Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper challenges the CONVENTIONal definition of health and calls for application of health behavior models in an unCONVENTIONal way, specifically within the aging context. Two examples are provided in which applying health behavior models to older adults' circumstances in an unCONVENTIONal way broadens scholarly perspective on both the health behavior models and the aging context.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The results of previous studies on the relationship between television exposure and life satisfaction are often mixed. Negative, positive, and curvilinear relationship had been reported. In an attempt to detangle this problem, this study explored the relationship between overall television viewing and life satisfaction among college students, as well as the effects of exposure to the depiction of health risks in television medical dramas on viewers’ perceived health risks and life satisfaction. Health involvement was also included to see if it affects the relationship of television medical drama exposure to perceived health risks and life satisfaction. Results showed that overall television viewing was negatively associated with life satisfaction, and exposure to TV medical dramas tended to lower viewers’ life satisfaction, and health consciousness was important for understanding life satisfaction. Exposure to televised portrayals of health risks in television medical dramas tended to produce different results between viewers’ perceptions of health risks to themselves and to general others.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Previous studies typically focused on materialism and perceptions of general others’ affluence to explain the relationship between television viewing and life satisfaction. This study extends our understanding of such a relationship by demonstrating the mediating roles of health-risk perceptions and health-related self-efficacy beliefs. Surveys were administered to 274 college students at a large Southeastern university, and the data subjected to path analyses. Results reveal that exposure to health-related television news was associated with a higher perception of health-related self-efficacy, and that perception was related to a higher degree of life satisfaction. These results suggest that health-related perceptions other than materialism-related beliefs help establish the association between television viewing and life satisfaction. Other implications are also discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In this paper we use data from the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.2 to examine the nature of unmet mental health needs in Ontario and how this is affected by sociodemographic, social support, health status and health behaviour. Acceptability is the most frequent type of unmet need and within this category, the largest proportion of people reported experiencing unmet needs because they “preferred to manage the problem themselves”. There are differences in unmet need by geographic region. Compared to Toronto, most regions showed higher odds of reporting acceptability barrier (North, South West, Central South, Central West, Central East) and accessibility barrier (South West, Central East, East). There were no regional differences in reporting unmet mental health care needs due to service availability. There were also significant contributions from age, gender, income, some types of social support, health behaviours, health status, service usage, co-morbidity and mental disorders. Findings show that equity in meeting self-reported unmet mental health needs has not been achieved across all seven Ontario health regions. The most salient finding from our study is that although enhanced mental health services can be important, they are unlikely to eradicate perceived unmet need due to acceptability. There is evidence that an emphasis on some types of social support can buffer against acceptability unmet needs.

Supporting Publications:
Supporting Document

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There have been reports showing that people in the United States are paying more and more attention to health news over the past few years. It is therefore even more significant to know how the news media coverage health and health issues. The authors extend previous research on the public health perspective on reporting crime news to include general health topics, such as health care, and social services. A content analysis was conducted on health news articles in The Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1982 and 2001. The purpose of the study was to examine how the reporting patterns on general health and crime/violence topics have changed after the calls for public health perspective initiated by scholars and practitioners in early 1990s.