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Health & Wellness
Our actions have an enormous impact on our individual and collective health outcomes. Despite the availability of nearly endless health information on the internet, somehow we’re not all sleeping enough, eating right, taking our medications, enrolling in health insurance, or engaging any number of other behaviors that are recommended for our health and wellness. We work with hospitals, health providers, creative agencies, NGOs, and foundations to understand the drivers of and barriers to health behavior and then design, test, deploy, and evaluate efforts to address them.
We are currently working on projects to increase Medicaid enrollment, support community health initiatives, understand psychological barriers to vaccination, support sustainable agriculture, and drive customer satisfaction with health providers. A few sample projects are described below and there’s a link at the bottom to get in touch, so feel free to reach out and tell us about what you’re working on and how we can help you!
Projects
Blue Shield of California
Funded by Blue Shield of California with support from the Climate Mental Health Network and Global Fund for Mental Health, we conducted an in-depth literature review and expert interviews to assess what is known about the impacts of climate change on mental health and explore possible intervention approaches to increase climate resilience in families, schools, and communities. The report, Climate Change and Youth Mental Health: Psychological Impacts, Resilience Resources, and Future Directions is broken into three sections:
- First, we synthesize a decade of research on the mental health impacts of climate change, with a focus on youth and those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).
- Next, we present a framework of evidence-informed strategies for coping with climate distress, and identify existing resources and programs to support those struggling with climate anxiety.
- We conclude with recommendations for future directions in climate anxiety research and program development to better support young people in the context of climate change. We highlight promising approaches in schools, families, communities, and clinical settings for climate anxiety support.
We hope that this work will serve as a resource on the importance of this topic and help those working on climate change and mental health to identify the most promising areas for future research and practice.
Evaluating the role of media in promoting a Culture of Health
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
We are the evaluator for Generation Food, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant on the role of media and community development in promoting a “culture of health” related to local food justice. This project is a collaboration between Raj Patel, the Detroit Narrative Agency, and the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network and seeks to support Detroit’s network of urban agriculture organizations with storytelling and capacity building. Our evaluation methods include monthly reflections from primary team members, media analysis of footage, activity tracking, and field notes from community gatherings. Preliminary findings indicate an increase in social capital among the Detroit food justice community and increased efficacy in telling their own food narratives and the project is scheduled to finish in June 2021.
Studying Women’s Health Behaviors
Health Agency
We were hired to develop content guidelines for women’s wellness exams and mammograms based on behavioral science theory and methods. We conducted a literature review on predictors, barriers, past messaging efforts, proposed draft messages, and potential variables for testing. We then administered an online survey to test hypotheses and support message development, and designed guidelines based on the literature and message testing findings.
Research to inform and improve medicaid enrollment
Health insurer
We were engaged by a regional Medicaid health provider as a research and strategy partner to better understand and meet the needs of their members. They are looking to learn and apply insights that can help them shore up current membership to stop leakage and crack the code on incentives that improve member satisfaction and retention. We are approaching these goals through a four stage research approach to uncover factors impacting communications strategies, and equip them to better understand and support current and prospective members. We are also developing an overarching assessment of member voice that can inform branding efforts and program development. Methods include surveys, interviews, conjoint modeling, persona development, and A/B message testing.
Intrigued? Let’s chat!