2011 Volume 19 Issue 4 Pages 313-325
Objective: Although a number of media-based informational tools have been developed to promote public health for the general public in terms of primary prevention, these effects have been limited. The major reason is an inadequate process of message development that would lead toward a greater perception change as a means to improve health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine an applicability of the Associate Group Analysis (AGA) to clarify the generalization and adjustment in perceptions toward health behaviors between gender and age defined groups.
Methods: The AGA can provide qualitative and quantitative sensitivity of group perceptions and attitudes to stimulus themes not available through traditional survey methods. In this study, the stimulus themes were the following three behaviors: 1) preventive behaviors to chronic diseases or metabolic syndromes, 2) improvement of diet behaviors, and 3) execution of physical activity or exercise. AGA-based questions were included in the perception and cognition survey toward health behaviors for 284 adults using the university on-demand learning system.
Results: Results of ranking to stimulus themes by chi-square analysis revealed significant differences of numbers in some response words and phrases between gender and age groups. Further, the scores of response words or phrases were weighted by response order to each stimulus theme and the ANOVA showed somewhat different results from ranking aspects.
Conclusions: These results from AGA provided specific words and phrases to health behaviors that should be generalized for every groups and addressed for each group. Future studies should confirm whether such communications adapt to perceptions of subgroups and respond to lead health behaviors.
