Professor’s Health Communication Research Addresses Women’s Health Taboos Through Social Marketing

Assistant Professor of Communication Beth Sundstrom’s research on social media and women in the postpartum period appears on the cover of Social Marketing Quarterly, released in June 2014.

In her article, “Breaking Women’s Health Taboos: Integrating Diffusion of Innovations Theory with Social Marketing,” Sundstrom examines the relationship between biological mothers of newborns and their decision-making processes, specifically related to their communication behaviors, system norms and social networks.

RELATED: Read Sundstrom’s article

Social Marketing Quarterly cover art by Mary Pepin

Sundstrom’s research, which began in 2011 as her traditional dissertation, revealed findings that surprised her and that related directly to her focus area of health communication campaigns.

“I did not start out thinking that I was going to do a lot of research in social media, but I was surprised to consistently find how relevant social media is to women’s health,” Sundstrom said. “Participants looked to online social networks and social media to escape the norms that they feel create a taboo around women’s health issues. In their daily lives they may feel judged, but through social media they can discuss issues openly.”

Mothers of newborns receive advice from many parties. For a health communications campaign to be heard among the many messages surrounding women’s health, Sundstrom asserts, “the first step is to listen to your audience. You’re not going to be effective in telling people to change their behaviors until you learn about their current behaviors and concerns they have.”

“Breaking Women’s Health Taboos” is potentially the first in a series of articles based on her dissertation. Sundstrom hopes the findings will help her colleagues in the health communication field to appeal to their target audiences.

“I think these findings are really relevant, first for health communicators and then for physicians. I would hope this research shows that women aren’t just listening to their doctors’ advice and then applying it with 100 percent adherence, but that they’re doing their own research and listening to their bodies and speaking with members of their social networks.”

Sundstrom completed a one-year health communications capstone course for senior communication majors in spring 2014. She will teach “Analysis of Communication Practice: Media Writing and Strategic Communication” to undergraduates in fall 2014.