title: Improving Medical Decision Making and Health Promotion through Culture-Sensitive Health Communication: An Agenda for Science and Practice.
abstract: This review introduces the concept of culture-sensitive health communication. The basic premise is that congruency between the recipient's cultural characteristics and the respective message will increase the communication's effectiveness. Culture-sensitive health communication is therefore defined as the deliberate and evidence-informed adaptation of health communication to the recipients' cultural background in order to increase knowledge and improve preparation for medical decision making and to enhance the persuasiveness of messages in health promotion. To achieve effective health communication in varying cultural contexts, an empirically and theoretically based understanding of culture will be indispensable. We therefore define culture, discuss which evolutionary and structural factors contribute to the development of cultural diversity, and examine how differences are conceptualized as scientific constructs in current models of cultural differences. In addition, we will explicate the implications of cultural differences for psychological theorizing, because common constructs of health behavior theories and decision making, such as attitudes or risk perception, are subject to cultural variation. In terms of communication, we will review both communication strategies and channels that are used to disseminate health messages, and we will discuss the implications of cultural differences for their effectiveness. Finally, we propose an agenda both for science and for practice to advance and apply the evidence base for culture-sensitive health communication. This calls for more interdisciplinary research between science and practice but also between scientific disciplines and between basic and applied research.
authors: Center for Empirical Research in Economics and Behavioral Sciences (CEREB), University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany (CB, LK)
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Betsch
authors: School of Business and Economics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (RB)
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Böhm
authors: Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA (COA)
authors: Collins O
authors: CO
authors: Airhihenbuwa
authors: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark (RB)
authors: Robb
authors: R
authors: Butler
authors: Institute for Health, Healthcare Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA (GBC)
authors: Gretchen B
authors: GB
authors: Chapman
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany (NH)
authors: Niels
authors: N
authors: Haase
authors: Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy (BH)
authors: Benedikt
authors: B
authors: Herrmann
authors: Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (TI)
authors: Tasuku
authors: T
authors: Igarashi
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA (SK)
authors: Shinobu
authors: S
authors: Kitayama
authors: Center for Empirical Research in Economics and Behavioral Sciences (CEREB), University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany (CB, LK)
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Korn
authors: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden (U-KN)
authors: Ülla-Karin
authors: ÜK
authors: Nurm
authors: Roman Research Road, Melbourne, Australia (BR)
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Rohrmann
authors: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA (AJR)
authors: Alexander J
authors: AJ
authors: Rothman
authors: Department of Business Administration, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA (SS)
authors: Sharon
authors: S
authors: Shavitt
authors: Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA (JAU)
authors: John A
authors: JA
authors: Updegraff
authors: School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK (AKU)
authors: Ayse K
authors: AK
authors: Uskul
mesh_terms: D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003142:Communication; D054521:Cultural Competency; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012309:Risk-Taking; D066262:Social Norms
keywords: basic and applied research; disease and infection control; health communication; targeting and tailoring; treatment choice