Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2015 Open Access

Designing public communication about doulas: analyzing presence and absence in promoting a volunteer doula program

Rebecca A. Kuehl South Dakota State University ; Jenn Anderson South Dakota State University

Abstract

Expectant parents use health communication messaging to make decisions about their childbirth plans. Recently, women have increasingly chosen to use doulas, or people who provide non-medical support during childbirth. This essay analyzes how a hospital designed public communication through promotional efforts regarding their no-cost, volunteer doula program. We use rhetorical analysis to analyze 19 promotional texts. By analyzing these materials through the rhetorical method of presence and absence, we found that the health discourse related to the doula program gave presence to expectant mothers. Additionally, the benefits of doulas, especially in relation to fathers or partners, remained absent in promoting the volunteer doula program. Through specific communication design recommendations, we focus on how to improve this communication to increase the use of doulas in our community, and in other communities. We conclude with implications and limitations of the study.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2015-09-17
DOI
10.1145/2826972.2826979
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Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Gigante (2018)
    Argumentation by Self-Model: Missing Methods and Opportunities in the Personal …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Opel (2017)
    Designing online resources for safety net healthcare providers: users' needs an…
    Communication Design Quarterly

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