1. HealthCare Research, Inc.
Theories about Theories How Phenomenological Analysis Contributes to Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives Through Communications Research
AEA 2011
Anaheim, CA
James Heichelbech, Ph.D.
HealthCare Research, Inc.

2. Communications Research Phenomenological Analysis
Overview
How can phenomenological analysis contribute to evaluation of public health initiatives through communications research?
Communications Research
Phenomenological Analysis
Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives

3. Communications Research
What is Communications Research?
Figuring out how to “connect” with people.
Front End: Strategy, Targeting, Tactics, Messaging.
On-Going: Feedback, Monitoring.
Back End: Impact Assessment.

4. Phenomenological Analysis
What is Phenomenology?
19th Century Brentano, 20th Century Husserl …
21st Century – Empirical Method.*
Identify the Essential Structure of Subjective Experience.
Engage research participants.
Find patterns.
Create a model that allows others to understand how research participants experience the world around them.
*Smith, Jonathan A., Paul Flowers and Michael Larkin
Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

5. Phenomenological Analysis
Finding the patterns needed for a model of subjective experience requires a specific type of engagement.
Understanding experience from other perspectives requires that participants answer three questions:
What is real? (Ontology).
What matters? (Axiology).
How do reality and value translate into choices?

6. Phenomenological Analysis
Phenomenological Analysis in the context of Communications Research helps us generate frameworks for talking about how participants experience the world around them.
Theories about Theories allow us to think more strategically:
How can we shape what is real from different perspectives?
How can we align our efforts to reflect different values?
How can we shift propensities, facilitate different choices?

7. Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives
How can phenomenological analysis contribute to evaluation of public health initiatives through communications research?
Communications research is a tool for learning about people; phenomenological analysis improves its strategic value.
Allows us to think about attitudes and behaviors from the perspectives of the people whose attitudes and behaviors we wish to change.
Evaluation is facilitated both in terms of strategies for creating change (defining outputs) and identification of meaningful outcomes.

8. Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives
Secondhand Smoke: Qualitative 2006 – 2008.
Client: Colorado Department of Health and Environment.
2006: Clean Indoor Air Act (Smoking Ban) leads to more smoking around kids at home; needed to be addressed.
2006 research to support development of “One Step” campaign – “myths.”
2008 research to assess the “One Step” campaign among diverse populations – does the campaign “resonate”?
2008 back to the drawing board: research to test new creative concepts.

9. Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives
The Secondhand Smoke Puzzle.
Parents care about children; know that SHS is dangerous.
But they don’t see the need to avoid smoking indoors.
What was missing?
Parents didn’t understand how SHS gets to their children.
Needed clarity about how SHS behaves.
Results: The logic of secondhand smoke.    ? ? ?
SHS Contains Poisons
SHS Affects Health
Always Step Outside
SHS Travels

10. Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives
Obesity: Qualitative and Quantitative 2010 – 2011.
Client: LiveWell Colorado.
How can we motivate moms to encourage healthy eating and increased activity in their families?
Previously for CDPHE in 2009:
7 Focus Groups, 20 IDI’s, Experiential Segmentation
Qualitative for LiveWell Colorado:
9 Focus Groups across urban and rural Colorado.
Quantitative for LiveWell Colorado:
Statewide survey – baseline and confirm qualitative.

11. Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives
The Obesity Puzzle.
Everyone recognizes that obesity is a problem.
But nobody wants to do anything differently.
What was missing?
People see obesity as someone else’s problem; don’t see themselves as obese.
Clarity about what obesity looks like.
Results: An “awakening” is necessary…

12. Concluding Thoughts
Implementation and evaluation of communications strategies in public health are phenomenological in nature.
Success hinges on “fit” with subjective experience.
Judgments about success must ultimately defer to those for whom an initiative is intended.
Phenomenological analysis represents more than a method.
Understanding why people think and act the way they do requires us to transcend our own experience.
To the extent that we can understand experience from another perspective, we improve our ability to make appropriate judgments about and improve public health initiatives.

13. HealthCare Research, Inc.
James Heichelbech, Ph.D.
HealthCare Research, Inc.