TY - JOUR
T1 - Motivation and the Knowledge Gap
T2 - Effects of a Campaign to Reduce Diet-Related Cancer Risk
AU - Viswanath, K.
AU - Kahn, Emily
AU - Finnegan, John R.
AU - Hertog, James
AU - Potter, John D.
PY - 1993/8
Y1 - 1993/8
N2 - The study described here examined whether knowledge gaps decrease when motivation to acquire information or the functionality of information is similar among more and less educated groups. Surveys at baseline and 12 months compared two groups with differing motivation to acquire cancer and diet information in a community that received a year-long health campaign. The more motivated group (higher on measures of salience, perceived cancer risk, and self-efficacy) was composed of those who self-selected to receive home-based learning, a campaign strategy. They were compared to general population samples. The study found that education-based differences in knowledge were evident even among members of the more motivated group. However, the effect of membership in this group raised knowledge levels higher than the general population irrespective of education level. The study suggested that group membership, information functionality, motivation, and education combined to affect knowledge, rather than motivation alone over-coming the effect of education.
AB - The study described here examined whether knowledge gaps decrease when motivation to acquire information or the functionality of information is similar among more and less educated groups. Surveys at baseline and 12 months compared two groups with differing motivation to acquire cancer and diet information in a community that received a year-long health campaign. The more motivated group (higher on measures of salience, perceived cancer risk, and self-efficacy) was composed of those who self-selected to receive home-based learning, a campaign strategy. They were compared to general population samples. The study found that education-based differences in knowledge were evident even among members of the more motivated group. However, the effect of membership in this group raised knowledge levels higher than the general population irrespective of education level. The study suggested that group membership, information functionality, motivation, and education combined to affect knowledge, rather than motivation alone over-coming the effect of education.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84965427192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/009365093020004003
DO - 10.1177/009365093020004003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84965427192
SN - 0093-6502
VL - 20
SP - 546
EP - 563
JO - Communication Research
JF - Communication Research
IS - 4
ER -