Promoting Community Health and Understanding of Science Topics by Reading Graphic-Style Stories Aloud Together

Bibliographic Data

ID21650603
AuthorsEshika Kohli (0009-0002-5882-7687, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA), Edith Morris (0000-0003-4979-8597, University of Cincinnati Evaluation Services Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA), Jaqueline Humphries (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA), Susan Gertz (0000-0002-0750-1268, Miami University Center for Science Education, Oxford, OH, USA), Keren Mabisi (0000-0002-8242-8419, University of Cincinnati Evaluation Services Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA), Susan Hershberger (Miami University Center for Science Education, Oxford, OH, USA), Melinda Butsch Kovacic (0000-0001-6907-1446, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume50
Issue5
Pages658-661
Publication date2023-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Education & Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1090-1981 • E-ISSN: 1552-6127
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10901981231159681
PMID37021378
OpenAlexW4362657384
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited4

Limited health literacy and access to engaging, relevant, understandable health promotion and disease prevention materials are barriers to achieving and maintaining health. The We-Engage-4-Health program co-created the graphic-style story “Foamy Soap Fun” with community members to reinforce the importance of the primary preventive strategy—handwashing—in limiting spread of COVID-19. Pre/postsurveys were administered, and a modified focus group was conducted to learn community participants’ preferences for reading stories (aloud together and/or silently to themselves), versus reading typical health promotion information sheets. Three themes were identified related to reading the story aloud: increased enthusiasm, increased attentiveness, and improved interpretation skills, vocabulary, and information processing skills. Educational constructs included: empathy with the story’s characters, engagement with previous health experiences, enthusiasm with sharing health information, and explanation of complex health topics. This study supports the value of graphic-style stories in helping communities to better understand the science behind health topics

Art · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Multimedia · Pedagogy · Reading aloud · Visual arts · Computer Science · Digital Storytelling and Education · Innovative Teaching Methods · Problem and Project Based Learning · Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access