健康传播研究的理论关照、模型构建与创新要素

Health communication as a sub-area of communication research has received growing attention because of its close relationship with personal life and its significant social impact. However the current research on health communication in China is still in the preliminary stage, and scholars tend to describe phenomena of health communication, analyze individual cases, and summarize the general characteristics of health communication. Therefore, we argue that the empirical studies should be informed by related theoretical framework, and explore the important factors that influence dissemination of health information and health-related behaviors; identify the changes in attitudes, behavior and moral values brought by health communication and analyze the interactions among individuals and society. Health communication research should apply innovative theories and research methods to enhance the understanding of the impact of psychological and social factors on perception, attitude and behaviors relating to health communication. This article explains how the theoretical and measurement models could be used for specific research project of health communication and provides examples of theory application to the studies of health communication. The outcomes of health communication are expected to answer key research questions arising in the process and contribute new knowledge to the field.