When Health Messages Feel Personal
When Health Messages Feel Personal: UTA Communication Research Looks Beyond Translation
Translating a public health message into Spanish is only part of the communication challenge.
New research from faculty and researchers in The University of Texas at Arlington's Department of Communication suggests that the way health information is framed can play an important role in how audiences receive it. This includes who delivers the message, whose experiences it reflects and how much room it gives people to make their own decisions.
The study, “Perceptions of Spanish-language COVID-19 video messaging among the Hispanic community: A qualitative study in the United States of America,” was published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Grace Ellen Brannon, Karishma Chatterjee, Chyng-yang Jang, Charla Markham Shaw, Vinicio Sinta and Julian Rodriguez.
While the newly published article focuses on interviews with 49 Hispanic participants, those interviews were part of a much larger research effort. The study represents the culmination of a three-year project that incorporated community engagement, focus groups, four rounds of panel surveys, development of Spanish-language television news reports and individual interviews.
That community connection was built directly into the research process. Local librarians and leaders of Hispanic-owned businesses participated in the broader project, while nine trained bilingual interviewers conducted interviews in three public county libraries.
More Than the Message
Participants viewed four Spanish-language video reports addressing different aspects of COVID-19 and vaccination. Researchers were interested not simply in whether viewers agreed with the messages, but in how they evaluated their credibility, relevance and usefulness.
The analysis used self-determination theory, which considers several factors that help explain people's motivation to act: autonomy, relatedness, competence and beneficence. In the interviews, those ideas appeared in very practical ways. Participants wanted credible information that allowed them to make their own decisions. They responded to people and stories they could relate to. They valued information that gave them the knowledge needed to act, while also considering how health decisions affected family and community.
One video provided a particularly clear example.
It featured an older Hispanic woman discussing vaccination in the context of spending time safely with her family. Participants frequently connected the woman with their own mothers, grandmothers and older relatives. One participant explained that an abuelita can be “the foundation of the whole family.” Researchers found the grandmother-centered story was among the most consistently relatable material shown to participants.
That finding points toward something more complex than simply placing culturally recognizable imagery into a message. The connection came from a familiar role, relationship and experience—family members caring for one another.
Information People Can Actually Use
Another theme concerned something much less emotional but equally important: practical information.
Participants wanted to know not only why they might take a health-related action but also how to do it. Information about where vaccines were available, their cost and access to free vaccination was viewed as useful. Videos discussing benefits without addressing these logistical questions could leave important information gaps.
For communicators, that distinction is significant. A message can be accurate and persuasive yet still fall short if audiences leave without information they can use.
The study also found a strong desire for autonomy. Even participants with positive attitudes toward vaccination frequently emphasized that individuals should have access to credible information while retaining the ability to make their own health decisions. The researchers suggest that less directive, human-centered approaches may therefore create greater resonance while reducing the resistance that can occur when audiences feel they are being told what to do.
Communication Research With Broader Applications
Although the project examined COVID-19 vaccination, its implications extend beyond one health issue.
The researchers suggest that human-interest storytelling, culturally relevant family and community relationships, respect for individual autonomy and clear actionable information could also inform communication surrounding other vaccinations and public-health initiatives.
The research ultimately demonstrates that effective communication involves more than delivering correct information in the appropriate language. It also requires understanding how audiences experience that information—and designing messages around the people, relationships and decisions that give it meaning.