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Mobile mammography units (MMUs) can enhance access to breast cancer screening by providing convenient, cost-effective service, particularly for uninsured and underinsured women. However, prior studies indicate that acceptability concerns about quality and privacy, among other issues, may prevent women from utilizing MMUs. The current study employs a within-participant experimental design exposing participants to messages about different MMU characteristics to determine which characteristics are most effective in persuading them to use an MMU. The study also examined how messaging interacts with participants' ethnic identity to influence outcomes. Data were collected from a diverse sample of uninsured and underinsured women as part of a formative study to promote the utilization of a mobile mammography facility in Central Texas. Results of mixed-effect linear models show that messages about equity, appointment convenience, privacy and comfort, and quality of equipment and staff were rated as more persuasive than messages about convenience of location and language accessibility. However, Hispanic women rated language accessibility higher than other participants did. The results can guide MMU organizers and promotion managers as they determine the best approach to promote mobile mammography services in different communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families play an important role in addressing substance misuse and addiction. Extant literature suggests patterns of communication within families influence the ways in which they engage loved ones who may be misusing substances like prescription opioids. However, little is known regarding how strategic health messages about family communication influence individuals' intentions to engage in conversations about substance misuse. Applying a normative approach, we conducted a (2 × 2) between-participants experiment examining whether messages advocating indirect (versus direct) communication are more effective for individuals (n = 613) who describe their family as having a low (versus high) conversation orientation. Univariate analysis of variance tests show match effects for message attitudes and message elaboration. For intentions to talk with a loved one about the risks of OUD, there was only evidence of a matching effect between the message advocating indirect communication with low conversation audiences. Both message types were equally effective at influencing intentions for high conversation participants. These findings suggest message designers should consider the kinds of communication behaviors and actions advocated in appeals targeting family members. Messages that are inclusive of the conversation dynamics of particular audiences may have greater effect. In particular, for low conversation audiences, messages advocating an indirect approach may be more effective at motivating intentions to engage someone who is misusing opioids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the interplay between the emotional appeals of guilt and pride with one's accessible self-construal (independent, relational interdependent, and collective interdependent) in the context of mask wearing. Our findings demonstrate a compatibility effect between an interpersonal guilt appeal and a relational-interdependent self-construal and show that pride appeals are effective regardless of one's accessible self-construal but may be particularly effective when combined with an ad that highlights a collective-interdependent self-construal. Further, findings suggest that evoking a collective-interdependent self-construal is particularly effective when it comes to behavioral intention (mask-wearing intention) because it elicits greater intention with both guilt and pride appeals. In addition, this work is the first to investigate collective-interdependent self-construal in advertising. Both theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disgust-evoking imagery is often used in charity advertising. Although research suggests disgust has negative effects on prosocial behavior, few studies examine charity appeals. The current two-factor, between-participants experiment compared immediate and delayed responses to disgust versus nondisgust appeals. Immediately following exposure, disgust reduced self-reported message attention and empathy. Yet participants exposed to disgust anticipated greater difficulty forgetting the message, which motivated immediate giving, and they reported thinking about the message more following exposure, which motivated delayed giving. Empathy remained relatively stable under disgust, exceeding the comparison condition over time. Results suggest a nuanced process whereby disgust affects charitable behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the efficacy of social media influencer endorsements for COVID-19-prevention public service announcements (PSAs) on Instagram and its underlying mechanisms. An online experiment (N = 239) tested how influencer tier (mega-influencer versus nano-influencer) and message construal (independent versus interdependent versus collective) of the PSA influenced individuals' attitudes toward the PSA and their behavioral intentions regarding COVID-19 prevention. Participants perceived mega-influencers and nano-influencers to possess similar expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. However, participants regarded nano-influencers to possess greater homophily than mega-influencers. Participants exposed to a nano-influencer's PSA displayed greater intention to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors than those exposed to a mega-influencer's PSA. Participants' perceived homophily with the nano-influencer also mediated its effect on participants' attitudes toward the PSA and behavioral intentions regarding COVID-19 prevention. In addition, participants evaluated the PSA with collective message construal more favorably than the PSA with independent message construal. Theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and directions for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Community water fluoridation (CWF) is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Despite this achievement, there are still misunderstandings about the safety of water fluoridation. Previous communication campaigns advocating CWF have been unsuccessful in combating these misunderstandings, suggesting a need for a new way to promote CWF. The goal of this article is to guide research for future campaigns by analyzing the digital conversation regarding community water fluoridation and other forms of fluoride in the state of Texas. Methods: NUVI software extracted tweets from Twitter, and SAS Text Miner 12.1 software revealed topics related to water fluoridation. Results: The results uncovered eight topics related to water fluoridation. Overall, the analysis showed mixed reactions toward water fluoridation, fluoride toothpaste, and children's dental health. Conclusions: The findings of the text analysis will guide future research, with the goal of building a pro‐CWF effort in Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) of 2009 paved the way for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to propose nine different graphic warning labels (GWLs) intended for prominent placement on the front and back of cigarette packs and on cigarette advertisements. Those GWLs were adjudicated as unconstitutional on the ground that they unnecessarily infringed tobacco companies' free speech without sufficiently advancing the government's public health interests. This study examines whether less extensive alternatives to the original full-color GWLs, including black-and-white GWLs and text-only options, have similar or divergent effects on visual attention, negative affect, and health risk beliefs. We used a mobile media research lab to conduct a randomized experiment with two populations residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities: biochemically confirmed adult smokers (N = 313) and middle school youth (N = 340). Results indicate that full-color GWLs capture attention for longer than black-and-white GWLs among both youth and adult smokers. Among adults, packages with GWLs (in either color or black-and-white) engendered more negative affect than those with text-only labels, while text-only produced greater negative affect than the packages with brand imagery only. Among youth, GWLs and text-only labels produced comparable levels of negative affect, albeit more so than brand imagery. We thus offer mixed findings related to the claim that a less extensive alternative could satisfy the government's compelling public health interest to reduce cigarette smoking rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the risk of infection through face-touching behaviors, investigators have called for more research into the development of interventions to reduce the frequency of face-touching. The current study aims to test the effectiveness of messages on reducing face-touching behaviors., Methods: Nine different messages that highlighted the risk of face-touching were developed. Study 1, an online survey-experiment with a national sample of US adults (N = 998), examined message-, risk perceptions, and face-touching-related behavioral intentions. The most promising messages identified in study 1 were then tested in study 2, a follow-up behavioral observation study with a class of undergraduate students. Students' face-touching behaviors were observed during a 4-week period when intervention versus control messages were displayed in the classroom., Results: Four messages performed better in study 1, 2 of which were selected to test the actual message effectiveness in study 2. Study 2 results showed that on average, students touched their faces less frequently when a "Don't touch your face" message was present, although such decrease was not statistically significant., Conclusions: Having reminder messages of "Don't touch your face" in public spaces hold the potential to be a low-cost, effective strategy to reduce face-touching behaviors., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)