Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Health Education & Behavior
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Monahan, J. L.
Right arrow Articles by Scheirer, M. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Monahan, J. L.
Right arrow Articles by Scheirer, M. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The Role of Linking Agents in the Diffusion of Health Promotion Programs

Jennifer L. Monahan, MS

Department of Communication Arts and Theater, University of Maryland

Mary Ann Scheirer, PhD

Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD

This article examines the role of state health department dental offices as linking agents in the diffusion of an effective preventive health program, the fluoride mouth rinse program (FMRP) in public schools. The aim of this program is to prevent dental caries by a weekly mouthrinsing by elementary school students. In contrast to the tra ditional focus of diffusion research on characteristics of the innovation and character istics of the adopter, this study emphasizes an ecological approach, i.e., the transmittal mechanisms for diffusion. The state dental offices are examined as linking agents, which serve as program advocates or champions for diffusing the FMRP from the national level, where it was developed, to the thousands of local school districts and schools for adoption and continued delivery.

Using data from interviews with state dental directors and archival sources, a multi variate model was developed and used to explain the percent of a state's elementary schools using the mouthrinse program. The results support the key role of linking agents in disseminating effective health promotion programs into actual use. Implica tions are discussed for both research and practice.

Health Education & Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 4, 417-433 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/109019818801500404
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?