Communication Campaigns & Research – notes & literature
Lecture 1: Introduction & Course overview
Health behavior models:
- Theory of planned behavior (theory of reasoned action).
- Protection motivation theory.
- Health belief model.
Basic persuasion processes:
- Elaboration likelihood model.
Now we are going to focus more on health message characteristics in interventions and their effects
on behavioral determinants. Focus on evaluation plan of the intervention mapping approach.
Agenda setting = putting the topic on anyone’s agenda, not only political.
Framing
Message factors: framing, affect, fear appeals, evidence, humor.
Health relevant communication:
- Health relevant communications can emphasize positive outcomes or negative outcomes of
healthy or unhealthy behavior.
- Emphasizing one set of features, or put differently: rendering any aspect of a health issue salient.
Gain framing = what you gain when you follow the recommended behavior.
- Benefits of applying the prescribed health action.
- “If you use condoms, you can go ahead and enjoy safe sex”.
Loss framing = what you lose when you do not follow the recommended behavior.
- Costs of not applying the prescribed health action.
- “If you don’t use sunscreen, you can get skin cancer”.
- “If you don’t get tested for STDs, you could get it and get infertile”.
Decision making depends on the function of health behavior: does desired behavior serve an illness-
detecting (e.g. screening) or health-affirming situation (e.g. condom use)?
Prospect Theory
Gain:
- People tend to avoid losses, when focusing on winning (you don’t want to give up what is already
yours).
- People act to avoid risks, when options are evaluated in terms of associated benefits.
- Thus: risk averse, when confronted with gains.
Loss:
- People are more willing to accept risks, if loss is made salient (more prominent / important /
outstanding).
- People are more willing to accept risks, when options are evaluated in terms of associated costs.
- Thus: risk seeking, when confronted with losses.
Example 1:
- Program A: 33% chance of no patients dying and 66% chance of all patients dying.
- Program B: 400 patients are sure to die.
Lecture 1: Introduction & Course overview
Health behavior models:
- Theory of planned behavior (theory of reasoned action).
- Protection motivation theory.
- Health belief model.
Basic persuasion processes:
- Elaboration likelihood model.
Now we are going to focus more on health message characteristics in interventions and their effects
on behavioral determinants. Focus on evaluation plan of the intervention mapping approach.
Agenda setting = putting the topic on anyone’s agenda, not only political.
Framing
Message factors: framing, affect, fear appeals, evidence, humor.
Health relevant communication:
- Health relevant communications can emphasize positive outcomes or negative outcomes of
healthy or unhealthy behavior.
- Emphasizing one set of features, or put differently: rendering any aspect of a health issue salient.
Gain framing = what you gain when you follow the recommended behavior.
- Benefits of applying the prescribed health action.
- “If you use condoms, you can go ahead and enjoy safe sex”.
Loss framing = what you lose when you do not follow the recommended behavior.
- Costs of not applying the prescribed health action.
- “If you don’t use sunscreen, you can get skin cancer”.
- “If you don’t get tested for STDs, you could get it and get infertile”.
Decision making depends on the function of health behavior: does desired behavior serve an illness-
detecting (e.g. screening) or health-affirming situation (e.g. condom use)?
Prospect Theory
Gain:
- People tend to avoid losses, when focusing on winning (you don’t want to give up what is already
yours).
- People act to avoid risks, when options are evaluated in terms of associated benefits.
- Thus: risk averse, when confronted with gains.
Loss:
- People are more willing to accept risks, if loss is made salient (more prominent / important /
outstanding).
- People are more willing to accept risks, when options are evaluated in terms of associated costs.
- Thus: risk seeking, when confronted with losses.
Example 1:
- Program A: 33% chance of no patients dying and 66% chance of all patients dying.
- Program B: 400 patients are sure to die.
