The Influence of Pre-existing Audience Mood and Message Relevance on the Effectiveness of Health PSAs: Differential Effects by Message Type

• Published in: Journalism & mass communication quarterly Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 481 - 501
• Main Authors: Anghelcev, George, Sar, Sela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2011; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Audience; Audiences; Behavior; Behavioural psychology; College Students; Communication; Communication Research; Cultural values; Decision making; Emotions; Health; Health Behavior; Health promotion; Interpersonal Communication; Learning Theories; Literature Reviews; Mass Media; Medical Decision Making; Messages; Mood; Prevention; Resistance (Psychology); Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Socialization; Studies; Theory
• ISSN: 1077-6990; 2161-430X
• DOI: 10.1177/107769901108800302

Most health communication research is grounded in theories of rational human behavior, which emphasize the role of cognition in health-related decision making. The role of affect—particularly pre-exposure mood—as a determinant of responses to health campaigns is underexplored. Using experimental data, the present study describes variations in attitudinal and behavioral responses to health communication as a function of preexisting mood (positive/negative), message relevance (high/low), and health message type (prevention/detection). Data show that message relevance moderated the effects of health message type under positive, but not under negative, mood.