Using language intensity to increase the success of a family intervention to protect children from ultraviolet radiation: Predictions from language expectancy theory

被引:39
作者
Buller, DB
Burgoon, M
Hall, JR
Levine, N
Taylor, AM
Beach, BH
Melcher, C
Buller, MK
Bowen, SL
Hunsaker, FG
Bergen, A
机构
[1] AMC Canc Res Ctr, Ctr Hlth Commun, Denver, CO 80214 USA
[2] Univ Arizona, Arizona Canc Ctr, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[3] Univ Arizona, Div Biomed Commun, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[4] Univ Arizona, Dept Med Dermatol, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[5] Univ Arizona, Dept Family & Community Med, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[6] Saginaw Valley State Univ, Dept Commun & Theatre, University Ctr, MI 48710 USA
[7] Partners Hlth Syst Inc, Dept Technol Transfer, Denver, CO USA
[8] Natl Res Corp, Lincoln, NE USA
[9] Prima Prevent Partnership, Tucson, AZ USA
关键词
child; female; human; knowledge; attitudes; behavior; male; skin neoplasm/prevention and control; sunburn/prevention and control; support; US government PHS;
D O I
10.1006/pmed.1999.0600
中图分类号
R1 [预防医学、卫生学];
学科分类号
1004 ; 120402 ;
摘要
Background. Even though people are informed about skin cancer prevention, they do not always comply with prevention advice. From Language Expectancy Theory, it was predicted that messages with high language intensity would improve compliance with sun safety recommendations and that this effect would be enhanced with deductive argument style. Methods. Parents (N = 841) from a pediatric clinic and elementary schools received sun safety messages (newsletters, brochures, tip cards) by mail that varied in language intensity and logical style. Effects on attitudes and behavior were tested in a pretest-posttest factorial design. Results. As hypothesized, parents receiving messages with high- as opposed to low-intensity language complied more with sun safety advice. Messages with highly intense language were more persuasive when the arguments were formatted in a deductive style; low language intensity was more persuasive in inductively styled messages. Conclusions. By carefully adjusting messages features, health professionals can obtain further compliance beyond that produced by educating people about health risks and creating favorable attitudes and self-efficacy expectations. Highly intense language may be a good general strategy in prevention messages and works better when conclusions and recommendations are offered explicitly to recipients, especially when advice is aimed at reducing their personal risk. (C) 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.
引用
收藏
页码:103 / 114
页数:12
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