University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Director of Grant Development and PhD candidate Yulia Strekalova’s research paper “Language of Uncertainty: the Expression of Decisional Conflict Related to Skin Cancer Prevention Recommendations” was accepted by the Journal of Cancer Education.   Strekalova co-authored the paper with graduate student Vaughan James.

Abstract

User-generated information on the Internet provides opportunities for the monitoring of health information consumer attitudes. For example, information about cancer prevention may cause decisional conflict. Yet posts and conversations shared by health information consumers online are often not readily actionable for interpretation and decision-making due to their unstandardized format.

This study extends prior research on the use of natural language as a predictor of consumer attitudes and provides a link to decision-making by evaluating the predictive role of uncertainty indicators expressed in natural language. Analyzed data included free-text comments and structured scale responses related to information about skin cancer prevention options. The study identified natural language indicators of uncertainty and showed that it can serve as a predictor of decisional conflict. The natural indicators of uncertainty reported here can facilitate the monitoring of health consumer perceptions about cancer prevention recommendations and inform education and communication campaign planning and evaluation.

Posted: January 22, 2016
Category: Research News
Tagged as: Journal of Cancer Education, Vaughan James, Yulia Strekalova