ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
explore how Google data could be effective in identifying which stage of behavior change users are in based on how the questions they ask map onto the stages of change model in behavioral psychology. The stages of change, or the transtheoretical model of change, is a theoretical framework that helps describe behavior change in a series of 6 stages (Pro- chaska & DiClemente, 1983). Based on the categorical search volumes and referencing of the stages of change model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983), it might be shown that definitional questions about PFAS or forever chemicals (e.g., What are PFAS?) are asked by online information seekers in the precontemplation stage. Users quickly discover that PFAS harm human health and might begin asking how to avoid or filter PFAS from their
water, which would be an indication that they have entered the contemplation stage. This stage is where public health communicators can provide information to help communities enter the action stage with the best available knowl- edge to reduce PFAS exposure from drink- ing water supplies. Additional research could investigate how the content of PFAS education can be framed using high-volume keywords to increase personal relevance and elaboration (Sanner & Evans, 2019). Emphasis frames can manipulate the message content visually and/or contextually to emphasize the intended audi- ence’s interests (Cacciatore et al., 2015). With a distinct understanding of the target audience and descriptive data collected strate- gically, health communicators can emphasize related information to address their intended
audience’s interests, thereby further increas- ing the message’s effectiveness through align- ment with the audience. Future research will develop deeper insights based on more spe- cific audience groups that can be examined to increase the effectiveness of strategic com- munication campaigns and the influence of desired behavior change.
Acknowledgment: This study was financially supported by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.
Corresponding Author: Bret Shaw, PhD, Pro- fessor, Department of Life Sciences Commu- nication and Division of Extension, Univer- sity of Wisconsin–Madison, 314 Hiram Smith Hall, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Email: brshaw@wisc.edu
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