An Experimental Test of the Roles of Audience Involvement and Message Frame in Shaping Public Reactions to Celebrity Illness Disclosures

Celebrity Identification and Reasoned Action: An Integrative Model of the Relationship Between Media Use and Breast Cancer Screening Intention

This study investigates the relationship between media use and breast cancer screening intentions by integrating the celebrity identification model and the theory of reasoned action. It tests an integrative model with survey data from 315 U.S. adult women. The study found that media use for breast cancer information was positively associated with parasocial interaction (PSI) and identification with celebrities who have or have had breast cancer; PSI was positively associated with attitudes, descriptive and injunctive norms in breast cancer screening, while identification with celebrities was positively associated with descriptive norms; attitudes, injunctive norms and descriptive norms were positively associated with breast cancer screening intentions. The study supports the mediating effect of PSI, identification, attitudes, and descriptive and injunctive norms on the association between media use and breast cancer prevention intentions.

Stories to Prevent Cancer: A Pilot Study Using Cancer Survivor Narratives to Increase Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Intentions

INTRODUCTION

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates are lower than other recommended adolescent vaccines. Cancer survivor narratives are used to promote cancer prevention and control, but little is known about their impact on adolescent HPV vaccination.

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study explored the feasibility and effects of a video education intervention using a cancer survivor narrative to improve parents' attitudes toward and intentions to get the HPV vaccine.

METHODS

This study utilized a one-group design; participants completed a pre-intervention survey, watched the video before attending their sons' wellness visits, and completed a post-intervention survey within one week of their appointment. Using the narrative persuasion framework, we developed a 4-minute video of a local HPV-related cancer survivor to promote the HPV vaccine as cancer prevention. We recruited 37 participants between June and October 2020. Participants were parents of males ages 9-17 who had not yet initiated HPV vaccination.

RESULTS

After the video, more parents agreed that HPV vaccination is safe (pre: 66% vs. post: 82%; P = .045) and that their child's chances of getting HPV-related cancer in the future are high (pre: 24% vs. post: 46%; P = .014). Overall, 91% of parents felt the cancer survivor story helped them understand the risks of HPV cancers, and 52% said the story influenced their decision to start HPV vaccination for their child.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that cancer survivor narratives influence parents' vaccine opinions and understanding of their child's risk of HPV infection, leading to increased parental intent to get the HPV vaccine for their adolescent males.

Danger control and fear control during public health emergencies: Considering the roles of fear and hope in the EPPM across different levels of trust

Public health emergencies pose considerable threats to global health and safety. The control of these emergencies requires the efforts of healthcare professionals and calls for the public to take protective actions. The present study not only puts fear back in the extended parallel process model (EPPM) but also considers another similarly productive emotion: hope. We examined the mechanisms behind the effects of four cognitive perceptions on protective actions (i.e., danger control) and information avoidance (i.e., fear control). A national online survey was conducted with 1676 participants during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China from February 1 to 29, 2020. The results revealed that perceived severity and susceptibility could lead to fear, positively affecting protective actions. On the other hand, perceived response efficacy and self-efficacy induced hope, which was positively associated with protective actions but negatively associated with information avoidance. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind the relationships among cognitions, emotions, and behaviors varied across levels of trust in healthcare systems.

Examining the Effects of Celebrity (Vs. Noncelebrity) Narratives on Opioid Addiction Prevention: Identification, Transportation, and the Moderating Role of Personal Relevance

Celebrity disclosures and narratives are popular strategies in health promotion. However, less is known about their joint effects and the mechanisms through which they function. A 2 (narrative type: celebrity vs. layperson) x 2 (personal relevance: low vs. high) online experiment (N = 248) tested the impact of different narrative types in increasing awareness about prescription opioid abuse. Results indicated that a celebrity narrative is more persuasive than its layperson counterpart. Also, personal relevance toward opioid addiction moderated the influence of narrative type. Celebrity narratives evoked more positive attitudes toward opioid prevention and greater behavioral compliance intentions with the recommended action for low-relevance individuals. Transportation and identification mediated the effects of celebrity narratives on participants' issue attitudes and behavioral intentions, but only for low-relevance individuals. Practically, the data suggest that incorporating celebrities in health narratives about opioid addiction prevention facilitates behavioral compliance, especially for individuals to whom a pressing health issue like opioid misuse is currently of low relevance.

Digital interventions for promoting sun protection and skin self-examination behaviors: A systematic review

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A considerable number of digital interventions for skin cancer prevention have been evaluated.

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Most skin cancer digital interventions focus on sun protection-related outcomes.

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Most interventions use web-based digital technology (websites, webpages, mobile apps) rather than videos, emails or text messages alone as the delivery platform.

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Multi-component digital interventions are effective in promoting sun protection and skin self-examination.

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Almost all studies found digital interventions to be equally or more effective compared to non-digital interventions.

The skin cancer incidence rate has been rising, and digital health interventions can promote skin cancer prevention and detection behaviors. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the outcomes of digital interventions that promote sun protection and skin self-examination (SSE). This review examined studies that utilized randomized controlled designs or quasi-experiments, included outcomes related to sun safety or SSE, employed at least one digital platform, and were published in English from January 2000 to October 2020. A total of 62 studies were included in the review. Digital modalities included web-based (e.g., websites) alone (n = 29), mobile-based (e.g., mobile apps) alone (n = 12), game-based (n = 1), emails or text messages alone (n = 8), videos alone (n = 6), social media (n = 3), both text messages and mobile apps (n = 2), or both text messages and video (n = 1). Most studies (n = 44) only evaluated sun protection-related outcomes, seven studies assessed SSE outcomes only, nine studies examined both, and two assessed other related outcomes. Digital interventions are effective compared to non-intervention control conditions in promoting sun safety or SSE. Almost all studies found digital interventions to be equally or more effective compared to non-digital interventions. This review suggests that although the digital interventions varied, they showed promising effects on improving sun protection or SSE outcomes. Future research should include more sophisticated phase-based and rigorous longitudinal research designs, additional investigation of social media and other newer technologies, as well as more detailed reporting of methods and results.

The "celebrity canary in the coal mine for the coronavirus": An examination of a theoretical model of celebrity illness disclosure effects

RATIONALE

On March 11, 2020, actor Tom Hanks announced via social media that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Previous research has found celebrity illness disclosures to influence behavior, but during the uncertainty of a pandemic, the effects of such a disclosure were unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To test the proposed Celebrity Illness Disclosure Effects (CIDE) model, demonstrating how an illness disclosure, communicated through mediated and interpersonal channels, may shape willingness to engage in prevention behaviors.

METHODS

We conducted an online survey (N = 587) 24 hours after Hanks' COVID-19 disclosure.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that celebrity-related perception variables predicted illness-related cognitions and emotions\, which were associated with willingness to enact prevention behaviors. Greater willingness to seek information, stronger perceptions of COVID as a threat, and stronger perceptions of efficacy for dealing with COVID after learning of Hanks' diagnosis predicted stronger willingness to enact prevention behaviors. However, anxiety about COVID predicted lower willingness to enact prevention behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

The CIDE model can serve as a guide for future research in this area. The results can help scholars who aim to better understand the phenomena around celebrities and health communication as well as policymakers who hope to ride the wave of star power to improved public health outcomes.

The Effects of Agency Assignment and Reference Point on Responses to COVID-19 Messages

As the COVID-19 pandemic poses severe threats to human life around the globe, effective risk messages are needed to warn the public and encourage recommended actions for avoiding infection, especially as steps are taken to ease physical restrictions and restart economies. The present study examines the effects of agency assignment and reference point on perceptions of SARS-CoV-2 threat and assesses key message responses, including psychological reactance, source derogation, counterarguing, and behavioral intentions. Participants (N = 207) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions crossing agency assignment (SARS-CoV-2/human) and reference point (self/self-other). Results show, relative to human agency, SARS-CoV-2 agency assignment generated significantly more psychological reactance in the form of greater perceptions of freedom threat, anger, and negative cognitions, as well as more source derogation and counterarguing. No significant effects were found for reference point, and the interaction between agency assignment and reference point was not significant. The study findings, limitations, and implications are discussed.

The Power of Celebrity Health Events: Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Audience Involvement and Behavioral Intentions

Audience involvement processes - such as parasocial interaction and identification - may impact an individual's response to celebrity health events, yet to date, no synthesis of the literature exists. The present meta-analysis examined audience involvement processes and their influence on health behavior intentions in the context of celebrity health events. Fourteen studies (N = 5,718) met criteria and were analyzed using meta-analytic procedures. The weighted mean effect of the association between audience involvement and behavioral intentions was r = 0.20 (95% CI, 0.08-0.31, p <.001), indicating a statistically significant small-to-medium-sized positive association. Moderator analyses revealed that celebrity disclosures and events had greater effects than depictions of a media persona with a health condition; greater effects were also found for health behaviors not requiring a medical procedure. Our findings suggest that those who most feel a sense of attachment or affinity for a celebrity or media personae may be the ones who are most likely to modify their behavioral intentions in the wake of a celebrity health event. Results highlight the need for health practitioners to recognize the role of audience involvement in celebrity health events and to better assess how to harness these opportunities to promote healthy behaviors.