A Participatory Media Framing Model for Public Health Campaigns

Thesis Abstract

This study addresses a persistent gap in public health communication where top-down campaigns often fail to resonate with diverse communities due to limited recipient agency in framing health messages. It investigates how participatory media framing can enhance campaign effectiveness by integrating community voices into the construction, dissemination, and evaluation of health messages. The aim is to develop and validate a Participatory Media Framing Model (PMFM) that explicates how stakeholder collaboration shapes message framing, dissemination pathways, and perceived credibility, thereby improving behavioral intentions and health outcomes. Specific objectives are (1) to identify how community members, health professionals, and media practitioners collaboratively generate health frames; (2) to examine the impact of participatory framing on message processing, engagement, and trust using a multi-level framework; (3) to assess how contextual factors (cultural norms, digital access, and local power dynamics) mediate framing effects; (4) to operationalize a measurable PMFM and test its predictive validity for campaign outcomes; and (5) to provide actionable guidelines for implementing participatory framing in public health campaigns across diverse settings. A mixed-methods design is employed, combining qualitative explorations with a quantitative validation phase. The study is conducted in three urban communities across two regions with high prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The population includes 60 community leaders, 40 health communicators, and 20 media practitioners for the qualitative phase, and a larger sample of 1,200 residents for the quantitative phase. Purposive sampling will recruit participants for in-depth interviews and focus groups to elicit framing practices, followed by a stratified random sample for survey administration. Data collection instruments include semi-structured interview guides, participatory workshop protocols, and a validated survey instrument measuring perceived message centrality, trust, engagement, and behavioral intentions. The PMFM will be specified through an iterative process combining grounded theory coding with social constructivist insights and theories of framed health communication and participatory action research. Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically using NVivo, with inter-coder reliability assessed (Cohen’s kappa >0.80). Survey data will be analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test hypothesized pathways from participatory framing to engagement and intended health behaviors, with model fit indices (CFI, TLI >0.90; RMSEA <0.08) guiding refinement. Regression analyses will identify moderating effects of digital literacy, language proficiency, and trust in institutions. A nested analytical approach will integrate qualitative insights to interpret SEM results and to triangulate findings across data sources. Key expected findings include (a) evidence that participatory framing produces more locally resonant messages with higher perceived relevance and credibility; (b) improved engagement metrics (time spent with content, sharing behavior, and recall) and increased intention to adopt recommended health practices among residents exposed to participatory-framed campaigns; (c) identification of critical framing elements (tone, source saliency, and cultural metaphors) that mediate message acceptance; and (d) validation of the PMFM as a robust predictor of campaign outcomes across heterogeneous communities. The study anticipates discovering contextual mediation where digital access and community governance influence the strength of framing effects and where participatory co-creation yields durable trust in health information sources. The study contributes to knowledge by operationalizing a theoretically grounded, practically applicable Participatory Media Framing Model that links co-created message frames to engagement and behavior in health campaigns, filling gaps in both framing theory and participatory communication research. It extends agenda-setting and framing theories by integrating participatory action processes and by delineating mechanisms through which community-driven frames transform message reception. Policy and practice implications include scalable guidelines for stakeholder engagement, workshop protocols for co-creating messages, and evaluation tools for ongoing monitoring of participatory framing impact. The main conclusion is that embedding participatory framing processes within public health campaigns enhances resonance, trust, and behavioral intent, with robust empirical support across diverse urban contexts; recommendations emphasize capacity-building for community facilitators, iterative framing cycles, integration with digital health platforms, and embedding PMFM-informed evaluation in standard campaign practices.