The Psychology of Desire and Implications for Healthy Hydration

A Content Analysis of Persuasive Appeals Used in Media Campaigns to Encourage and Discourage Sugary Beverages and Water in the United States

The frequent consumption of sugary beverages is associated with many health risks. This study examined how persuasive appeals and graphics were used in different media campaigns to encourage and discourage sugary beverages and water in the United States (U.S.) The investigators developed a codebook, protocol and systematic process to conduct a qualitative content analysis for 280 media campaigns organized into a typology with six categories. SPSS version 28.0 was used to analyze rational and emotional appeals (i.e., positive, negative, coactive) for campaign slogans, taglines and graphic images (i.e., symbols, colors, audiences) for 60 unique campaigns across the typology. Results showed that positive emotional appeals were used more to promote sugary beverages in corporate advertising and marketing (64.7%) and social responsibility campaigns (68.8%), and less to encourage water in social marketing campaigns (30%). In contrast, public awareness campaigns used negative emotional appeals (48.1%), and advocacy campaigns combined rational (30%) and emotional positive (50%) and negative appeals (30%). Public policy campaigns used rational (82.6%) and positive emotional appeals (73.9%) to motivate support or opposition for sugary beverage tax legislation. Chi-square analyses assessed the relationships between the U.S. media campaign typology categories and graphic elements that revealed three variables with significant associations between the campaign typology and race/ethnicity (χ²(103) = 32.445, p = 0.039), content (χ²(103) = 70.760, p < 0.001) and product image (χ²(103) = 11.930, p = 0.036). Future research should examine how positive persuasive appeals in text and graphics can promote water to reduce sugary beverage health risks.

The Impact of Dietary Diversity, Lifestyle, and Blood Lipids on Carotid Atherosclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Carotid atherosclerosis is a common arterial wall lesion that causes narrowing and occlusion of the arteries and is the basis of cardiovascular events. Dietary habits, lifestyle, and lipid metabolism should be considered integrally in the context of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS). However, this area has been investigated less often in China. To understand the prevalence of CAS in China and the impact of dietary diversity and habits, lifestyle, and lipid metabolism on CAS as well as its predictive factors, a cross-sectional study was performed in two northern and southern Chinese tertiary hospitals from 2017 to 2019. Included participants underwent carotid artery color Doppler ultrasonography, blood lipid examination and dietary evaluation. In total, 11,601 CAS patients and 27,041 individuals without carotid artery lesions were included. The prevalence of CAS was 30.0% in this group. High BMI (OR: 1.685, 95% CI [1.315-2.160]), current (1.148 [1.077-1.224]) or ex-smoking (1.349 [1.190-1.529]), abstinence from alcohol ((1.223 [1.026-1.459]), social engagement (1.122 [1.050-1.198]), hypertension (1.828 [1.718-1.945]), and total cholesterol (1.438 [1.298-1.594]) were risk factors for CAS, while higher dietary diversity according to DDS-2 (0.891 [0.805-0.989]), HDL-C (0.558 [0.487-0.639]), sugar-sweetened beverages (0.734 [0.696-0.774]), and no midnight snack consumption (0.846 [0.792-0.903]) were protective factors. This current study demonstrated that higher dietary diversity was a protective factor against CAS in a healthy population. In addition, current recommendations of healthy lifestyle and dietary habits for preventing CAS should be strengthened. In addition, dietary diversity should concentrate on food attributes and dietary balance, rather than increased quantities.