• Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

    Author(s):
    Maria Lapinski-LaFaive (see profile)
    Date:
    2013
    Group(s):
    MSU Health and Risk Communication Center Message Vault
    Subject(s):
    Communication
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Social Norms Messages
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/7ggq-wh71
    Abstract:
    Child care centers are a unique context for studying communication about the social and personal expectations about health behaviors. The theory of normative social behavior (TNSB; Rimal & Real, 2005) provides a framework for testing the role of social and psychological influences on handwashing behaviors among child care workers. A cross-sectional survey of child care workers in 21 centers indicates that outcome expectations and group identity increase the strength of the relationship between descriptive norms and handwashing behavior. Injunctive norms also moderate the effect of descriptive norms on handwashing behavior such that when strong injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are positively related to handwashing, but when weak injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are negatively related to handwashing. The findings suggest that communication interventions in child care centers can focus on strengthening injunctive norms in order to increase handwashing behaviors in child care centers. The findings also suggest that the theory of normative social behavior can be useful in organizational contexts.
    Notes:
    Funded by: United Stated Department of Agriculture, National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (NIFSI), Project Title: Improving Hygienic and Food Preparation Practices in Day Care Centers. Role in Project: Maria Lapinski, Principal Investigator with Dr. Ewen Todd and others. Project Period: 9/1/2008 - 8/2012. The entity of the study materials are here. https://handwashing.nmsu.edu/ The messages uploaded here were created based on the study cited above and unpublished field experiment.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1080/10410236.2012.738322
    Publisher:
    Informa UK Limited
    Pub. Date:
    2013-5-17
    Journal:
    Health Communication
    Volume:
    29
    Issue:
    3
    Page Range:
    219 - 232
    ISSN:
    1041-0236,1532-7027
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    2 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial

    Downloads

    Item Name: pdf lapinski-anderson-shugart-todd-2013.pdf
      Download View in browser
    Activity: Downloads: 12

    Back to Deposits