Individualized computer-tailored health communications messages are becoming widely used in health promotion programs focused on improving various health behaviors. Typical tailored health communications are assessment based and utilize information such as demographics, health behaviors, and theory-derived psychosocial variables to drive the tailoring algorithms and content of the feedback. In public health and community-based programs, contextual factors such as cultural and spiritual beliefs, organizational characteristics, social network information, and environmental and community resources may also be used to tailor and target the feedback content and format. Much of our research has focused on assessing the relative contribution and effects of tailored communications in the context of multi-component and multi-level intervention strategies involving community participation, as well as comparing delivery media such as print versus web. Examples from our recent research include examining the effectiveness of tailored newsletters to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and cancer screening in several randomized trials conducted with lower income and minority populations in North Carolina, including rural African American church members and blue-collar female workers. A recently completed study in a population-based sample, for example, showed that combining tailored print newsletters with motivational interviewing conducted via the telephone was more effective and cost effective for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption than either intervention alone. Implications for research and dissemination will be discussed.

<a href="http://chcr.umich.edu/who_we_are/people/person.2005-11-16.1695159383/person_view"><b>Marci Campbell</b></a> is an Associate Professor in Department of Nutrition, at
the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Dr.
Campbell's research focuses on nutrition behavior change for health
promotion and disease prevention. She is currently investigating health
communication strategies aimed at reducing risk factors for cancer and
chronic diseases in minority and underserved communities: 1)
effectiveness of computer- generated, individually tailored nutrition
education programs on dietary assessment and psychosocial theories of
behavior change in promoting dietary changes for disease prevention, 2)
use of a lay-health-adviser approach to increase social support for
behavior changes; 3) impact of organization and environmental
approaches to encouraging healthy behaviors.Dr. Campbell is a member of
the American Dietetic Association, the American Public Health
Association, and is program leader for prevention and control at the
Lineberger Cancer Center.<a href="http://chcr.umich.edu/who_we_are/people/person.2005-11-16.1695159383/person_view"></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span><br>