About

Kang Namkoong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and serves as the Director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication. His research focuses on the interrelationships between emerging media and health communication, including the effects of web- and mobile-based eHealth systems, cancer communications, occupational health and safety education, and mental health interventions. His work encompasses treatment-oriented health interventions and prevention-oriented health campaigns, aiming to understand how interactive communication technologies impact physical and psychological health benefits and address health disparities among underserved populations. Dr. Namkoong has published extensively in prestigious journals and has received extramural grants from government agencies such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). His current research explores the potential of mobile and immersive media technologies for public health interventions, including developing smartphone-based health communication apps and virtual and augmented reality interventions to promote health and safety outcomes in rural communities. His contributions advance the understanding of digital health communication, emphasizing user engagement, health disparities, and innovative technological solutions for public health challenges.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Social psychology
• Political Science
• Clinical psychology
• Applied psychology
• Psychiatry
• Advertising
• Medical education
• Gerontology
• Endocrinology
• Nursing
• Engineering
• Environmental health
• Internal medicine
• Business
• Psychotherapist

Selected publications

• Using a Farm Safety Checklist to Assess Learner Performance Following a Safety Education Training

  Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  article

  HIGHLIGHTS: Percent agreement score showed moderate acceptability in preparing participants to complete the SFS application. Using self-directed learning to guide the training provided evidence for successful SFS application completion. Researchers plan to modify the self-directed learning approach to increase future SFS training success rates. ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the use of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) and Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) to improve the accuracy of adult educators' completion of the Safe Farm Steward (SFS) application. PBA is a form of assessment commonly utilized in youth education, but there is limited evidence of its implementation among adults. Through implementing SDL, the researchers introduced a farm safety model to extension agents, agriculture teachers, and college professors to improve their performance assessment. The cohort attended a three-day professional development training followed by farm visitations; the training and visitations employed materials that incorporated SDL techniques. This study's findings indicate that the professional development training was moderately acceptable in preparing the cohort to accurately complete the SFS application. Though the cohort did not meet the expected score on each individual construct, the overall PBA demonstrated moderate acceptability compared to the expected score. The researchers highlight gaps in professional development where recommendations for improvement could be made.

  PublisherDOI

• Examining the Presence of Youth-Adult Partnership in Secondary Agricultural Educations: A Longitudinal Study

  Journal of Agricultural Education · 2025-03-04

  articleOpen access

  The CROPS project began seven years ago with the intent of saving the lives of farmers and changing the behavioral safety intentions of teenage farm youth, through secondary agricultural education. Participating teachers from the ten-state region engaged in a three-day training that prepared them for content delivery through the tenets of the Youth-Adult Partnership (YAP) Theory. The purpose of the longitudinal qualitative study was to explore if the teachers a part of the CROPS project were engaging youth in the principles of YAP and to determine what elements of the theory of Authentic Decision-Making (Natural Mentors, Reciprocal Activity, and Community Connectedness) were present, through the interviews of randomly selected participating students (n = 263), over a six-year period, within 69 focus groups. After a thorough coding process, the students revealed 253 examples of YAP present. Natural Mentoring was determined to be the most prevalent and Authentic Decision-Making was deemed to be deficient. The interviews revealed growth in the presence of YAP over the six-year period, which is due to the modifications made in the training process; however, recommendations are provided to further elevate delinquencies and areas where YAP should be improved.

  PublisherDOI

• Unveiling the Effect of Repeated Exposure to Agricultural Injury News: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Journal of Agromedicine · 2025-10-31

  articleCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States, especially for children. Despite considerable efforts to develop and implement interventions that protect children, the burden of agricultural injury and disease remains a stubborn and multifaceted public health concern. This study examined the effects of repeated exposure to agricultural injury news on farm parents' risk perception and behavioral intentions for farm safety practices. The study also examined the roles of existing self- and response-efficacy in the effect of agricultural injury news consumption on behavioral intention. METHODS: In 2021 and 2022, the study team conducted a field experiment where farm parents were randomly assigned to an intervention group (reading weekly child agricultural injury news articles for 4 weeks) and a control group (reading weekly non-injury "farm life" articles for 4 weeks). Participants completed online pre- and post-test surveys before and after intervention. The PROCESS model was employed to test research hypotheses, and 162 participants were included in the analyses. RESULTS: The results showed that repeated exposure to agricultural injury news increased farm parents' perceived severity of agricultural incidents; in turn, perceived severity enhanced their behavioral intention to adopt agricultural safety practices. The partial moderated mediation analysis shows that the indirect effect of perceived severity between repeated news exposure and behavioral intention to adopt farm safety practices were not dependent on farm parents' levels of self- and response-efficacy. CONCLUSION: These results imply that agricultural injury news consumption could be a viable intervention to reduce U.S. childhood agricultural injury and fatality. Findings may also lead to additional lines of research, including similar testing with different groups of agricultural stakeholders, expansion to adults, and safety intervention research for other industries.

  PublisherDOI

• Developing the Digital Health Communication Maturity Model: Systematic Review

  Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2025-01-29 · 4 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Digital health has become integral to public health care, advancing how services are accessed, delivered, and managed. Health organizations increasingly assess their digital health maturity to leverage these innovations fully. However, existing digital health maturity models (DHMMs) primarily focus on technology and infrastructure, often neglecting critical communication components. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review addresses gaps in DHMMs by identifying deficiencies in user communication elements and proposing the digital health communication maturity model (DHCMM). The DHCMM integrates critical health communication dimensions such as satisfaction, engagement, personalization, and customization to provide a comprehensive evaluation framework. METHODS: We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to conduct a systematic review of studies selected from 3 databases: EBSCO, PubMed, and ProQuest. Studies were screened and included based on their focus on digital health maturity and communication elements, with the final selection limited to English-language research addressing DHMMs. RESULTS: Of the 1138 initially identified studies, 31 (2.72%) met the inclusion criteria. Current DHMMs heavily emphasize infrastructure while overlooking user engagement and communication; for instance, only 35% (11/31) of the reviewed models incorporated user satisfaction, and less than one-fifth (6/31, 19%) addressed personalization or customization. The DHCMM addresses these gaps with 7 maturity levels, ranging from initial to engaged, and emphasizes user-centered metrics and governance. Quantitative analysis showed substantial variations in communication metrics, with satisfaction metrics incorporated at an average rate of 22% (7/31) across the reviewed models. CONCLUSIONS: The DHCMM shifts the focus of digital health maturity assessments by emphasizing communication and user engagement. This model provides health care organizations with a structured framework to enhance digital health initiatives, leading to better patient outcomes and system-wide efficiencies. The model delivers actionable insights for organizations aiming to achieve advanced digital maturity by addressing underrepresented dimensions. Future research should implement and refine the DHCMM across diverse health care contexts to enhance its effectiveness. The adoption of this model could result in more equitable, user-centered health care systems that integrate technological advancements with human-centered care.

  PublisherDOI

• Developing the Digital Health Communication Maturity Model: Systematic Review (Preprint)

  2024-11-04

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Digital health has become integral to public health care, advancing how services are accessed, delivered, and managed. Health organizations increasingly assess their digital health maturity to leverage these innovations fully. However, existing digital health maturity models (DHMMs) primarily focus on technology and infrastructure, often neglecting critical communication components. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This systematic review addresses gaps in DHMMs by identifying deficiencies in user communication elements and proposing the digital health communication maturity model (DHCMM). The DHCMM integrates critical health communication dimensions such as satisfaction, engagement, personalization, and customization to provide a comprehensive evaluation framework. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to conduct a systematic review of studies selected from 3 databases: EBSCO, PubMed, and ProQuest. Studies were screened and included based on their focus on digital health maturity and communication elements, with the final selection limited to English-language research addressing DHMMs. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Of the 1138 initially identified studies, 31 (2.72%) met the inclusion criteria. Current DHMMs heavily emphasize infrastructure while overlooking user engagement and communication; for instance, only 35% (11/31) of the reviewed models incorporated user satisfaction, and less than one-fifth (6/31, 19%) addressed personalization or customization. The DHCMM addresses these gaps with 7 maturity levels, ranging from &lt;i&gt;initial&lt;/i&gt; to &lt;i&gt;engaged&lt;/i&gt;, and emphasizes user-centered metrics and governance. Quantitative analysis showed substantial variations in communication metrics, with satisfaction metrics incorporated at an average rate of 22% (7/31) across the reviewed models. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> The DHCMM shifts the focus of digital health maturity assessments by emphasizing communication and user engagement. This model provides health care organizations with a structured framework to enhance digital health initiatives, leading to better patient outcomes and system-wide efficiencies. The model delivers actionable insights for organizations aiming to achieve advanced digital maturity by addressing underrepresented dimensions. Future research should implement and refine the DHCMM across diverse health care contexts to enhance its effectiveness. The adoption of this model could result in more equitable, user-centered health care systems that integrate technological advancements with human-centered care. </sec>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A feasibility study of Augmented Reality Intervention for Safety Education for farm parents and children

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2023-01-09 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Agriculture is one of the most dangerous U.S. occupations with high rates of injuries and fatalities, and especially more dangerous for children, having more young worker deaths than any other industry. Thus, safety education is essential in promoting safe and healthy working habits in agriculture. Augmented reality (AR) technology has great potential to enhance the effectiveness of safety education due to its high levels of system-user interactivity and media enjoyment. This study aims to: (1) develop Augmented Reality Intervention for Safety Education (ARISE), an AR 3D simulator that presents farm accident situations with immersive media technology, (2) examine the feasibility of ARISE, and (3) evaluate the potential of ARISE as an effective agricultural safety education program for farm parents and children. To test the feasibility of ARISE, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten parent-child dyads at an extension office located in Maryland. Participants were farmers who owned and operated a family farm(s) with their child or children ages 5–13. The interviews included asking participants questions about their perceptions of farm risks, sources of risk education, and protection methods. In the next step, participants used ARISE with researcher guidance. After using the application, participants were asked questions about their experience using ARISE and suggestions for improvement. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed following the conventional content analysis method. Three main themes emerged— demand (e.g., perceived risk and need for education; lack of farm safety education from school), acceptability (e.g., attitude toward AR technology; perceived realism; perceived ease of use; perceived usefulness), and implementation . These findings help us understand how an immersive experience can play an impactful role in enhancing agricultural safety. The feasibility of ARISE sheds light on the potential of AR technology for an innovative safety education program.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Identifying Major Components of Solutions-Oriented Journalism: A Review to Guide Future Research

  Journalism Studies · 2023-08-11 · 24 citations

  reviewSenior author

  ABSTRACTThis article reviews the peer-reviewed literature about solutions journalism and constructive journalism to unpack their components, as such emerging solutions-oriented approaches gain steam in journalistic practice and scholarly examination. We find that solutions-oriented journalism differs from problem-oriented journalism in its qualities, frames, scope, purpose, orientation, boundaries, and journalists' reporting processes. While solutions-oriented journalism prioritizes coverage of credible responses to social problems as a method for enhancing journalists' social responsibility, tensions exist over the nature of those responsibilities, especially in different national contexts. Using the components we identified, we suggest future research clarify the individual-societal levels of solutions-oriented journalism effects, explore how it differs in various media contexts and political systems, and investigate how diverse audiences perceive and are served by solutions-oriented approaches.KEYWORDS: Solutions journalismconstructive journalismsocial responsibility theory of the pressframingsystematic reviewjournalistic rolesjournalistic boundaries Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

  PublisherDOI

• The Potential of AI and ChatGPT in Improving Agricultural Injury and Illness Surveillance Programming and Dissemination

  Journal of Agromedicine · 2023-12-05 · 8 citations

  articleSenior author

  Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides unprecedented opportunities to improve injury surveillance systems in many ways, including the curation and publication of information related to agricultural injuries and illnesses. This editorial explores the feasibility and implication of ChatGPT integration in an international sentinel agricultural injury surveillance system, AgInjuryNews, highlighting that AI integration may enhance workflows by reducing human and financial resources and increasing outputs. In the coming years, text intensive natural language reports in AgInjuryNews and similar systems could be a rich source for data for ChatGPT or other more customized and fine-tuned LLMs. By harnessing the capabilities of AI and NLP, teams could potentially streamline the process of data analysis, report generation, and public dissemination, ultimately contributing to improved agricultural injury prevention efforts, well beyond any manually driven efforts.

  PublisherDOI

• Recruiting farm parents for a 6-week online child safety survey study using paid Facebook advertisements

  Frontiers in Communication · 2023-06-27 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Agricultural populations are a popular target for research due to the industry's dangerous conditions, unique work environments, and youth-including workforce. However, reaching and recruiting eligible participants is challenging and expensive when compared to other industries. We conducted a two-phase, multi-week paid advertising campaign on Facebook.com , varying delivery time, imagery, verbiage, and targeting methods to recruit U.S. farm parents for an online survey study investigating childhood agricultural safety. Advertisements were active for 4 weeks in fall 2021 and 3 weeks in winter 2022 at $1,500 per week. The fall recruitment targeted farm parents, depicting three farm-related images, while the winter recruitment targeted all parents, depicting farm-rescue trainings with firefighters. The fall recruitment garnered 5,535 link clicks with a reach of 233,690 ($1.07 per click). The winter recruitment garnered 8,602 clicks with a reach of 750,764 ($0.53 per click) and higher user engagement. A total of 1,439 participants began the screener questionnaire, a conversion rate of 10.18%. Of 815 completed responses, 271 met our inclusion criteria. One hundred and sixty-four participants completed the study: 45 from fall (27.6% dropout) and 119 (40% dropout) from winter. The overall attrition rate was 38.1% and cost per completed response was $64 USD. We successfully recruited our target sample size for this study. Notably, advertisement timing, imagery, and sampling frame likely affected performance. A screening questionnaire was imperative in identifying sham responses. These findings show that paid Facebook advertising can be a feasible recruitment tool to engage with a traditionally difficult to reach population with proper precautions and planning.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Virtual reality for public health: a study on a VR intervention to enhance occupational injury prevention

  Journal of Public Health · 2021 · 25 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Environmental health

  BACKGROUND: Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations in the USA. Especially, tractor rollover incidents are the leading cause of farming-related injuries or deaths. This study examines the effect of a VR intervention (Virtual Reality Intervention for Safety Education; VRISE) on behavioral intentions for occupational safety and identifies a psychological mechanism that shows how the immersive technology works. METHODS: VRISE was developed by a multidisciplinary team of agricultural educators, computer scientists and communication specialists. It was designed to provide a virtual environment where users practice tractor operation and try to avoid several rollover hazards. The participants (291 high school students) were recruited at the 2019 National Future Farmers Association Convention & Expo and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: two different types of control groups (Control1: No treatment group and Control2: 2D Screen group) and the treatment group. RESULTS: Findings show that, through the immersive VR experience, the VR intervention enhanced perceived threat of tractor-related accidents which in turn, led to improved behavioral intentions for tractor safety. CONCLUSIONS: Findings shed light on the effectiveness of a VR intervention to improve public health outcomes, especially in occupational safety education, where unsafe practices often result in injury and fatality.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Bryan Weichelt

  Children's Center

  10 shared

• Rick Burke

  Marshfield Clinic

  6 shared

• Junhan Chen

  Nanjing University

  5 shared

• Joan Mazur

  4 shared

• Stacy K. Vincent

  University of Kentucky

  4 shared

• Alex Preston Byrd

  3 shared

• Risto Rautiainen

  Nebraska Medical Center

  3 shared

• Emily Redmond

  University of Maryland, Baltimore County

  2 shared

Labs

• Center for Political Communication & Civic LeadershipPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of Wisconsin