truly engage students in a learning process; […]

Protest Paradigm Alignment Discrepancies Between a Mask Mandate Protest and a Black Lives Matter Protest

Morgan Gonzales (Grady MA student) Abstract: Three people were arrested during a Black Lives Matter march in September of 2020. A day later, a mask mandate protest doubling as a psalm sing also led to the arrests of three people. Despite the similarities between the two demonstrations, local and national news coverage of the two […]

Computer-tailored Intervention Increases Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Low-Income African Americans in Primary Care: Results of a Randomized Trial Jeff Springston

Abstract: Background: African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates of any racial/ethnic group and screening rates remain well below the National Colorectal Cancer rountable screening goal of 80%. Purpose: This randomized trial compared the efficacy of two clinic-based interventions for increasing CRC screening among African American primary care patients. Conclusions: […]

Exploring the Role of Social Support in Promoting Patient Participation in Health Care among Women with Breast Cancer Jeong-Yeob Han

Abstract: Scholars have adopted Street’s (2003) ecological model of communication in medical encounters to investigate the factors promoting patient participation in health care. However, factors demonstrated in the ecological model were bounded in the context of medical care primarily focusing on health care providers and patients. Social factors, such as patients’ relationships and supportive communication […]