Evaluating Health Storytelling in Spanish-Language Television from a Communication Infrastructure Theory Perspective

Community organizations and ethnic media working with foreign household service workers: Applying communication infrastructure theory to migrant health

“…First, it aligns with health information acquisition literature in migrant health (e.g. Cheong, 2007;Cohen et al, 2010;Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2006;Wilkin et al, 2015) by validating that ethnic media were sources of health information. In particular, it shows that FHSWs who acquired health information from ethnic media were strategically targeted by broadcast programs and newspapers in HK.…”

“…Specifically, it highlights how different population and context may benefit from the health-promoting functions of ethnic media. Similar to Latino and Asian media (Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2006;Wilkin et al, 2015), radio stations (Hardyk et al, 2005), and Black newspapers (Cohen et al, 2010) in the United States, it shows how broadcast programs and newspapers connect FHSWs to local resources and additional health information. Ethnic media point FHSWs to qualified individuals (e.g.…”

“…Kim et al, 2011; Matsaganis et al, 2014) and Latinos and Hispanics (e.g. Cheong, 2007; Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2006; Wilkin et al, 2007; Wilkin et al, 2015) in the United States and Indonesian household service workers in HK (Oktavianus & Lin, 2023). The work of Oktavianus and Lin (2023) is pioneering because it was the first to use CIT to provide answers to question of “Who were the story-telling agents that Indonesian MDWs connected to during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how did they connect to these agents?” (p. 3).…”

“…targeted toward a specific ethnicity and/or community” (p. 300) and the ways they assist Latinos in addressing health concerns. Compared with mainstream media and the Internet, local Spanish-language TV and radio shows and newspapers were reported by Latinos as their most common sources of medical and health information (Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2006; Wilkin et al, 2015), specifically for those who were uninsured (Cheong, 2007). To illustrate, ethnic TV shows communicated information critical for preventing and/or managing diseases and addressing barriers to health recommendations (Wilkin et al, 2015).…”

“…Compared with mainstream media and the Internet, local Spanish-language TV and radio shows and newspapers were reported by Latinos as their most common sources of medical and health information (Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2006; Wilkin et al, 2015), specifically for those who were uninsured (Cheong, 2007). To illustrate, ethnic TV shows communicated information critical for preventing and/or managing diseases and addressing barriers to health recommendations (Wilkin et al, 2015). The availability of ethnic media in HK especially during the pandemic was important for Indonesian household service workers who were not proficient in English or Cantonese (Oktavianus & Lin, 2023).…”