'Feeling Good' Television Series
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 134 227 IR 004 433 AUTHOR Mielke, Keith V.; Swinehart, James W. TITLE Evaluation of the Feeling Good', Television Series. INSTITUTION Children's Television Workshop, New York, N.Y. PUB DATE 76 NOTE 421p.; For related document, see IR 004 434 AVAILABLE FROMChildren's Television Workshop, 1 Lincoln Plaza, New York, New York 10023 EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 Plus Postage. HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Adult Programs; Behavior Change; Evaluation Methods; *Health Education; *Program Evaluation; Programing (Broadcast); *Public Television; Research Design; Summative Evaluation; Television Research; Television Surveys; *Television Viewing 1 IDENTIFIERS *Childrens Television Workshop; *Feeling Good; Gallup Surveys; National Opinion Research Center; Nielsen Surveys; Public Broadcasting Service; Response Analysis Corporation ABSTRACT This report provides an overview of the:development and evaluation of an experimental television series for adult viewers on health care. The:series was produced by-theChildren's Television Workshop and aired in prime time during 1974-1975 by the Public Broadcasting Service. The report-synthesizes results.of complementary impact studies conducted by four independent research,contractorst.a,. 791Antary_zievingby-Response-AnalySit-CdrPotation; an . irduced-viewing field experimert.by National-Opinion_Research_Centerl_,, four national surveys by Gallup Organization; and national audience estimates by A.C. Nielsen Company. Chapters one.and two describe the development of the series, summative-research plans and findings. Chapters three and four examine-media strategy issues concerning public television and its audience; and findings of the behavioral outcomes related to 24 specific health topics covered in the series. Limitations of.the evaluation process, implications of theresearch findings, and suggestions for studies are:discussed in the last two chapters. A summary of this report appears as a separate ERIC document. (SC) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality* * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * *********************************************************************** Evaluation of the U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HASBEEN REPRO- DUCED ExAcTL Y AS RECEIVEDFROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATIONORIGIN. t A TING IT POINTS Of. VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILy REPRE- SENT 0cIciAt NATIONAL INSTITLITFOF EDUCATION POSITION ow PoLIC Y Television Se-ges Pf.u141S,,10% VI.PWOOL/CF (.0Py,r,4,f() Vail VIA,BY MICRO. 'FICHE ONLY .,AS PEI N r.RANYFD flY -Damaa J Suinehazt To r a IC AN,T) of.rGANIZAT:ONS OPFR'AT NI. :NDI V AUVF THE NA 11011A; ,1.51,1011 01 I OuCATION Keith W Mielke ;11114111f, PIQOP.,CIC\ 0111001 THII 4,( Vf rjuIRrs 01 RMIs Indiana University `,011. 06 T441 0ANI Id James W. Swinehart Children's Television Workshop 2 GkildredsTeleirtsionciVirlcskop REPORTS OF "FEELING GOOD" SUMMATIVE RESEARCH . Keith W. Mielke and James W. Swinehart, Evaluation of the FEELING GOOD Television Series. New York: Children's Television Workshop, 1976. An overview of series development and evaluation, including a synthesis of studies conducted by the four independent research contractors cited below. Summary: Evaluation of the FEELING GOOD Television Series. New York: Children's Television Workshop, 1976. A condensation of the detailed report described above. Morris N. Cohen and Herbert I. Abelson, Impacts, Benefits, and . Consequencesof FEELING GOOD. Princeton, New Jersey: Response Analysis Corporation, 1976. A study conducted in Boston, Dallas, Jacksonville (Fla.), andSeattle to assess effects of voluntary viewing. Osing nail questionnaires, approximately 4,000 adults responded before, during, and after the test interval of November 20, 1974--May 21, 1975.Subgroups of a panel effects control group (not pretested) received either amid- series or a post-series measure. Michael J. Minor and Norman M. Bradburn, The _Effects of Viewing,FEELING GOOD: Results from a Field Experiment in a Low-IncomeCommnhity. - Chicago: NationalOpinion Research Center, 1976. A field experiment with substantial low-incame andminority represen- tation (all female), conducted in Dallas, Texas, using personal and telephone interviews (N=400+). Random assignment to a group induced to view and be interviewed, a group induced only to beinterviewed, or a group receiving no inducements;sub-categories added later were based on actual viewing experience. Interview waves before, during and after the test interval of November 20, 1974--May14, 1975. The National Audience for FEELING GOOD. Princeton, New Jersey: The Gallup Organization, 1975. Four national surveys using personal interviews withindependent samples of 1,500+ adults each. Surveys were conducted betweed Decemblr 1974 and Jdne 1975. Assessed awareness of FEELING GOOD, sources of awareness, incidence of viewing, andincidence of selected health care practices. Nielsen Television Index Report on FEELING GOOD. New York: A. C. Nielsen Company, 1976. A brief summary of national audience natings forFEELING GOOD from November 1974 through January 1975 (Season A), April through June 1975 (Season B), and July through September 1975 (Season Brerun). The estimates are based on the Nielsen national Audimetersample of, TV households and include both Average Audience andTotal Audience figures. m , 3 . e""F taxi .41 Ii S' IRO selges 11119)1 6M elleM UWPUI AilAnAlun sewep Aft petiewAs ssuwPIN3 uoisimej dolimPoM 9/61. f7 Ip1176Rya uorYstapz clo7p)F914, ()COPYRIGHT 1976 BY: Children's Television Workshop 1 Lincoln Plaza New York, N. Y. 10023 , 5 i CONTENTS ..pas.st Annotated list of FEELING GOOD Summative Research Reports lnsiaa front cover List of Tables Foreword Summary CHAPTER ONE: DEVELOPMENT OF THE. SERIES Introduction Phase I: Preparation of the Proposal Phase II: Preparation fot the Series 6 Production of "Season A" in Phase III Topics and Goals 8 Target Audiences 12 Sequencing of Topics and Goals 13 Development of the Series (Season A) Vehicle 14 The Pilot Program 15 Series Promotion 16 Community Education Serovices (CES) 18 The Station Experiments 2Q The Change to Season B 23 Coverage of Topics by Program Number andAir Date 24 CHAPTER TWO: THE SUMMATIVE RESEARCH PLAN Background and Development -27 Alternative Design Considerations 28 Tha Initial Summative Research Program 31 Introduction 31 The Four-City Study of Voluntary 'Viewing: Original Design 33 ii page Induced Viewing Field Experiment 37 The Community Monitoring Study 42 National Surveys 42 National Audience Estimates 43 Collective Assessment of the Designs 47 Effects of the Change to Season A on the Summative Research Designs 47 Revisions in the Four-City Study of Voluntary Viewing 47 Revisions in the Induced Viewing Field Experiment 57 Demographic Profiles of Respondents in Four Studies 69 CHAPTER THREE: MEDIA ISSUES Systemic and Situational Constraints 80 Awareness and Viewing of Public Television 81 Attitudes Toward Health Series Concept and Public Television 84 Audience Availability 84 Awareness of FEELING GOOD 85 Season A and Season B: The Experiment Within anExperiment 93 Size of Audience 94 Viewing of Original vs. Repeat Broadcasts 94 Viewing of Multiple Programs 97 Partial Viewing 99 Audience Characteristics 101 Evaluative Reactions of Viewers 102 CHAPTER FOUR: EFFECTS OF VIEWING FEELING GOOD Introduction 111 Overview of Behavioral Goal Outcomes 112 Procedures 114 Results 116' Substantive vs. Statistical Significance 119' Introduction to Topic-Specific Findings 120 iii page Topic-Specific Findings Heart Disease 124 Alcoh61 Abuse and Alcoholism 132 Paren'ting 141 Menal Health 147 Nutrition 153 Breast Cancer 166 lsAccident Prevention and Control, and Medical Emergencies 186 Doctor/Patient Communication and Patients' Rights 194 Prenatal Care 206 Exercise 211 Vision 217 Dental Care 238 Stress 245 Hypertension 251 Hearing 266 Allied Health Personnel 273 Health Insurance 276 Uterine Cancer 278 Immunizations 284 Colon-Rectum Cancer .288 Other Findings Physical Examinaticns 290 Health Interest and Information-Seeking 297 Fatalism/Control 306- General Health Self-Assessments 308 CHAPTER FIVE: EVALUATION ISSUES 311 iv Page. CHAPTER SIX: RESEARCH AND POLICY EXTENSIONS FROM THE FEELING GOOD EXPERIMENT Introduction 323 Research Extensions 323 Relating Formative Research Measures and Summative Evaluation 324 Relating Production Eredents to Resnonse Measures 324 Secondazy Analyses Comparisons with Other Programs 330 Programming for a Younger Target Audience 332 Longer-Term Assessments of Program impact 332 General Policy Issues and Questions 333 Cadbining "Messages" and Entertainment 333 Series vs. Specials 334 Schedvling Strategy 335 Commercial vs. Public Broadcasting 336 Broadly- vs. Narrowly-Defined Target Audiences 337 Applicability of the "CTW Model" to FEELING GOOD 338 Experimental vs. Service Delivery Functions 339 APPENDICES A. Sources of Funding 342 B. National Advisory Council 343 C. Research Advisory Committee 344 D. Task Forces