A pilot test of the acceptability and efficacy of narrative and non-narrative health education materials in a low health literacy population

Abstract

Although entertainment-education narratives are increasingly being used to communicate health information to a diversity of populations, there is limited evidence examining the use of narrative health education videos in low compared with adequate health literacy populations. There are also very few studies directly comparing narrative materials to more traditional, non-narrative materials. Because individuals with low health literacy are less likely than those with adequate health literacy to benefit from health communication interventions, it is especially important to develop an evidence base supporting the use of narrative health education materials in low literacy populations. This study extends knowledge on the use of narrative health education materials in populations with low health literacy by conducting a randomized trial comparing the acceptability and efficacy (knowledge gain) of two fact-equivalent films, one in a narrative and one in a non-narrative format, on individuals with adequate and low health literacy. This study finds that while both films were well-accepted and produced knowledge gains, the narrative film was more effective in this regard. This effect occurred regardless of health literacy level, indicating that narrative health communication materials are appropriate for individuals with low health literacy and do not exacerbate existing health disparities. These findings add to a small but growing body of evidence testing narrative health education materials in individuals with low health literacy, and provide new evidence supporting narrative, entertainment-education style video as a health communication tool to help reduce health literacy-related health disparities.

A Self-Help Guided Psychoeducational Intervention for Indonesian Women with Breast Cancer Symptoms: Development and Pilot Feasibility Study

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Narrative risk messages increase uptake and sharing of health interventions in a hard-to-reach population: A pilot study to promote milk safety among Maasai pastoralists in Tanzania

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Producing and using community health education films in low- and middle-income countries

“…Of the 18 films in the company's collection, four films utilised a narrative format and 14 films adopted a non-narrative format. While a non-narrative format can present information directly to viewers, health information woven into a narrative or story may be more useful for learning, particularly in low health literacy populations (Moran et al, 2016). Given that the production company is seeking to produce more narrative-based films, principles of anchored instruction may provide a useful framework to encourage viewers to critically engage with and discuss the depicted content, potentially equipping them with a tool to formulate solutions to the health issues affecting the contexts in which they live and work (Bransford et al, 1990).…”