Exploring Intended and Unintended Reactions to Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Advertisements
An Online Experiment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21650654 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle Jongenelis (0000-0002-0717-1692, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia), Hannah Dixon (0000-0002-5365-9605, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, corresponding author), Maree Scully (0000-0001-5342-5326, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Belinda Morley (0000-0001-9055-7221, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 58-69 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Education & Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1090-1981 • E-ISSN: 1552-6127 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10901981221104727 |
| PMID | 35758183 |
| OpenAlex | W4283522027 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 52 |
Background To address concerns that healthy weight and lifestyle campaigns (HWLCs) could have unintended psychological or behavioral consequences, this study tested reactions to TV advertisements from two HWLCs: LiveLighter ® (employs graphic health effects messaging) and Swap It Don’t Stop It (employs animation and light-hearted messaging). Methods An online between-subjects experiment tested reactions to one of five advertisements: “Toxic Fat”; “Sugary Drinks” (both from LiveLighter); “Become a Swapper”; “How to Swap It” (both from Swap It); and “HSBC Bank” (control) among 2,208 adults from Western Australia and Victoria, Australia. Responses assessed were cognitive and emotional reactions, behavioral intentions, internalized weight bias, antifat attitudes, self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. Results The HWLC advertisements prompted favorable cognitive reactions and weak to neutral positive and negative emotional responses. HWLC advertisements promoted stronger intentions to engage in adaptive lifestyle behaviors compared with the control advertisement. Intention to engage in maladaptive behaviors (e.g., skipping meals) was low overall and did not differ by condition. Compared with the control condition, participants who saw LiveLighter “Sugary Drinks” showed weaker disagreement with antifat attitudes; however, mean antifat attitude scores were still at the low end of the scale. HWLC advertisements did not promote internalized weight bias, reduced self-esteem or body dissatisfaction compared with the control advertisement. Conclusions Overall, HWLC advertisements performed favorably compared with the control advertisement and showed no clear evidence of adverse impacts. Findings suggest HWLC advertisements may not promote negative psychological and behavioral consequences and can continue to be used in obesity prevention efforts
Advertising · Cognition · Obesity · Self-affirmation · Unintended consequences · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Medicine · Obesity and Health Practices · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |