Dataset Information

Reactions to threatening health messages.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Threatening health messages that focus on severity are popular, but frequently have no effect or even a counterproductive effect on behavior change. This paradox (i.e. wide application despite low effectiveness) may be partly explained by the intuitive appeal of threatening communication: it may be hard to predict the defensive reactions occurring in response to fear appeals. We examine this hypothesis by using two studies by Brown and colleagues, which provide evidence that threatening health messages in the form of distressing imagery in anti-smoking and anti-alcohol campaigns cause defensive reactions.

Methods

We simulated both Brown et al. experiments, asking participants to estimate the reactions of the original study subjects to the threatening health information (n = 93). Afterwards, we presented the actual original study outcomes. One week later, we assessed whether this knowledge of the actual study outcomes helped participants to more successfully estimate the effectiveness of the threatening health information (n = 72).

Results

Results showed that participants were initially convinced of the effectiveness of threatening health messages and were unable to anticipate the defensive reactions that in fact occurred. Furthermore, these estimates did not improve after participants had been explained the dynamics of threatening communication as well as what the effects of the threatening communication had been in reality.

Conclusions

These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the effectiveness of threatening health messages is intuitively appealing. What is more, providing empirical evidence against the use of threatening health messages has very little effect on this intuitive appeal.

SUBMITTER: Ten Hoor GA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3575362 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Reactions to threatening health messages.

Ten Hoor Gill A GA Peters Gjalt-Jorn Y GJ Kalagi Janice J de Groot Lianne L Grootjans Karlijne K Huschens Alexander A Köhninger Constanze C Kölgen Lizan L Pelssers Isabelle I Schütt Toby T Thomas Sophia S Ruiter Robert A C RA Kok Gerjo G

BMC public health 20121121

<h4>Background</h4>Threatening health messages that focus on severity are popular, but frequently have no effect or even a counterproductive effect on behavior change. This paradox (i.e. wide application despite low effectiveness) may be partly explained by the intuitive appeal of threatening communication: it may be hard to predict the defensive reactions occurring in response to fear appeals. We examine this hypothesis by using two studies by Brown and colleagues, which provide evidence that t ...[more]

PMID: 23171445

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Dataset Information

Reactions to threatening health messages.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Reactions to threatening health messages.

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