Methodological Approaches in Health Communication Research (2009–2024): An Analytical Review of Research Methods, Sampling Techniques, Theoretical Frameworks, and Data Analysis Approaches

Bolarinwa Ebenezer Mowemi¹, Michael Dare Ogunniyi², Jaiyeola Aramide Oyewole³, Olayinka Susan Ogundoyin⁴, Tioluwalogo Olakunbi-Black⁵, Oluwatomi Caleb Adeniji⁶

^1,5 Lecturer, Communication Arts, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria.

² Lecturer, Mass Communication, Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Nigeria.

³ Senior Lecturer, Communication Arts, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria.

⁴ Associate Professor, Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria.   

⁶ Lecturer, Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study presents a meta-analytic review of methodological approaches in health communication research published between 2009 and 2024, examining 53 peer-reviewed articles and graduate theses drawn from a primary curated collection (n=39) and a supplementary set (n=14). Using content analysis, the study codes each work across four dimensions: research method, sampling technique, theoretical framework, and data analysis approach, with particular attention to studies on health communication apprehension, language barriers in healthcare, and patient-provider communication. Findings show that survey and questionnaire-based designs dominate the field (37%), followed by systematic/scoping reviews (19%) and cross-sectional studies (15%). Convenience sampling, often via university participant pools, is the most common recruitment strategy (30%), reflecting the field’s reliance on accessible rather than representative samples. Communication Apprehension Theory (McCroskey, 1970) emerges as the overwhelmingly dominant theoretical framework, appearing in over half of reviewed studies, while roughly a fifth of studies apply no explicit theory. Regression analysis, descriptive statistics, and Cronbach’s Alpha reliability testing are the most frequently used analytical tools, underscoring the field’s strong psychometric and quantitative orientation. The review identifies a pronounced geographic skew toward North America, Europe, and Australia, alongside a relative scarcity of research from Nigeria and other Global South contexts, as well as a near-total absence of longitudinal designs. The study concludes that health communication research has developed a coherent but narrow methodological identity, and calls for greater theoretical contextualisation, cross-cultural instrument validation, and expanded research attention to multilingual, resource-constrained settings such as Nigeria, where the consequences of communication breakdown remain most severe.

Keywords: Health communication, Communication apprehension, Methodological review, Meta-analysis, Research methods, Sampling techniques, Theoretical frameworks; Language barriers, Health literacy, Patient-provider communication, Willingness to communicate, Second language (L2) anxiety, Nigeria, Global South

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