Metatheory and Interviewing: Harm Reduction and Motorcycle Safety in Practice describes and applies a unique approach for advancing harm reduction theory. Emily J. Haas and Marifran Mattson argue that using harm reduction as a metatheory to guide qualitative interviews strengthens the use and acceptance of harm reduction and the application of constructs within health theories. Through analysis of in-depth interviews with respective participants-at-risk motorcyclists-which are informed by harm reduction metatheory, the authors examine how this unique approach to interviewing can be used to link metatheory, theory, methodology, and ultimately application and translation of research results. Metatheory and Interviewing culminates with a discussion of how the way we conduct and analyze interviews facilitates a deeper, more intimate conversation with research participants by encouraging them to incorporate the same, overarching harm reduction framework to provide feedback about changing specific health behaviors. Scholars of health communication and research will understand the critical role of a humanistic attitude and pragmatic communication with participants, as well as the importance of further extrapolating these strategies to their broader target audience.

There is growing emphasis in Health Communication on the study of communication processes that aim to change systems, policies, beliefs, attitudes, and/or behaviors for the betterment of the health of individuals and communities. Engagement on behalf of individual and community health is the basis of health advocacy - the attempted effort to change health policies so that better health outcomes may result. This book explores the processes and strategies involved in creating a health advocacy campaign to guide current and aspiring health advocates to successfully advocate for policy change. The Health Communication Advocacy Model is provided as a framework for exploring these issues. The model emphasizes the message design process, particularly in the tailoring of messages to address the needs of target audiences. However, consideration of important health advocacy concepts also is provided, including how to organize an advocacy team, approaches to formative research, research-based strategies for crafting effective health advocacy messages, and recommendations for what to do when an advocacy campaign is ending. This framework is designed for users to execute an advocacy effort for any health issue - from obesity, to cancer and smoking - in an efficient and effective manner. Ultimately, readers will learn how to lead a successful advocacy campaign and accomplish their desired advocacy goals.

Health as Communication Nexus: A Service Learning Approach provides a unique combination of learning methods that effectively engage students, stir their passion for health communication, answer some challenging health questions they may be grappling with, and perhaps in the process, change their lives too.Health as Communication Nexus: A Service Learning Approach presents a comprehensive view of the health communication topics and issues encountered in academic research and during our daily lives Unique to the market, Health as Communication Nexus: A Service Learning Approach utilizes both a critical incident case study with a service-learning approach. The critical incident case study integrated across the chapters of the book provides a rich, in-depth example to illustrate the wide variety of topics and issues considered within the realm of health communication.  The service-learning approach stimulates ideas for ways to apply the concepts of health communication. Health as Communication Nexus: A Service Learning Approach: Is written for undergraduates, beginning graduate students, and anyone else who may want to learn about the growing field of health communication Utilizes real-life scenarios spurred from the authors' experiences Defines the field of health communication from the perspective of those who teach, conduct research, and have applied experiences within the discipline of Communication Includes a comprehensive web component that features poll questions, quizzes, interactive exercises, service learning application ideas, and links for each chapter