KOM5115 STATISTICS FOR COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
ASSIGNMENT 6
(10%)
Deadline: 31 December 2023, before 11:59pm (GMT+8)
Research Rationale
Cardiovascular disease is on the rise in Malaysia. A research report released by a panel of medical experts in June revealed that Malaysians are getting heart disease eight years younger than the global average. The average age of Malaysians who suffer a heart attack is 58, compared with 63 in Thailand and 68 in Singapore. The year 2021 leading cause of death is COVID- 19. Ischemic heart disease is the second leading cause of death among Malaysians. A great number of factors can lead to heart illness, including smoking, genetic factors, high blood pressure or cholesterol. Besides that, a sedentary life might make one more prone to this kind of critical illness.
There are different types of heart diseases which might require different treatments ranging from medications to surgeries such as bypass or angioplasty, which can be expensive. The average cost for the surgeries may differ from hospital to hospital. An average, uncomplicated coronary procedure may cost you between RM 30,000 to RM 70,000. Cost may differ depending on the medical institution. Critical illness and medical insurance coverage can help to provide you with the required treatment.
You are interested in the general problem of what factors seem to influence the communication behaviours of the respondents you selected on heart diseases. The variables that impacted the communication behaviours of the selected respondents are categorised using the independent variables presented by the Situational Theory of Publics (STP): problem recognition, constraint recognition and level of involvement. This study applies STP to better understand what is moving these respondents to acquire information about heart diseases to suggest what kinds of efforts the government should undertake to increase the respondents' awareness of managing their health.
Research Method
This study will test the effect of STP variables by using a survey method (offline or/and online). The survey instrument (refer to the survey questionnaire) was designed by the course instructor of KOM5115. A convenience sample and snowball sample will be employed in this study. Respondent recruitment is conducted based on the researcher's choice (i.e., the student or youths). The minimum sample size for this research should be 50.
Expected outcomes
The study's findings would have both theoretical and practical implications. On a practical level, this study provides practical guidance on how and with whom to communicate public campaigns related to heart diseases. In terms of heart diseases, it suggests the strategic management of online health information users, who are the target of health communication activities. These professionals should consider the possible benefits of employing media sources that communicate health information to audiences. On a theoretical level, the findings advance public situational theory into health communication and improve its prediction capacity by identifying the possible influence of situational factors on the context of noncommunicable illnesses.
Based on the data that you have collected for heart disease research, compile the following analyses into a document. All analyses must come with interpretation.
1. Dummy coding sheet
2. Dictionary printed from SPSS
3. Normality check and data interpretation
4. Cronbach’s Alpha and data interpretation
5. Demographic profile and data interpretation
6. Types of media use (Sections C & D) to obtain health information and data interpretation
7. Independent T-test and data interpretation, answering the following hypothesis:
H₁: There is a significant difference between gender in the situational recognition.
8. Pearson correlation and data interpretation, answering the following hypotheses:
H₂: The higher problem recognition on heart diseases leads to higher information seeking.
H₃: The lower constraint recognition on heart diseases leads to higher information seeking.
H₄: The higher level of involvement in heart diseases leads to higher information seeking.
9. One-way ANOVA and data interpretation, answering the following hypothesis:
H5 : There is a significant difference between ethnicity in information seeking and information processing.
10. Which factors contribute to communication behaviour? (Multiple Regression Analysis)