Edgar project aims to make better health campaigns

Tim Edgar sometimes wishes that he could talk about his research, but often he can do so only in general terms. For, Edgar carries on his research in a corporate setting, and in many cases he’s restricted about what he can say by his client’s need for keeping his projects proprietary.

Edgar is employed as a Senior Study Director by Westat, a firm that does contract research projects, most often for U.S. government clients. Located in Rockville, Maryland, Westat takes on projects in one of two manners: either through a contract with particular specifications, or as a result of work done for a general services contract, essentially where an agency purchases a set amount of Westat’s time and resources to work on projects of the agency’s choosing.

One of Westat’s general services contracts is with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and, with the permission of the CDC, Edgar has been able to discuss one of his projects as an example of the kind of work he has been able to do in this setting.

Westat was approached by Dr. Galen Cole, a Senior Scientist in the CDC’s Office of Communication, which is headed by long-time NCA member Vicki Freimuth. The communication area is relatively new at the CDC, and its staff has grown rapidly. As the staff began to initiate more and more health information campaigns, Cole and others decided that a standard model for constructing the campaigns needed to be developed. In discussing the project, Cole and Edgar focused on designing a CD-ROM disc that could become part of a CDC multimedia training project on health promotion campaign design.

Edgar and his Westat team reviewed existing models of campaign design and consulted with experts in health promotion. The framework that resulted should be a familiar one to communication scholars: (1) problem definition; (2) problem analysis; (3) communication program planning; (4) program evaluation and development; (5) program implementation and management; and (6) feedback. Content and graphic design teams then worked to develop the product in a manner that could be used in training to lead CDC professionals through the six step process but which could also be used on the job as a reference tool. Cole and other CDC staff were consulted heavily during the development process.

The CD-ROM contains an introductory audio description, a short movie, a workbook that allows development of specific projects, an online tutorial, and a glossary of health communication terms. Edgar is particularly proud of a "reference kiosk" that remains accessible as screens change and which can provide information that is tailored to whatever phase of the process is being referenced at that moment. The tools in the kiosk are labeled HEALTH, which stands for How to Answer; Examples; Available Resources; Learning More (which provides a bibliography); Tools for Research (which provides a tutorial on eighteen different research methods); and Helpful Hints. Also included is a project manager, which is done in spreadsheet format so that the management file can readily be imported into other software.

The CD-ROM has been enthusiastically received at the CDC, and plans are underway to distribute it beyond the agency.

Edgar is particularly pleased that the CD-ROM is heavily grounded in the communication literature. Bibliographies and online help reference communication sources, and the 15-person development team drew from rhetorical and visual communication knowledge to create a product that is engaging to the eye and the mind and that provides an adequate amount of initial information, along with opportunities to access information in depth.

Edgar was also pleased that the product leads health campaigners away from the standard design of creating a public service announcement, a poster and a brochure, to being more creative about how to present messages. Skills of audience analysis and an emphasis on evaluation, both during the project development and after the campaign has begun, are heavy components of the CD-ROM’s design. And, the team worked hard to insure that even someone who is "computer-phobic" would find the product easy to use.

While not all of his projects will make as strong an impact, Edgar generally enjoys the work he does at Westat. He’s pleased that there is enough funding to do the research "right," using national samples of "real people" instead of students. Since many of his projects involve interviews, he commented that he has been especially touched by the opportunity to hear people talk about how their illnesses affect their lives. It’s gratifying to him to be able to generate knowledge and products that will prevent those illnesses and help people to live in a healthier manner.