ABSTRACT
The first step in developing a tailored health communication program is to conduct
background research to fully understand the nature of the health problem to be addressed
and important characteristics of the population to be served. The ultimate objective is to
identify those factors most likely to influence a person’s motivation or ability to make
whatever changes in health or behavior are necessary to accomplish the program’s goals.
Once this set of factors has been identified, it is possible to measure an individual’s status
on each of them and, subsequently, tailor messages to each person’s unique needs based
