Knowledge Gap Effects in a Health Information Campaign

Abstract

THE knowledge gap hypothesis has important implications for public information campaigns. The hypothesis as originally formulated by Tichenor, et al. (1970) holds that "as the infusion of mass media information into a social system increases, segments of the population with higher socioeconomic status tend to acquire this information at a faster rate than the lower status segments, so that the gap in knowledge between these segments tends to increase rather than decrease" (p. 160). The hypothesis thus implies that projects which disseminate information through the mass media will always benefit higher SES audience segments more than lower SES segments. Such projects cannot, then, equalize the distribution of information within a social system.These implications are more clearcut than the support for the hyAbstract The evaluation of a campaign to increase cardiovascular health knowledge indicates that within the treatment community, education was a significant predictor of knowledge before the campaign but was not a significant predictor after the campaign. Two variables related to motivation to acquire information about cardiovascular health (age and perceived threat of heart attack) were not significant predictors of knowledge before the campaign but were significant predictors afterwards. These results suggest that the infusion of information into a social system via the mass media can close as well as open knowledge gaps and that motivation to acquire information in a specific knowledge domain is a factor controlling gap effects. James S.

Looking Beyond the Internet: Examining Socioeconomic Inequalities in Cancer Information Seeking Among Cancer Patients

“…One group of scholars argues that more educated cancer patients will be more likely to seek cancer information from a wide range of information sources than their less educated counterparts (as is seen with people in the general public; e.g., Johnson, 1997; Viswanath, 2005). In contrast, another group of scholars contends that situational factors, such as a cancer diagnosis, may mitigate the gaps in information seeking and knowledge between groups of different education levels (Ettema, Brown, & Luepker, 1983; Kwak, 1999). This is based on the motivation-contingency model , which posits that even low-SES individuals are likely to look actively for information (and can obtain high levels of knowledge) when they are highly motivated or interested in a specific issue (Bonfadelli, 2002; Kwak, 1999).…”

“…Some scholars have argued that knowledge gaps in mass media stem from differences in topic-related interest or involvement rather than from differences in cognitive abilities because “the sort of information disseminated by the mass media…is not so complicated that it requires highly sophisticated information processing skills (Ettema et al, 1983, p. 517; see also Kwak, 1999). Thus, less educated cancer patients may seek health information from mass media as frequently as more educated cancer patients.…”

The Role of Internet Engagement in the Health-Knowledge Gap

“…Fifth, a group of scholars have focused on individuals’ motivation, such as issue interest and issue involvement, as a causal link between SES and knowledge acquisition from mass media (e.g., Bonfadelli, 2002; Ettema, Brown, & Luepker, 1983). As Ettema and colleagues stated, “the sort of information disseminated by the mass media…is not so complicated that it requires highly sophisticated information processing skills.…”

Perceived Risk and Self-Efficacy as Motivators: Understanding Individuals' Long-Term Use of Health Information

“…One of the more discernible effects of enhanced health information use is an increase in individuals' health knowledge (Chaffee, Roser, & Flora, 1989;Ettema, Brown, & Luepker, 1983;Rimal et al, 1999). If, as hypothesized in this paper, individuals' use of health information is governed by their risk perception and self-efficacy, then the interaction effect of these three variables (perceived risk, self-efficacy, and use of health information) on health knowledge should also be significant.…”