How community, media, and policies shape people's health knowledge
The Ecology of Health Knowledge in the United States
This project compares how family, community, media, and state policies influence what U.S. adults know about HIV, diet, smoking, substance use, and exercise.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11366135 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of research that looks at how local communities, news and social media, and state and county policies shape what people know about health topics like HIV and healthy living. The team will first analyze data from about 1,500 U.S. adults alongside county- and state-level information on media, policies, and norms to find key drivers of health knowledge. Then they will run an experiment with about 1,000 new participants who are randomly shown different combinations of messages and policy contexts to see which approaches change knowledge most. The project uses surveys, county/state data, and randomized message exposures to learn what actually influences people's health information.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults living in the United States who are willing to complete surveys and view health communications, including people concerned about HIV, smoking, diet, substance use, or exercise, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children, non-U.S. residents, and people who cannot participate in online or survey-based research are unlikely to be eligible or see direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public health programs and clinicians give clearer, more effective information so people make safer choices and get better care, including for HIV prevention and treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research shows media, community norms, and policies influence health behaviors, but combining county/state ecological analyses with a randomized experiment on health knowledge is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Albarracin, Dolores — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Albarracin, Dolores
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.