Author: Kerry

Models for Health Education – Social Learning Theory

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There are many different models that someone can use to develop and implement a public health education campaign.  The University of Texas El Paso listed 26 different models that could be used.  I’m not going to go through each model here, but over the next several weeks, I will write a post about some of these models and why I feel they need to go further to include diverse populations.

I’ll start with the Social Learning Theory.  This theory states that a person learns through modeling the behavior change in others (Bandura, 1971).  How to we best model behavior?  A person would need to see someone like themselves modeling the correct behavior.  Think about a major movie star or sports star doing something on television or the Internet, if this highly successful person is doing it, maybe I should do it too.  That can lead to both good and bad behaviors depending on what is seen.  One major problem is, the star may not care about the outcome.

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Risk = Hazard + Outrage

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One of the instrumental parts of my research is Dr. Peter Sandman’s Risk Equation: Risk = Hazard + Outrage.  I’m not going to rehash the basics of the equation here.  To learn more about what the equation is all about, Dr. Sandman does a great job on his website explaining it.  I want to spend some time talking about how his risk equation can be applied to diverse populations.

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My philosophy on communicating emergency preparedness information with diverse populations

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Since this my first blog post, I thought it would be fitting to talk about my philosophy on communicating emergency preparedness information.  Where I want to focus is on diverse populations.  Many who perform risk communication for public health have a charge from the CDC to reach out to diverse populations (CDC, 2011). One type of diverse population is those who are immigrants or refugees from other countries making the United States their home.  There are many who feel that those who come to the US from another country should be following the American culture without any assistance.  However, in public health it is our job to make sure everyone’s health is protected.  Every day, many in public health are reaching out to their communities of immigrants and refugees to learn more, with mixed success.

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Welcome

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Welcome to my home page.  This is the place where I will post all of my career happenings.  I am a researcher and communicator and my goal is to bring emergency preparedness information to everyone.  By everyone I mean every diverse population and functional need group, not just the folks who can get to this information easily.  My research focuses on getting deep down into how different groups perceive risks and hazard differently.  What works for one group, may not work for another.  I have developed my own interview tool influenced by the works of Dr. Peter Sandman and Dr. Collins O.Airhihenbuwa.  My unique tool measures perception of hazards and the cultural factors that influence them.  The tool is part of my dissertation work which can be accessed at the Walden University Dissertation Site.

Take a few minutes to explore the site.  If you have questions, feel free to contact me.