Health Communication最新文献

{"title":"Body Politics and Alienation: Exploring Chinese Women's Experiences with Cervical Erosion.","authors":"Zikun Liu, Jia Lu","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2545607","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2545607","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the past, cervical erosion has long been perceived as a gynecological disease. However, today's medical diagnostics would rather see it as a normal physiological condition than a pathological one. Despite this shift in medical understanding, the term \"cervical erosion\" continues to hold significant cultural resonance in China, where it is not only a medical issue but also involves various powers using disease as a means to control women's bodies. Drawing on the theory of body politics, this paper examines Chinese women's experiences with cervical erosion to uncover the complex process in which women lose control of their bodies and subject them to a variety of external powers. We analyze illness metaphors in 57,673 posts and 242 illness narratives, which are collected from Sina Weibo, the premier social media platform in China. The analysis identifies four primary metaphors about cervical erosion: \"repulsive rotten apple,\" \"peril of deviant sexual behaviors,\" \"stagnant cradle,\" and \"hidden crisis.\" By examining how these metaphors are intricately woven into illness narratives, we uncover various practices of body politics, including pathologizing, moralizing, instrumentalizing, technopolizing, and commercializing, which jointly contribute to the multifaceted process of alienation that women's bodies endure.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1074-1084"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144951552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What Drives Patient Preferences for AI Chatbots Over Doctors? A Survey Study Using the O-S-O-R Model.","authors":"Zikun Liu, Wenxue Zou, Shuming Yang","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2537814","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2537814","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing prevalence of AI chatbots in healthcare has revolutionized patient care by enhancing accessibility and efficiency while raising critical ethical and privacy concerns. Drawn from the O-S-O-R model, this study utilizes survey data to reveal the complex underlying mechanism from perceived health stigma (O1) to the preference for AI chatbots over doctors (R). Specifically, we theorized the mediating roles of self-disclosure to AI chatbots (S), emotional efficacy, AI privacy concern, and trust in AI chatbots (O2). Structural equation modeling results showed that perceived health stigma significantly motivated individuals to self-disclose to AI chatbots. Self-disclosure enhanced emotional self-efficacy and heightened AI privacy concerns, which respectively facilitated and undermined trust in AI chatbots; trust, in turn, positively influenced a preference for chatbots over doctors. This study extends the O-S-O-R model to human-computer interaction, elucidating how perceived health stigma influences preferences for AI chatbots over doctors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"899-910"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144729946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Communication Work When Care is at Stake: One Family's Journey with a Health Insurance Denial.","authors":"Jennifer J Bute, Jack M Bute","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2546524","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2546524","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Denials of health insurance claims in the U.S. have been increasing rapidly in recent years, taking a toll on patients, families, and the health care system. Yet health communication scholars know little about the storied experiences of those affected by these denials. In this essay, I reflect on my own family's efforts to secure insurance coverage for an orthopedic surgery for my son after our insurer repeatedly refused coverage. In doing so, I draw attention to the ways that coping with a health insurance denial involves a distinct type of communication labor and contributes to advancing research using the Integrative Theory of Communication Work. I contend that health communication scholars are uniquely positioned to contribute to our understanding of health insurance denials and to suggest improvements to this complex bureaucratic process.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1085-1093"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144951569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining the Relationship Between Perceived Ambiguity and Predictors of Health Behavior Across Three Contexts: The COVID-19 Pandemic, Antibiotic Regimens, and e-Cigarette Use.","authors":"Nicolle Simonovic, Jennifer M Taber","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2540061","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2540061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ambiguity can elicit ambiguity aversion, or avoidance behavior, which is theoretically expected to occur because of a pessimistic interpretation of information (e.g. about risk) and from low perceived personal competence. Emotion may also play a role in how people respond to ambiguity, although little research has examined the role of emotion. The purpose of this research is to examine support for theoretical frameworks of ambiguity aversion and the role of emotion in responses to ambiguity. To do so, we tested (1) whether risk perceptions, perceived competence, and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between ambiguity and behavioral avoidance, and (2) whether fear and anger mediated the relationship between ambiguity and risk perceptions. Three online experiments were conducted across three health contexts - COVID-19, antibiotic regimens, and e-cigarettes. Across experiments, participants were randomly assigned to read an ambiguous or unambiguous health message relevant to the health context. Next, participants completed a survey of measures relevant to study aims. Based on the results of mediation analyses, one significant pattern of results emerged across two of three experiments: ambiguity led to lower behavioral intentions, consistent with behavioral avoidance. However, there was no consistent pattern of results across all three experiments to support the competence hypothesis or pessimistic appraisal as an explanation for this behavioral avoidance. In Experiment 2 only, there was some support for the competence hypothesis, but there was no support across any of the three experiments for pessimistic appraisal. As for the role of emotion in responses to ambiguity, anger (in Experiments 2 and 3) and fear (in Experiment 3) mediated the relationship between ambiguity and risk perception (i.e. perceived susceptibility and worry), but the direction of these effects was inconsistent with hypotheses. Overall, the results of the present research demonstrate that ambiguity can lead to behavioral avoidance, although the mechanisms remain unclear. Motivated reasoning may provide one explanation for the pattern of results. Findings have implications for health behavior interventions when ambiguity is experienced.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"949-966"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144816468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safe Sex Practices and Social Support Typologies in Digital Spaces: Assessing Nigerian Gay Men's Sexual Health Information Exchange on Social Media.","authors":"Dennis Ekwemnachukwu Okeke, Mike R Allen, Christiana Ibiwoye, Ousman Mbaye, Anthony Obi Okeke","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2542925","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2542925","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Digital platforms are reshaping how historically marginalized populations, especially LGBTQIA+ people, access and share health information. In Nigeria, where LGBTQIA+ people face lynching, legal persecution and systemic discrimination, men who have sex with men (MSM) remain underserved in both sexual and mental healthcare. We examine how Nigerian gay men use Facebook to share sexual health information and social support in the face of homo/queerphobic violence. Drawing on social support theory and a thematic analysis of comments on a public post by a prominent Nigerian pro-LGBTQIA+ influencer, we explore the types of social support Nigerian gay men offer: informational, emotional, esteem-based, and resilience-focused. Our findings reveal the multifaceted nature of support expressed in these online interactions. These exchanges also reflect acts of resilience and resistance in the face of criminalization and stigma, empowering Nigerian gay men to reclaim agency over their sexual health, identity, and everyday existence in Nigeria. Through our focus on the concerns of Nigerian MSM, we address a critical gap in the literature on digital health communication and marginalized sexual minorities in the Global South. We appeal to digital health communication scholars to engage more critically with these populations, where digital platforms both mitigate exclusion and reflect the complexities of marginalization. Understanding these dynamics is essential to designing inclusive, affirming health interventions for LGBTQIA+ people.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"994-1005"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144816470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pediatricians' Recommendations on Screen Media Use Significantly Improve Parents' Management Behaviors and Self-Efficacy: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study.","authors":"Tiziano Gerosa, Marco Gui, Marco Grollo, Alice di Leva, Chiara Oretti","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2541842","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2541842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The widespread use of screen technologies among young children has raised concerns on their potential impact on health, development, and family dynamics. Although pediatric guidelines worldwide recommend clear limitations and supervised use of screens for toddlers and children, these guidelines are often overlooked in the daily practices of most parents. Digital Guardians [<i>Custodi Digitali</i>] seeks to address this gap by providing tailored guidance on screen management, from birth to adolescence, through family pediatricians during mandatory health checkups. This study employs a two-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design to evaluate the short-term impact of Digital Guardians on a sample of 1,030 families residing in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Northern Italy. Our findings indicate a significant improvement in screen media management behaviors and increased parental efficacy in engaging in play with children within the treatment group over 3 months compared to the control group.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"981-993"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144951688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Your Videos are Like Medicine\": An Intertextual Analysis of ASMR Discourse.","authors":"Joshua F Hoops","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2532154","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2532154","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>ASMR, which refers to the pleasant tingling sensation felt on the scalp and/or spine, triggered by a combination of auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli, has flourished on YouTube. ASMR content, however, does not exist in isolation on the video-sharing platform, reflecting both a supportive (albeit imagined) community of producers and consumers and a discourse that fosters perceptions of trusting relationships, belonging, and intimacy. In this study, I conducted an intertextual analysis of the comments posted to videos uploaded by 25 of the most popular ASMRtists on YouTube. Three prominent discourses emerged out of this analysis: mental health, addiction, and professionalism. ASMR discourse promotes positive health behaviors, rejecting the stigmatization of mental health struggles while simultaneously subscribing to neoliberal ideologies that place sole responsibility on individuals for their health and obfuscate larger societal structures that engender workaholism. These intertextualities exist in tension, illustrating the layered complexity of ASMR discourse.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"737-749"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144698408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How Do People Process Weight Loss Information? Different Information Management Behaviors After Risk Information Seeking and Processing.","authors":"Baoyu Liu, Chenxu Liu","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2544075","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2544075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity has become a major global health concern, threatening individuals' health and well-being. Therefore, exploring information behaviors related to weight loss is of great significance. To cope with obesity, individuals often engage in a novel communicative behavior called <i>information hoarding</i>, which is defined as the tendency to acquire and accumulate information from the Internet. The risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding information management behaviors. In this study, we conducted a survey (<i>n</i> = 538) in China to extend the RISP model by incorporating information hoarding. The results suggested that informational subjective norms and information insufficiency were positively associated with information seeking, systematic processing, and information hoarding, while negatively associated with heuristic processing. Additionally, when individuals processed weight loss information systematically, they were more inclined to seek related information. In contrast, when processing information heuristically, they were less likely to both seek and hoard additional information. Furthermore, both information seeking and information hoarding showed a positive relationship with health behavior intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1028-1037"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144821187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Labels, Language, and Other Strategies to Improve Communication About Lower Grade Ductal Carcinoma in Situ: Theoretical Review.","authors":"Suzanna Apostolovski, Nicole J Look Hong, Frances C Wright, Anna R Gagliardi","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2546527","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2546527","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is when abnormal cells are found in the milk ducts of the breast, but they have not spread outside the ducts. It is not an invasive cancer, but it can sometimes turn into cancer over time if not treated. Women with low or intermediate grade DCIS are counseled to undergo standards of care, which may include surgery, radiation, and/or endocrine therapy even though DCIS may not develop into breast cancer, prompting confusion and long-lasting anxiety. The purpose of this study was to identify ideal labels, language, and other strategies to improve communication about DCIS. We conducted a theoretical review of 12 studies published between 2011 and 2022 and analyzed our findings with communication accommodation theory (CAT). Women and clinicians differed in initial orientation and psychological accommodation. Women were confused and anxious because clinicians employed labels such as pre-cancer or stage 0 cancer, but referred to it as \"only\" DCIS. Women preferred that clinicians refer to \"abnormal cells\" and distinguish DCIS from invasive breast cancer. In contrast, clinicians incorrectly believed that women understood that pre-cancer or stage 0 cancer distinguished DCIS from invasive breast cancer, and rather than explaining, referred women to other sources of information. However, women and clinicians agreed on several ways to improve communication: approximation (e.g. plain language), interpretability (e.g. visual aids), interpersonal control (e.g. take time to answer questions), discourse management (e.g. discuss risk of spread/recurrence) and emotional expression (e.g. address concerns).</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1094-1104"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144951710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"eHealth Literacy and eHealth Usage Among Older Adults in Singapore: The Roles of Attitudes and Social Norms.","authors":"Sihan Lei, Shaohai Jiang","doi":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2538729","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10410236.2025.2538729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enhancing eHealth literacy among older adults is recognized as a key strategy to increase their eHealth usage. However, the underlying mechanisms of this process remain underexplored. Drawing on the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model and social norm theory, this study examined the mediating role of attitudes toward eHealth and the moderating roles of injunctive and descriptive norms of eHealth use in linking eHealth literacy to eHealth use among older adults. An online survey was conducted with 503 older adults in Singapore. The results revealed that eHealth literacy was positively associated with eHealth usage, with attitudes mediating this relationship. Additionally, descriptive norms positively moderated the relationship between eHealth literacy and attitudes toward eHealth, while injunctive norms positively moderated the relationship between attitudes toward eHealth and eHealth usage. Our conceptual model, which integrates both personal and interpersonal factors, provides valuable insights for health communication researchers and practitioners seeking to promote eHealth adoption in today's aging and digital society.</p>","PeriodicalId":12889,"journal":{"name":"Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"911-920"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144729945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}