Leanne CHANG

Dr. Leanne Chang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Leanne’s research focuses on health communication. Her research concentrates on three areas of inquiry: technology and health, culture and health, and public deliberation on public health measures. She has taken a social psychological approach to examining health information behaviors, impacts of m-health interventions on personal health management, and the link between social media use and psychological well-being. She has also taken a cultural approach to exploring the importance of cultural values in shaping individuals’ health beliefs and health practices. She has published with interdisciplinary colleagues, postgraduate students, and undergraduate students in communication and information science journals such as Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Health Communication, International Journal of Medical Informatics, Computers in Human Behavior, Telematics & Informatics, and Qualitative Health Research. She currently serves on the editorial board of Health Communication, Journal of Women & Aging, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, and Journal of Information Society.

Research Interests

Health Communication:

• Health Information Behaviors
• m-Health Technology
• Aging and Caregiving
• Migrant Health

Publications

(* denotes post-graduate student co-author, ** denotes undergraduate student co-author)

Shi, Y-T, Wang, L., Wong, C. H. Y., Sin, E. L. L., Rauterberg, M., Yuan, Z., & Chang, L. (2024). The effects of distancing design collaboration necessitated by COVID-19 on brain synchrony in teams compared to co-located design collaboration: A preliminary study. Brain Sciences, 14(1), 60.

Chang, L., Li, W.*, Xin, X. *, & Wang, J. * (2023). Strategies for assessing health information credibility among older social media users in China: A qualitative study. Health Communication. Advance online publication.

Li, W.*, & Chang, L. (2023). Aging in cyberspace: Exploring health information acquisition among older WeChat users. Global Media & China. Advance online publication.

Chang, L. (2022). Older adults and ageism. In E. Ho & C. Bylund, & J. van Weert (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of health communication. Wiley.

Chang, L. (2022). Immigration, social support, and well-being: A case study of immigrants in Hong Kong. In D. K. D. Kim & G. L. Kreps (Eds.), Global health communication for immigrants and refugees: Cases, theories, and strategies. Routledge.

Choy, C. Y.**, Chang, L., & Man, P. Y.** (2022). Social support and coping among female foreign domestic helpers experiencing abuse and exploitation in Hong Kong. Frontiers in Communication,7, 1015193.

Fung, T. K. F., Lai, P. Y., Chang, L., & Leung, H. M. (2022). Applying the comprehensive model of information seeking to understand chronic illness information scanning: Hong Kong evidence. World Medical & Health Policy,14(2), 382-412.

Luk, P., & Chang, L. (2022). Traditional Chinese medicine. In E. Ho & C. Bylund, & J. van Weert (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of health communication. Wiley.

Basnyat, I. & Chang, L. (2021). Tensions in support for family caregivers of people with dementia in Singapore: A qualitative study. Dementia, 20(7), 2278-2293

Chang, L., Chattopadhyay, K., Li, J., Xu, M., & Li, L. (2021). Interplay of support, comparison, and surveillance in social media weight management interventions: Qualitative study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 9(3), e19239.

Chang, L. & Zhang, W. (2021). Procedural justice in online deliberation: Theoretical explanations and empirical findings. Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 17(1). 105-117.

David, P. & Chang, L. (2021). Mediated communication during COVID-19 pandemic: Influences of media technologies in everyday life. Journal of Information Society, 41, 1-18.

Thompson, L. T., Mohan, J. D., & Chang, L. (2021). Challenges and opportunities of theorizing health communication in Asia. Communication & Society, 58, 1-28.

Jacobson, T., & Chang, L. (2019). Sen’s capabilities approach and the measurement of communication outcomes. Journal of Information Policy, 9, 111-131.

Chang, L., Li, P.*, Loh, R. S. M.*, & Chua, T. H. H.* (2019). A study of Singapore adolescent girls’ selfie practices, peer appearance comparisons, and body esteem on Instagram. Body Image, 29, 90-99.

Chang, L., & Lim, J. C. J.** (2019). Traditional Chinese medicine physicians’ insights into inter-professional tensions between traditional Chinese medicine and biomedicine: A critical perspective. Health Communication, 34(2), 238-247.

Li, P.*, Chang, L., Chua, T. H. H.*, & Loh, R. S. M.* (2018). “Likes” as KPI: An examination of teenage girls’ perspective on peer feedback on Instagram and its influence on coping response. Telematics and Informatics, 35(7), 1994-2005.

Chang, L., & Basnyat, I. (2017). Exploring family support for older Chinese Singaporean women in a Confucian society. Health Communication, 32(5), 603-611.

Chang, L., Yen, C. C., Xue, L.*, Tai, B. C., Chan, H. C., Duh, H., & Choolani, M. (2017). Factors associated with mobile health information seeking among Singaporean women. Journal of Women & Aging, 29(1), 75-86.

Basnyat, I. & Chang, L. (2017). Examining live-in foreign domestic helpers as coping resource for family caregivers of people with dementia in Singapore, Health Communication, 32(9), 1171-1179.

Chua, T.**, & Chang, L. (2016). Follow me and like my beautiful selfies: Singapore teenage girls’ engagement in self-presentation and peer comparison on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 55(A), 190-197.

Chang, L., & Basnyat, I. (2015). Negotiating biomedical and traditional Chinese medicine treatments among elderly Chinese Singaporean women. Qualitative Health Research, 25(2), 241-252.

Chang, L. (2014). College students’ search for sexual health information from their best friends: An application of the theory of motivated information management. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 17(3), 196-205.

Chang, L. (2014). Health communication. In J. Hong (Ed.), New trends in communication studies (pp. 265-290). Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. [In Chinese]

Chang, L., Basnyat, I., & Teo, D.* (2014). Seeking and processing information for health decisions among elderly Chinese Singaporean women. Journal of Women & Aging, 26(3), 1-23.

Basnyat, I., & Chang, L. (2014). Are you a “woman”? Representation of femininity in two women’s magazines in Singapore, Cleo and Her World. Communication Research Reports, 31(1), 82-91.

Zhang, W., & Chang, L. (2014). Perceived speech conditions and disagreement of everyday talk: A proceduralist perspective of citizen deliberation. Communication Theory, 24(2), 124-145.

Chang, L., Jacobson, T., & Zhang, W. (2013). A communicative action approach to evaluating citizen support for a government’s smoking policies. Journal of Communication, 63(6), 1153-1174.

Xue, L.*, Yen, C. C., Chang, L., Chan, H. C., Tai, B. C., Tan, S. B., … & Choolani, M. (2012). An exploratory study of ageing women’s perception on access to health informatics via a mobile phone-based intervention. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 81(9), 637-648.

Xue, L., Yen, C. C., Chang, L., Tai, B. C., Chan, H. C., Duh, H. L., & Choolani, M. (2012). Journeying toward female-focused m-Health applications. In Y. G. Ji (Ed), Advances in affective and pleasurable design (pp. 295-305). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Gu, Y. X., Li, N., Chang, L., & Duh, H. L. (2011). A collaborative augmented reality networked platform for edutainment. In L. Alem & W. Huang (Eds.), Recent trends of mobile collaborative augmented reality systems (pp. 117-126). New York: Springer.

Lim, S.**, Xue, L.*, Yen, C. C., Chang, L., Chan, H. C., Tai, B. C., … & Choolani, M. (2011). A study on Singaporean women’s acceptance of using mobile phones to seek health information. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 80(12), e189-e202.

Chang, L., & Jacobson, T. L. (2010). Measuring participation as communicative action: A case study of citizen involvement in and assessment of a city’s smoking cessation policy-making process. Journal of Communication, 60(4), 660-679.

Refereed Conference Proceedings

Li, N., Chang, L., Gu, Y. X.*, & Duh, H. L. (2011). Influences of AR-supported simulation on learning effectiveness in face-to-face collaborative learning for physics. In 2011 11th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (pp. 320-322). IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICALT.2011.100

Li, N., Chang, L., Gu, Y. X., & Duh, H. L. (2011). Sociality of mobile collaborative AR: Augmenting a dual problem space for social interaction in collaborative social learning. In 2011 11th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (pp. 467-469). IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICALT.2011.145

Xue, L., Yen, C. C., Chang, L., Tai, B. C., Chan, H. C., Duh, H. L., & Choolani, M. (2011, October). Mobile phone-based health application for women: A Singapore study. In Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Applied Sciences in Biomedical and Communication Technologies (Article No. 73). ACM. doi:10.1145/2093698.2093771

Awards/Grants/Honors

Research Grants and Schemes

The effect of distance design collaboration necessitated by COVID-19 on brain synchronicity in teams compared to co-located design collaboration (2022-2025). Second CRF Covid-19 and NID Exercise. Co-PI (HK$2,453,450)

The 19th Chinese Internet Research Conference. Research Committee International Activities Programme (2021/22), Hong Kong Baptist University. PI (HK$75,000)

Understanding health communication behavior: Studies on health information seeking and persuasive health messages (2020-2021). Initiation Grant for Faculty Niche Research Areas, Hong Kong Baptist University. Co-I (HK$898,900)

Frontiers of health communication in Asia (2020-2021). Research Committee Conference Grant, Hong Kong Baptist University. PI (HK$166,910)

Internet literacy and information management among senior citizens (2018-2021). Tier 1 Start-up Grant, Hong Kong Baptist University. PI (HK$100,000)

Qianjiang Scholarship Scheme, Department of Education of Zhejiang Province, China (2018). PI (RMB$500,000)

Implications of using social media to facilitate weight management interventions (2017-2018). China Healthcare Grant, Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. PI (RMB$10,000)

Implications of using social media to facilitate weight management interventions (2017-2018). Faculty Research Grant, School of International Communications, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. PI (RMB$15,000)

Implications of using social media to facilitate weight management interventions (2017-2018). FHSS Competitive Research Funding Scheme, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. PI (RMB$30,408)

Communicating the use of biomedicine and traditional medicine between doctors and patients (2014-2016). Humanities and Social Sciences Seed Fund, Office of the Deputy President (Research & Technology), National University of Singapore. PI (S$37,489)

Deliberative governance: Developing a digital platform (2014-2016). Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 2. Co-PI (S$437,000)

Citizen participation and legitimacy: Issues in the evaluation of health policymaking (2010-2011). Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1. PI (S$62,100)

The role of digital media on decision making and processing of finance information through mobile social application for aging adults (2010-2011). Academic Research Grant, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore. Co-PI (S$98,000)

Applying the female-focused acceptance model (FAM) to develop a healthcare information system for aging women (2009-2011). Ministry of Education Academic Research Grant Tier 2. Co-PI (S$250,000)

Shared decision making: Citizen responses to fear-arousing health messages (2008-2010). Startup Grant, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. PI (S$20,000)