Public reaction to the death of Steve Jobs: implications for cancer communication.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey (graded Level 4 by design analogy for non-clinical communication research)
PubMed 24716627 · doi:10.1080/10810730.2013.872729
What was done
Shortly after the death of Steve Jobs, researchers conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey among employees (N = 1,398) at a large university in the Southeastern United States. The survey measured awareness of his death, knowledge of the cause of death, general and pancreatic cancer-specific information seeking, and interpersonal communication. Multivariate logistic regression and mediation analyses evaluated the roles of personal identification with Steve Jobs and cancer worry while controlling for demographics and cancer-oriented variables.
What was found
All respondents (100%) had heard about Steve Jobs's death, and 97% correctly identified pancreatic cancer as the cause. General information seeking was reported by 50% and pancreatic cancer-specific seeking by 7%; general interpersonal communication was reported by 74% and pancreatic cancer-specific communication by 17%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that identification with Steve Jobs and cancer worry significantly (p < .05) predicted pancreatic cancer information seeking and interpersonal communication. Cancer worry partially mediated the effects of identification on both outcomes.
Why it matters
The study demonstrates how celebrity deaths can prompt targeted health information seeking and interpersonal discussion, mediated by personal identification and cancer worry. This informs how public health communicators might anticipate and engage with public reaction following high-profile health-related media events.
Limits
The sample was restricted to employees of a single university in the Southeastern United States, limiting generalizability. The cross-sectional design relies on self-reported behaviors and cannot establish causality or long-term behavioral changes. The abstract does not provide exact effect sizes or confidence intervals.
Cited by
- supports Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer.