This study conducted in Meigs County, Ohio between January 2009 and June 2009 employed grounded theory to investigate the use of health education media by rural Appalachian individuals with type 2 diabetes in middle and late adulthood. Persons in middle adulthood were 34- to 60-years-old, and persons in late adulthood were 61- to 75-years-old. With data from four focus groups, eight individual interviews, nine follow-up interviews, site visits of clinics and pharmacies in the area, and content analyses of health education media available to the targeted audiences, the project sought to understand cognitive, affective, social, cultural, behavioral, and developmental processes. A total of 44 participants took part in the research; of these persons, 27 were in middle adulthood, and 17 were in late adulthood. The research followed an iterative process that moved between data collection, analysis, and writing; the study employed a convenience sample though sampling also reflected theoretical concerns. The research sought to develop a psychological theory of the optimal design of health education media for the targeted population and explore whether differences between the participants in the two stages of adulthood might suggest alternative approaches to the design of media respective of the groups. Appalachia is home to one in 12 residents of the United States. Differentiated from the rest of the nation by numerous cultural, economic, and demographic patterns, Appalachia suffers from a disproportionate burden of preventable illnesses, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Health education that seeks to persuade targeted audiences to adopt more healthful behaviors includes media as a component of its interventions. Little research has investigated an optimal approach to the construction of health education media. Even less research has addressed health education media for Appalachia. To date, no research has sought to understand human development in the use of health education media for rural Appalachian individuals with type 2 diabetes. This study attempted to redress this gap in knowledge. Research has correlated certain behaviors with an increased risk for morbidity and mortality. As a result, health educators employ health education media as components of programs to prevent such behaviors in targeted audiences. Media psychology as an emergent discipline in psychology may afford insights into the development of more effective health education media. The literature review examined the implications of evolutionary, neuroscientific, cognitive, affective, social, multicultural, and developmental psychology for the construction of more effective health education media. The study suggested a number of potentially useful outcomes. Based on input from participants and content analyses of the health education media in their environments, I found that health education media available to the targeted audience may impose too great of a cognitive load on end users. Moreover, respondents emphasized social themes in the construction of the meaning of their personal experiences and type 2 diabetes mellitus as a disease. Deconstruction of their contributions suggested participants used a complex mix of declarative memories, reasoning, and affect when they described their perspectives. Creators of health education media might eschew the cognitive biases inherent in the designs of these media and adopt a social emphasis that reflects cognitive and affective processes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]