Chapter 11

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Article 1: Aikens, J. E., Bingham, R., & Piette, J. D. (2005). Patient-provider communication and self-care behavior among type 2 diabetes patients. The Diabetes Educator, 31(5), 681-690. doi:10.1177/0145721705280829

Questions that apply to this article:

1. Read the section titled “Measures.” How do you compare the ways in which data were collected for this study with your own perception of patient-provider communication? Could the researchers have conducted their study using a different method? What do you think those results might have been?
2. Note in the article where the authors suggest that “studies indicate that good patient-provider communication (PPC) predicts either better diabetes self-care, better diabetes out-comes or both.” Why would this be the case? How can you tie this information with what Duck and McMahan note in their chapter on health communication?
3. Locate Figure 2 in the article. How do you interpret the chart relative to your knowledge of patient-provider communication?
4. The authors note in their discussion toward the end of the article that one of the limitations of their study was that “variables were assessed by self-report, which may not provide accurate data.” Why might they make this suggestion?

Article 2: Neuhauser, L., & Kreps, G.L. (2003). Rethinking communication in the E-health era. Journal of Health Psychology, 8(1), 7-23.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. Think back to your childhood--what health campaigns do you remember being exposed to? (i.e., Smoky the Bear, VERB, 5 a Day, etc.) What specifically do you remember about those campaigns? In other words, what was done effectively or ineffectively? Did the campaign change your (short-term vs. long-term) behavior in any way?
2. Which behavioral change programs (i.e., Weight Watchers, AA, etc.) do you think are successful at motivating and sustaining behavioral changes? In what ways do or don’t they incorporate one’s social network in the change process?
3. What are some of the pros/cons between online support groups and face-to-face support groups? Do you think online support groups are more or less effective than face-to-face groups?
4. What issues are at stake when private health information is transmitted over the Internet? Who can we keep information secure?
5. Other than the Internet, what other mediums of e-health do you think would be effective to change health behaviors for young adults?