Stigmatization of one or more discredited attributes has a profoundly negative social impact on stigmatized individuals. Researchers have applied narratives as a persuasion device to reduce stigma. However, the overall effect of narratives on stigma is yet known. This research synthesized and quantified the effect of narratives in reducing stigma and identifies moderating factors. Forty-six effect sizes were extracted from 40 articles investigating the effect of narratives on stigmatization in various stigmatized conditions. A small effect of narratives on reducing stigma was yielded, which indicated that narratives were effective in reducing stigma. Narratives constructed with the first-person point of view were to be superior in reducing stigma. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Background: For many years in the United States, there has been an active discussion about whether race concordance between care providers and patients contributes to better health outcomes. Although beneficial provider–patient communication effects have been associated with concordance, there is minimal evidence for concordance benefits to health outcomes.Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted including 200 Black mothers who had given birth within the last 2 years asking about the perceived racial identity of their birth health provider, whether they preferred to have Black women providers, and the intersection between race and gender concordance on birth outcomes. In addition to race and gender concordance, other variables were tested for their impact on birth satisfaction including respect, trust for the care provider, perceived competence, care provider empathy, and inclusive communication.Results: Forty‐one percent of the mothers in this study were assisted in birth by a Black woman provider. Although patient–provider concordance did not result in measurable health outcomes, it is clear that compared to other studies of birth satisfaction among Black birthing persons, this study showed relatively higher levels of satisfaction, perceived trust, empathy, perceived provider competence, inclusive communication, and equal respect for both concordant and discordant care providers.Conclusions: Although many participants showed a preference for race concordance, participants equally valued respect, competence, and trust with their care providers. Further community‐based research needs to be conducted to examine whether race, gender, and cultural concordance results in other beneficial health outcomes.Keywords: Black mothers and providers,Black OB/GYNs,concordance andhealth outcomes,health outcomesrace concordance in birth

Returning to work poses a challenge to new mothers’ breastfeeding success during the first 6 months postpartum. While previous research has shown that breastfeeding-related workplace policy plays a significant role in women’s decision to continue breastfeeding, the extent to which interpersonal factors such as coworkers’ (lack of) support and stigma affect women’s breastfeeding behavior is less understood. Through a cross-sectional survey with 500 working mothers, this research found that female coworker support of other women played an important role in affecting mothers’ decision to continue breastfeeding after returning to work and contributed to breastfeeding self-efficacy. The findings suggest that mothers’ perception of supportive coworker communication has an impact on sustained breastfeeding. Workplaces need to enhance the mother-friendly climate by encouraging and rewarding coworkers and providing support necessary for breastfeeding colleagues.

Social norms are often considered as behavioral guidelines to mitigate health and environmental risks. However, our understanding of the magnitude of their impact on risk‐mitigating behaviors and how perceptions of risks affect the magnitude remains limited. Given the increasing importance of understanding factors influencing behavioral responses to health and environmental risks, this research examines whether the relationship between social norms and behavioral intention to mitigate health and environmental risks is a function of (1) risk perceptions and (2) uncertainty about risk perceptions. A cross‐sectional survey involving a national sample (N = 803) across three health and environmental risks (i.e., infectious diseases, climate change, and water shortage) is conducted. The results reveal a three‐way interaction between descriptive norms, uncertainty about susceptibility, and uncertainty about severity on behavioral intention to mitigate the risk. Individuals exhibit the strongest intention to engage in risk‐mitigating behaviors when they perceive prevailing social norms and are uncertain about their susceptibility to the risk and the severity of the risk. Moreover, injunctive norms interact with uncertainty about susceptibility to influence behavioral intention, such that the more uncertain individuals feel about their vulnerability to a risk, the stronger the impact of injunctive norms is on behavioral intention. Neither descriptive nor injunctive norms interact with perceived risks to influence behavioral intention. This study contributes valuable insights into the interplay between social norms, uncertainty about perceived risk, and behavioral intention, and offers valuable theoretical and practical implications.

Despite mixed findings in the literature, health information seeking is considered as a promising antecedent of health behavior and outcome. However, little research has been conducted to identify factors that explain the health information seeking-health behavior relationship. In the contexts of breast, cervical, and prostate cancer screening, this research utilized recently collected Health Information National Trends Survey data (HINTS 5 Cycle 1) to examine whether, among the population at risk of cancer, previous cancer information seeking influenced cancer screening via perceptions of risk and efficacy, desired uncertainty, and worry. The results indicated that previous cancer information seeking had a direct effect on cancer screening. Across the three cancer screening behaviors, desired uncertainty mediated the relationship between previous cancer information seeking and screening behavior. Worry about getting cancer moderated and mediated the relationship between cancer information seeking and cervical cancer screening. Moreover, desired uncertainty and perceived susceptibility respectively interacted with previous cancer information seeking to influence breast cancer screening. Perceptions of risk and efficacy had limited effects on cancer screening. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) health applications developed in Global North countries are being diffused to the Global South but not without problems. Objective: The goal of this integrative scoping review was to identify recent studies from 2022 to 2025 describing the contributions and challenges in using AI health applications in the Global South. Methods: An integrative scoping review of 24 studies from seven databases identified four themes. Major Findings: This review adds to previous investigations by 1) focusing on data interoperability to resolve gaps in digitizing global health data required for accurate machine learning, 2) examining formidable economic and infrastructure hurdles for adoption and implementation of health AI in low-resource countries, 3) identifying barriers faced by emerging economies for partnerships with global AI biotech companies in AI health startups, and 4) calling for regulations and global surveillance of AI health applications. Conclusions: Practical implications for the future use of AI health applications in the Global South are discussed concluding that applications developed and trained on datasets from high income countries need to be recalibrated to work in the Global South. Additionally, due to the health-related disparities within the Global North the adoption of AI needs to be considered in its own context.