Downie, Fyfe, and Tannahill's (1990) model of health promotion was utilized in this study to assess the use of media in companies providing worksite health promotion programs. Subjects were 212 (response rate = 35.33%) health promotion professionals and members of the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. Nine research questions were used to explore (a) the types of programs offered by organizations, (b) the value placed upon various criteria for rating program effectiveness, (c) the types of media used to promote various programs, (d) the media and non-media reasons health promotion practitioners identify for program effectiveness and non-effectiveness, (e) the importance of specific media characteristics in promoting health promotion programs, and (f) demographic information about the respondents and their organizations. Major findings of the study indicated that professionals' promotional efforts were primarily in the Positive Health Education (49.7%), Preventive Health Education (21.5%), and Preventive Services (13.6%) domains. Professionals reported that Behavioral Change, Attendance, Long Term Health-Cost Improvement, and Management Favors It are the primary criteria by which their organizations judge their programs and that Urgency, Detail, Cost, Novelty, and Interactive are the most important qualities in their choice of media. Media choice (e.g., face-to-face, word-of-mouth, newsletter) in effective programs differed from ineffective programs primarily in the frequency of use. Personal Contact and Management Support were identified as the major media and non-media reasons for program effectiveness, respectively. Lack Of Promotion for an event and Readiness were identified as the major media and non-media reasons for program ineffectiveness, respectively.

Copyright © 1996 by Gary L. Flegal, Ph.D.    

A Power Point presentation based upon this research.

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