Nehama Lewis

Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction and research on information seeking, we tested a mediation model of information seeking about marijuana across two samples of young adults from the United States (N = 498) and Israel (N = 426). Results of online surveys showed direct associations between information seeking and (nonmedical) marijuana use intention in both samples. In addition, across both samples, results showed indirect associations between information seeking and behavioral intention through changes in attitude and perceived normative pressure. Cross-comparative differences were also examined. Findings suggest that information seeking may shape determinants of behavioral intention to use marijuana nonmedically. Information seeking may serve as an indicator of risk behavior and as a target for drug prevention efforts.

Background: This experimental study tests effects of exposure to video narratives about successful symptom relief with Medical Cannabis (MC) on attitudes, beliefs, and intentions related to recreational cannabis use. Methods: Patient video testimonials were modeled after those found in extant media coverage. Israeli participants (N = 396) recruited through an online survey company were randomly assigned to view a narrative or a non-narrative video containing equivalent information about MC. Video content was further manipulated based on whether the protagonist had a stigmatized disease or not, and whether attribution of responsibility for his disease was internal or external. Results: Exposure to patient testimonials indirectly increased positive attitudes, beliefs and intentions related to recreational cannabis use through changing attitudes, beliefs and intentions related to MC. Furthermore, exposure to narratives in which the patient was presented as not to blame for contracting his illness (external attribution) was associated with more positive attitudes, beliefs and intentions toward MC, a factor that was significantly associated with more positive attitudes, beliefs and intentions related to recreational cannabis use. Conclusions: These results suggest that narrative news media coverage of MC may influence public attitudes toward recreational cannabis. Because such media stories continue to be commonplace, it is important to examine potential spillover effects of this coverage on public perceptions of recreational cannabis. Cannabis prevention programs should address the role of media coverage in shaping public opinion and address the distinction between medical and recreational cannabis use.

Information seeking and scanning are core concepts in media effects research and have been studied in a variety of contexts. Information seeking includes deliberate, purposive attempts to acquire information from selected information carriers. It is driven by a perceived need for specific information and is intended to fill a gap in one's existing knowledge. Information scanning involves information acquisition through less deliberate means, which occurs during routine patterns of exposure to mediated and interpersonal sources. Scanned information can be recalled at a later time with a minimal prompt. A common methodological problem in research on information seeking and scanning is that individuals may often be unable or unwilling to report their information acquisition behaviors accurately and with precision. Recent studies have employed new technologies and methods as an alternative to reliance on self-reported behavior, with the goal of enhancing the validity and reliability of measures of information seeking and scanning.

This study uses a web-based randomized experiment (N = 396) to test the effects of message type (narrative vs. expository), stigma (stigmatized vs. nonstigmatized illness), and attribution of responsibility for disease (internal vs. external) on attitudes toward medical cannabis. Narrative-formatted videos produced more favorable attitudes toward medical cannabis, compared with nonnarrative videos. Effects of narratives on attitudes were mediated through transportation and identification with the protagonist. Participants who viewed narratives in which the protagonist had a stigmatized illness and was responsible for contracting the disease expressed more negative attitudes toward medical cannabis. Effects of attribution were mediated through social distance toward medical cannabis users, and moderated by stigma. Implications for narrative persuasion and public opinion regarding medical cannabis are discussed.

This study tests the interaction between an individual-level characteristic—identification with other parents—and the effects of persuasive messages about nutrition. In an online experiment conducted in 2010, 242 parents of children aged five through nine were randomized to a message condition. The parents were exposed to a message that emphasized normative justifications or personal benefit justifications for feeding one’s child healthy foods (or no message). Parents who identified with other parents were more influenced by normatively focused messages than were parents with lower levels of identification. Theoretical and practical implications for message design are presented.

The current study uses a grounded theory approach to explore dimensions and bi-national comparisons of active information seeking efforts (seeking) for and passive information acquisition (scanning) of drug-related information among two college student samples from the U.S. (N=25) and Israel (N=39).  Specifically, the study focuses on seeking and scanning related to amphetamines and marijuana, two frequently used drugs among college populations, about which information is easily accessible.  Results of semi-structured interviews suggest that information scanning and seeking about marijuana and amphetamines are common, particularly from peers and from the Internet.  The analysis uncovers themes relating to young adults’ drug-related information seeking behaviors including cross-source information acquisition across interpersonal and media sources, and motivations for engaging in active efforts to seek drug-related information. These findings extend research on information seeking and scanning and suggest future research should examine predictors and effects of these behaviors in the context of substance use. 

With Dr. Lourdes S. Martinez, Aysha Agbarya & Tanya Piatok-Vaisman

Background: Information about drugs is easily accessible to young adults from a range of media, interpersonal and medical sources. This information includes anti-drug messages, but also information that promotes nonmedical use of drugs such as marijuana and amphetamines. Recent research shows significant positive cross-sectional associations between information seeking and nonmedical drug use intentions among college students. Methods: This cross-sectional survey examines information seeking about marijuana and amphetamines among college students ages 18-25 enrolled in a large US university. Data were collected between October 2012 and December 2013. The study identifies commonly sought topics related to marijuana and amphetamines, and sources of information consulted by college students (N = 154 for marijuana; N = 117 for amphetamines). Results: The most commonly sought topics about marijuana and amphetamines were related to benefits of use (75%), negative effects of use (76%), and...

Background: Previous research identifies demographic and psychosocial variables of college students who engage in drug-related information seeking, a significant and positive correlate of intention to use drugs nonmedically. The present study adds to this body of work by exploring how personality traits shape information seeking related to marijuana. Methods: Participants ages 18-25 (N=633) and enrolled in a large US university participated in an online survey conducted between October 2012 and December 2013. Personality traits were assessed using a validated abbreviated measure of the Big 5. The Big 5 is a widely used framework measuring personality across five dimensions: Conscientiousness, openness to experience, neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness. Results: Agreeableness and neuroticism were positively associated with information seeking about marijuana, accounting for a range of other covariates. The estimated odds of seeking information about marijuana were 1.2 times ...

This paper describes research on two normative concepts thought to impact health behaviors: injunctive and descriptive norms. The study tests whether the extent to which the same health behavior is enacted in an observable or non-observable setting will lead to variation in normative influence on parent intention. In on-line experiments conducted in winter 2009, 467 participants were randomized to a behavioral scenario in which the health behavior was described as occurring in an observable or non-observable setting. For sun protection behaviors, observability primed the influence of descriptive norms on intention. For nutrition behaviors, observability primed the influence of injunctive norms on intention. Across both conditions, observability of the behavioral scenario increased the strength of the association between norms and intention.

Previous research suggests positive effects of health information seeking on prevention behaviors such as diet, exercise, and fruit and vegetable consumption. The present study builds upon this research and strengthens causal claims from it by examining the lagged effect of patient-clinician information engagement on fruit and vegetable consumption as well as the indirect effect on the outcome through seeking information from nonmedical channels. The results are based on data collected from a randomly drawn sample of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer patients from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry who completed mail surveys in the Fall of 2006 and 2007. There was a 65% response rate for baseline subjects (resulting n = 2,013); of those, 1,293 were interviewed 1 year later, and 1,257 were available for our analyses. Results show a positive lagged main effect of patient-clinician information engagement at baseline on fruit and vegetable consumption at follow-up (B = 0.26, SE = 0.10, p = .01). The mediation analysis shows that patient-clinician information engagement leads to increased fruit and vegetable consumption among cancer patients, in part through patients' information seeking from nonmedical channels. Implications of these findings for the cancer patient population and for physicians are discussed.

The amount of cancer-related information available to the general population continues to grow; yet, its effects are unclear. This study extends previous cross-sectional research establishing that cancer information seeking across a variety of sources is extensive and positively associated with engaging in health-related behaviors. The authors studied how active information seeking about cancer prevention influenced three healthy lifestyle behaviors using a 2-round nationally representative sample of adults ages 40-70 years (n = 1,795), using propensity scoring to control for potential confounders including baseline behavior. The adjusted odds of dieting at follow-up were 1.51 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.19) times higher for those who reported baseline seeking from media and interpersonal sources relative to nonseekers. Baseline seekers ate 0.59 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.91) more fruits and vegetable servings per day and exercised 0.36 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.60) more days per week at 1-year follow-up compared with nonseekers. The effects of seeking from media and friends/family on eating fruits and vegetables and exercising were independent of seeking from physicians. The authors offer several explanations for why information seeking predicts healthy lifestyle behaviors: information obtained motivates these behaviors; information sought teaches specific techniques; and the act of information seeking may reinforce a psychological commitment to dieting, eating fruits and vegetables, and exercising.

This study tests the interaction between an individual-level characteristic—identification with other parents—and the effects of persuasive messages about nutrition. In an online experiment conducted in 2010, 242 parents of children aged five through nine were randomized to a message condition. The parents were exposed to a message that emphasized normative justifications or personal benefit justifications for feeding one’s child healthy foods (or no message). Parents who identified with other parents were more influenced by  ormatively focused messages than were parents with lower levels of identification. Theoretical and practical implications for message design are presented.

This study investigates the impact of seeking information about the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
on men’s PSA test use during a period of conflicting recommendations. Analyses used longitudinal
survey data collected in 2005 and 2006 from a nationally representative sample of U.S. males aged 40–70
years (n = 777). Cross-sectionally, nonmedical information seeking was significantly associated with
increased odds of having a PSA test in the past year (Time 1 odds ratio [OR] = 9.74, p < .01, 95%
confidence interval [CI] = 4.37, 21.70; Time 2 OR = 5.78, p < .01, 95% CI = 3.17, 10.55). However, lagged
analyses showed that among men who had a PSA at Time 1, active seeking is associated with reduced
odds of later having a PSA test (OR = 0.33, p < .05, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.85). Participants who had not had a
PSA test in the past year very rarely sought information about PSA tests. Information acquisition in an
environment of conflicting recommendations may influence adoption of cancer screening behaviors.

Authors: Laura Gibson, Andy S. L. Tan, Derek Freres, Nehama Lewis, Lourdes Martinez and Robert C. Hornik

Background

Various countries and states, including Israel, have recently legalized Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes (CTP). These changes have received mass media coverage and prompted national and international dialogue about the status of cannabis and whether or not it can be defined as a (legitimate) medicine, illicit and harmful drug, or both. News media framing may influence, and be influenced by, public opinion regarding CTP and support for CTP license provisions for patients. This study examines the framing of CTP in Israeli media coverage and the association between media coverage and trends in the provision of CTP licenses in Israel over time.
Methods

All published news articles relevant to CTP and the framing of cannabis (n = 214) from the three highest circulation newspapers in Israel were content analyzed. Articles were published between January 2007 and June 2013, a period in which CTP licenses granted by the Ministry of Health increased substantially.
Results

In the majority of CTP news articles (69%), cannabis was framed as a medicine, although in almost one third of articles (31%) cannabis was framed as an illicit drug. The relative proportion of news items in which cannabis was framed as an illicit drug fluctuated during the study period, but was unrelated to linear or curvilinear trends in CTP licensing.
Conclusion

The relatively large proportion of news items framing cannabis as a medicine is consistent with growing support for the expansion of the Israel's CTP program.

This study addresses whether having a broad social network of close friends equips
cancer patients with increased efficacy to engage in communication about their
cancer, which then leads to an increased likelihood of patients actively seeking
cancer-related information. Guided by the theory of motivated information manage-
ment, the study also tests whether the effect of the number of close social ties on
information seeking is mediated, in part, by communication efficacy. Results are
based on data collected from a randomly drawn sample from the Pennsylvania
Cancer Registry of 2,013 cancer patients who completed mail surveys in the Fall
of 2006. Results are consistent with a cross-sectional mediation effect in which
the number of close social ties in one’s social network is positively associated with
communication efficacy (
b
¼
.17,
p
¼
.001), which, in turn, is positively associated
with cancer-related information seeking (
b
¼
.13,
p
<
.001).

This paper describes research on 2 normative concepts thought to impact health behaviors: injunctive and descriptive norms. The study tests whether the extent to which the same health behavior is enacted in an observable or non-observable setting will lead to variation in normative influence on parent intention. In online experiments conducted in Winter 2009, participants were randomized to a behavioral scenario in which the health behavior was described as occurring in an observable or non-observable setting. For sun-protection behaviors, observability primed the influence of descriptive norms on intention. For nutrition behaviors, observability primed the influence of injunctive norms on intention. Across both conditions, observability of the behavioral scenario increased the strength of the association between norms and intention.