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Are Your Eyes Really Bigger Than Your Stomach? An Investigation of the Importance of Selective Exposure to Weight Management Articles Featuring Exemplification and Conveying Efficacy for Potential Weight Management Belief and Behavior Change

Sarge, Melanie Ann
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1345227600

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
One of public health message designers’ greatest struggles is to gain sufficient exposure needed for desired message effects (Hornick, 2002). Public health messages face a vast amount of competing, attention-grabbing advertisements and have a target audience that is often defensive and resistant to information attempts to change their unhealthy behaviors (Norcross & Goldfried, 1992; Slater & Flora, 1991). Furthermore, a limited amount of research on message exposure is available to guide designers on how to overcome such barriers. Seeing as America faces a major obesity epidemic that contributes to an estimated 300,000 preventable deaths per year, the present work examines health messages in the context of weight loss and management. Specifically, message characteristics are evaluated to determine whether they foster exposure to recommendations on healthful weight management. Drawing on five theoretical frameworks, the present three-session 2x2 experiment examined impacts of efficacy and exemplification, as characteristics of online weight management message, on selective exposure and change in weight related beliefs and recommended behaviors. Exposure impacts varied depending on interactions with person characteristics of at-risk individuals. Change in recommended behavior was positive and significantly higher in efficacy message groups than for any other combinations.
Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Dr. (Advisor)
Michael Slater, Dr. (Committee Member)
Emily Moyer-Guse, Dr. (Committee Member)
McDonald Daniel, Dr. (Committee Member)
188 p.
Communication; Health; Health Education; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mass Media
selective exposure; exemplification; efficacy; weight loss and management messages; content analysis; health and fitness magazine content

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sarge, M. A. (2012). Are Your Eyes Really Bigger Than Your Stomach? An Investigation of the Importance of Selective Exposure to Weight Management Articles Featuring Exemplification and Conveying Efficacy for Potential Weight Management Belief and Behavior Change [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1345227600

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sarge, Melanie. Are Your Eyes Really Bigger Than Your Stomach? An Investigation of the Importance of Selective Exposure to Weight Management Articles Featuring Exemplification and Conveying Efficacy for Potential Weight Management Belief and Behavior Change. 2012. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1345227600.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sarge, Melanie. "Are Your Eyes Really Bigger Than Your Stomach? An Investigation of the Importance of Selective Exposure to Weight Management Articles Featuring Exemplification and Conveying Efficacy for Potential Weight Management Belief and Behavior Change." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1345227600

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1345227600
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.