Moving Toward Synergy: Media Supplementation in the Stanford Five-City Project

This study examines the process of media supplementation in the Stanford Five-City Multifactor Risk Reduction Project, a long-term trial of community-wide cardiovascular disease risk reduction conducted by Farquhar and associates. The data indicate that accessible awareness media disseminated early in the education campaign promoted use of information-rich depth media later on, demonstrating that supplementation occurred. Moreover, analyses suggest that awareness media prompted behavioral trials and information seeking through interpersonal discussion and print media. Results further imply that this information and support encouraged behavior change and enhanced self-efficacy. It is argued that the ability of a long-term, multifaceted campaign to promote complex interactions between media messages, interpersonal discussion, and individuals' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior over time is the strength of this kind of project-in other words, the possibility for synergy.