Research additional information on the case studies featured in this chapter and analyze and present it in detail.

Case Studies:

Mental Health

Why Wellness

As youth throughout the United States “struggle daily with issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, bullying, and suicide” (Hannah, Reilly, and Sun, 2013), the WhyWellness case study features collaborative work between academia and the private sector that leverages the use of the Internet and cell phones to provide emotional health information, support, and role modeling to children and to help them address stress and other mental, emotional, and behavioral issues. The intervention uses an online virtual world—“an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create [both characters and] objects” (Bishop, 2009)—and games to promote mental health and prevention of social and emotional issues and mental disorders among older children and teens, and seeks to incorporate in future programming other strategies and activities that would also engage significant adults, such as parents, teachers, and caretakers.

“BodyLove”

The first of the two case studies under this category discusses a communication intervention to address chronic disease disparities among low-literacy African Americans living in rural communities. “BodyLove” uses a radio serial drama format and on-air community leader engagement “to increase knowledge, positively change attitudes, improve self-efficacy, and connect listeners with local health services” (Chen, Kohler, Schoenberger, Suzuki-Crumly, Davis, and Powell, 2009). Future directions include program expansion in other regions and urban areas of the United States as well as the integration of elements of the current program with traditional and new media.