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• 1. [Article] Advocacy Campaign for Women's Reproductive Health and Access on Social Media

  Advocacy organizations increasingly rely on social media (e.g. Twitter hashtags) to foster issue awareness. Social media platforms can be promising communication channels to reach diverse audiences; however, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Advocacy Campaign for Women's Reproductive Health and Access on Social Media Author: Crist, Rachel, Montes, Jules, Frank, Lauren Year: 2016 Advocacy organizations increasingly rely on social media (e.g. Twitter hashtags) to foster issue awareness. Social media platforms can be promising communication channels to reach diverse audiences; however, it is unclear how effective these campaigns are at reaching audience members whose views do not align with the campaign. Using diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework, this study examines the #BirthControlHelpedMe campaign to better understand the response to an advocacy campaign promoted via Twitter. Focus groups were conducted separately for men and women. The moderator led participants in a semi-structured discussion of perceptions of birth control. Participants were then shown example tweets that used the #BirthControlHelpedMe hashtag, and asked about their response to the campaign. The discussion ended with whether the campaign would cause them to talk more openly with their peers about birth control. Female participants felt that they would be more likely to speak openly with friends and acquaintances. The majority of male participants did not feel that the campaign would cause them to change their communication about birth control. Both groups expressed that they would not be comfortable posting online using #BirthControlHelpedMe due to the presence of individuals in their networks that hold negative perspectives on birth control. This study raises the issue of audience diversity, taboo topics and the need to include men in issues surrounding birth control. Future awareness campaigns that employ social media should consider how peer influence can affect behavior and limit the spread of an awareness campaign. Title: Advocacy Campaign for Women's Reproductive Health and Access on Social Media Author: Crist, Rachel, Montes, Jules, Frank, Lauren Year: 2016 Advocacy organizations increasingly rely on social media (e.g. Twitter hashtags) to foster issue awareness. Social media platforms can be promising communication channels to reach diverse audiences; however, it is unclear how effective these campaigns are at reaching audience members whose views do not align with the campaign. Using diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework, this study examines the #BirthControlHelpedMe campaign to better understand the response to an advocacy campaign promoted via Twitter. Focus groups were conducted separately for men and women. The moderator led participants in a semi-structured discussion of perceptions of birth control. Participants were then shown example tweets that used the #BirthControlHelpedMe hashtag, and asked about their response to the campaign. The discussion ended with whether the campaign would cause them to talk more openly with their peers about birth control. Female participants felt that they would be more likely to speak openly with friends and acquaintances. The majority of male participants did not feel that the campaign would cause them to change their communication about birth control. Both groups expressed that they would not be comfortable posting online using #BirthControlHelpedMe due to the presence of individuals in their networks that hold negative perspectives on birth control. This study raises the issue of audience diversity, taboo topics and the need to include men in issues surrounding birth control. Future awareness campaigns that employ social media should consider how peer influence can affect behavior and limit the spread of an awareness campaign. Close

• 2. [Article] Information Scanning and Vaccine Safety Concerns among African American, Mexican American, and Non-Hispanic White Women

  Objective A significant number of parents delay or refuse vaccinating their children. Incidental exposure to vaccine information (i.e., scanned information) may be an important contributor to anti-vaccine ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Information Scanning and Vaccine Safety Concerns among African American, Mexican American, and Non-Hispanic White Women Author: Moran, Meghan Bridgid, Frank, Lauren B., Chatterjee, Joyee S., Murphy, Sheila T., Baezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes Year: 2015 Objective A significant number of parents delay or refuse vaccinating their children. Incidental exposure to vaccine information (i.e., scanned information) may be an important contributor to anti-vaccine sentiment. This study examines the association between scanned information, trust in health information sources and vaccine safety concerns among African American, Mexican American, and non-Hispanic White women. Methods Women (N=761) in Los Angeles County were sampled via random digit dial and surveyed regarding use of and trust in health information resources and vaccine safety concerns. Results Analyses indicate that the sources of information associated with vaccine safety concerns varied by ethnicity. Each ethnic group exhibited different patterns of association between trust in health information resources and vaccine safety concerns. Conclusions Information scanning is associated with beliefs about vaccine safety, which may lead parents to refuse or delay vaccinating their children. These relationships vary by ethnicity. Practice Implications These findings help inform practitioners and policy makers about communication factors that influence vaccine safety concerns. Knowing these sources of information will equip practitioners to better identify women who may have been exposed to anti-vaccine messages and counter these beliefs with effective, vaccine-promoting messages via the most relevant information sources. Title: Information Scanning and Vaccine Safety Concerns among African American, Mexican American, and Non-Hispanic White Women Author: Moran, Meghan Bridgid, Frank, Lauren B., Chatterjee, Joyee S., Murphy, Sheila T., Baezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes Year: 2015 Objective A significant number of parents delay or refuse vaccinating their children. Incidental exposure to vaccine information (i.e., scanned information) may be an important contributor to anti-vaccine sentiment. This study examines the association between scanned information, trust in health information sources and vaccine safety concerns among African American, Mexican American, and non-Hispanic White women. Methods Women (N=761) in Los Angeles County were sampled via random digit dial and surveyed regarding use of and trust in health information resources and vaccine safety concerns. Results Analyses indicate that the sources of information associated with vaccine safety concerns varied by ethnicity. Each ethnic group exhibited different patterns of association between trust in health information resources and vaccine safety concerns. Conclusions Information scanning is associated with beliefs about vaccine safety, which may lead parents to refuse or delay vaccinating their children. These relationships vary by ethnicity. Practice Implications These findings help inform practitioners and policy makers about communication factors that influence vaccine safety concerns. Knowing these sources of information will equip practitioners to better identify women who may have been exposed to anti-vaccine messages and counter these beliefs with effective, vaccine-promoting messages via the most relevant information sources. Close