Talking about Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Investigating the Role of Campaign-Induced Interpersonal Communication in Obesity Prevention
Open Access
- Author:
- Li, Shu
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- August 04, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Jessica Myrick, Outside Field Member
James Dillard, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Rachel Smith, Major Field Member
Andrew High, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Jennifer Williams, Outside Unit Member
Denise Solomon, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- health campaigns
campaign-induced interpersonal communication
sugar-sweetened beverages
obesity prevention
coding scheme
discussion prompt
talk turns
turn sequences
dyadic interaction
health campaigns
campaign-induced interpersonal communication
sugar-sweetened beverages
obesity prevention
coding scheme
discussion prompt
talk turns
turn sequences
dyadic interaction - Abstract:
- Health media campaigns have the potential to produce both direct effects, through media exposure, and indirect effects, when message exposure induces audience members to talk about the message. Prior research on indirect effects has shown that campaign-induced interpersonal communication (CIC) can amplify campaign-consistent outcomes. There is also evidence that it can produce counter-persuasion. To locate the source of the heterogeneous effects of CIC, this dissertation undertook a close examination of conversations recorded in a laboratory experiment. Participants in dyads talked with one another after co-viewing a series of campaign messages that advocated reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). A content-analysis of the conversations necessitated the development of a CIC coding scheme. This was followed by two consecutive analyses of talk structure. A typology of nine turn types resulted from the first analysis, which represented how content categories in the coding scheme formed talk turns. The second analysis investigated how talk turns formed turn sequences. It identified four conversational motifs that captured the defining feature of interpersonal communication: the interdependent, back-and-forth exchange of messages between individuals. The motifs provided a basis for predicting the intended campaign outcome (i.e., reduction in SSB consumption). Collectively, they showed campaign-consistent and campaign-inconsistent effects. Complex patterns emerged as motif effects varied in different audience segments and at different time points within a conversation. This dissertation offers a novel paradigm for the study of CIC as conversations, whose content and structure can be summarized as motifs. An expanded network of causal relationships built around motifs will be crucial to the success of interventions that aim to fortify campaign messages through CIC.